In some countries, children start formal school when they are four years old, while in other countries they start when they are seven or eight. In this essay, I will discuss both views and give my opinion.
On the one hand, some people think that children should start school at four. Firstly, young children can learn very quickly, so starting school early can help them to learn reading, writing and mathematics earlier. Secondly, at school, children can play with other children and learn how to share, follow rules and make friends. Thirdly, if children go to school early, their parents can go back to work, which is good for the family's income.
On the other hand, other people believe that children should start school at seven or eight. They think that young children are not ready to sit in a classroom and study for many hours. At the age of four, children need to play, explore and spend time with their family. If they start formal education too early, they may feel stressed and lose their interest in learning. For example, in Finland, children start school at seven, but Finnish students have very good results in international tests.
In my opinion, I agree more with the second view. I think that young children should not start formal education too early. However, they can go to kindergarten, where they learn through playing games, singing and drawing, instead of studying in a formal way.
In conclusion, although starting school at four has some advantages, I believe that children should start formal education at a later age, because young children learn better through play and need time to develop.