Redshirting Children: Sports Jargon meets Kindergarten

Jessa Hay, Eastern Kentucky University

The Myth: Holding a child back to start kindergarten at 6 instead of 5 will make them a leader in academics and

athletics.The Truth: Parents are more concerned than the children

are

ReferencesGladwell, Malcolm. Outliers: The Story of Success. New York: Little, Brown, 2008. Print.Holbrook, Sharon. "'Redshirting' Kindergarten-Age Kids Can Lead to Regrets." Parenting, Children and Parents - Motherlode Blog - The New York Times. The New York Times, 7 Jan. 2015. Web. 20 Feb. 2016.Moyer, Melinda Wenner. "Can Your Kid Hack It in Kindergarten, or Should You Redshirt Him?" Slate Magazine. Advice for Parents, 19 Sept. 2013. Web. 20 Feb. 2016.Wallace, Jennifer Breheny. "Should Children Be Held Back for Kindergarten?" WSJ. The Wall Street Journal, 12 Sept. 2014. Web. 20 Feb. 2016.

Academic• “Kindergarten is the new 1st grade• Older kids getting bored with curriculum, so

schools forced to make it harder• Schooling influences more than age• Redshirted kids performed worse on high school

exams and twice as likely to drop out of school• Have lower lifetime earnings due to entering work

field a year later

Social• Up to a 19 month age spread• Older kids tend to become bored more easily• Not interested in behaviors of 5-year-old

classmates• Creates harder curriculum to keep older kids

interested• Not finding any challenges in school• Often need special education services• More likely to drop out of school and not go to

college

Physical• More likely to play varsity sports• Sometimes brings more competitive edge• No guarantee they’ll play sports• Main reason wealthy, white boys are held back• Those closer to the cutoff date for sports

more likely to “play down” to look bigger against the competition

The Facts:• ¼ of kindergarten classrooms populated with

6-year-olds• Close to an 18 month age gap• Redshirting has tripled since the 70s• Most likely to be wealthy, white boys