I say keep him where he fits cognitively. Fyi my neighbour's 8 year old son still uses training wheels (perfectly normal kid - he's just cautious) and there's a boy in my DS's grade 3 class who is the size of the KG kids.
My DD is an introvert and very sensitive. She's had all kinds of issues with this. She's also a late fall birthday, so she's usually one of the youngest in her grade. Her best year emotionally was grade 4 when she was the second youngest in a 4/5 French Immersion split. Many of her classmates were 2 years older. She wanted a 5/6 split this year but they didn't have one.
If they feel like misfits for whatever reason (too short, needs training wheels, etc), IMHO they're only going to feel worse from the stress of a cognitive miss-match. On the other hand if they're challenged and engaged with their curriculum, it has a positive effect on their self esteem because they feel like they "fit" and they're not bored, i.e. "this is pointless and stupid." Plus a connection with peers based on cognition rather than superficial characteristics is likely to be more substantial.
Last edited by CCN; 09/12/12 12:09 PM.
