Biting the bullet here and asking for input after reading back thru archives. It looks like DD9 will be approved to move into the next grade, and it's up to us and him. Academically, he'll likely be still near/at the top, socially he's doing well, emotionally, he's in a good place; the school is offering support.
He does have some anxiety, so that is my concern. He's intrigued by the move, but apprehensive -- he'd be anxious no matter what with a big transition. But the timing is right in several ways, and research says it would be smoother to move now rather than promoting to another building in the fall (he'd at minimum have to do that for SSA math). I am not looking to push him strongly, but he has a prior history of not wanting to do something/go somewhere because he's not sure what to expect, and then enjoying himself greatly and not regretting doing it. He tends to need a little nudge and reassurance, though he's miles ahead of where he was a few years ago. Also, he doesn't easily talk about feelings.
Would a pro/con list help him as it does me, or would that get him thinking about all the minutia too much? It can be hard to focus a list, but a good exercise in analyzing. Do you just lay out what the day will look like, full-on prepared awareness? Do you even mention what comes in the fall, when thinking about this month, or focus on the present?
He responds well to framing the good in a situation. What kind of items would you list in the delivery of benefits to him, as a 9yo? I have a few things, but wonder what I might be leaving out, from a gifted kid's perspective. Are there articles from kids geared toward kids about making such transitions?
