What is the Best Age for Boarding School?
For a parent, it often becomes difficult to decide the right age for sending their children to a boarding school. If you are a parent, it is highly likely that you are stuck in a predicament and facing the same issue. You know you cannot send your children to a boarding school unless you are sure that they are ready for it. But the question here is ‘How do you conclude that your kids are fully prepared to settle down in a school away from home’. Here you have to speak to them to analyse their mental and emotional needs while considering their age at the same time. The most important thing to bear in mind here is your child’s self-dependence, which comes only after a certain age. No doubt, there are people in the school to help your child at every step, but you have to ensure that your child is mentally prepared to stay away from the home.
Since you have to reach a decision where you know the perfect age to send your children to a hostel, in this blog we have analysed the different age groups to help you reach a conclusion.
Understanding Different Age Groups Before Sending Children to a Boarding School
Every child is born unique. They have inherent qualities that differentiate them from others. Their level of maturity, ways of learning, and ability to adapt vary. However, every child is born intelligent with their own unique interests. Considering all this, you should evaluate their level of maturity and independence, which differ according to age.
Early Years: Ages 6 to 10
At this tender age, kids are mostly attached to their homes. It is, somewhat, unlikely that they are emotionally independent as they frequently look up to their parents for support and motivation if they feel disheartened and depressed. So, this might not be the right age for enrolling your children in a school far from home. Although it is true that their years in a hostel will inculcate independence and discipline, they might end up feeling homesick. So, if you are considering sending your children away from home for education at this age, you should rethink your decision.
Pre-Teens: Ages 11 to 13
Pre-teen years is a transition phase for children where they are on the road to becoming more stable and self-dependent. If your children are of this age group, you can give a thought to sending them to a boarding school. At this stage, children begin to explore their areas of interest and interact with the world around them in order to develop friendships that might last for a lifetime. Since in the pre-teen years children start becoming independent and their level of adaptability rises, you can consider this age group to be ideal for sending your children to a hostel.
Teen Years: Ages 14 to 18
As teenagers, children are mentally strong and familiar with the world around them. They have the strength that is needed to adapt to an all-new environment. Therefore, this is considered to be the perfect age for sending children away to a school far from home for education. Children between the age group of 14 to 18 find it easier to accommodate according to the new environment. They do not face much trouble in adjusting to the surroundings. They quickly gave acceptance to the new environment and began focussing on their studies as well as participating in extracurricular activities. So, teen years are an ideal age for sending your children to a boarding school.
We have analysed what could be the right age to send your children to a boarding school. However, let us not forget that every child is different. While the teen years are an ideal age to send your children to a hostel, you can enrol your children in a hostel before that as well if you feel that they are mature enough to adapt there.