Contents Independence VS "retraining" Health and more What about parents?
What does it mean to prepare a child well for the start of a new school life? Is it worth wasting time on this if the school still teaches reading and writing? Is this really so, and what mistakes can parents avoid so that “retraining” does not discourage children from learning, find out on MedAboutMe.
Independence VS "retraining"
Before "plunging" your child into preparation for school, psychologists advise parents to honestly answer the question: "How do you want to see your child in the future?" Creative, happy, able to independently find a way out of a difficult situation, or a "soldier" who clearly follows instructions, but absolutely incapable of showing his own initiative and showing himself as a person?
Experts are sure that the main task of parents is to help the child prepare psychologically for a new stage in life, and only then collect all the necessary things for the school. It is this, and not cramming the rules of reading, that will help the child to adapt more easily to the new space, to study successfully and to communicate calmly with peers.
A brilliant teacher and author of the concept of “humane pedagogy” Sh. Amonashvili, for example, advises parents, when preparing kids for school, not to “drive” the reading rules into their heads, but to help their child “look” into the word. This means creating conditions for a "prelude to written speech" so that children first see and hear words as a special reality, closely related to spiritual needs. It is important to develop the child's curiosity, then further education at school will not be difficult.
A happy childhood does not have to end with the onset of school time. Some parents, in an effort to perfectly prepare the baby for school, practically study the 1st grade program even before the real lessons begin. Experienced educators advise against doing all the work in place of the elementary school teacher. It is better if parents teach their child to listen and hear adults, communicate with peers without conflict, and feel like a person.
Expert commentary Lyudmila Voitenko, Deputy Director for Teaching and Educational Work in Primary School
You should start preparing your child for school in advance, do not postpone this important matter for a long time. From the age of 3, you can talk about what a school is and why children go there, who teaches them, creating a positive image of a teacher.
Children attending preschool institutions gradually get used to communication in society, master the rules of behavior in society, master the initial skills of working in groups. When a child, for some reason, is brought up at home, he has fewer opportunities for socialization, but I know from experience that regardless of whether a child is a “home” child or a preschool student, he needs to be psychologically prepared for school. If the kid easily makes contact with peers, feels himself in the children's team, which is called "like a fish in water", then the change of scenery and new rules will not seem so difficult to him, learning will be easier.
I do not advise you to study first grade textbooks in advance.
First, you don't know exactly which line of textbooks will be in school.
Secondly, each teacher has his own set of techniques for presenting educational material and it will not be easy for a child to change from a “home” method to a school one.
Thirdly, if the textbook is familiar, then the kid will be elementarily bored in the classroom.
I would also like to note such an important aspect as compliance with the daily routine. Often gifted children cannot express themselves due to the fact that they simply do not have enough energy. It is advisable to accustom your child to a certain daily routine in advance, and not two weeks before school.
Try to limit the amount of time you spend at your computer or other gadgets. Considering the additional workload on the first grader, it is desirable to reduce the time for any devices to 30 minutes.
It is worth giving the child the opportunity to make decisions on his own more often. There is no need to "rearrange your legs for him."
Parental support is very important. The kid should know that he is loved, understood and supported by loved ones, even if he was mistaken and did something wrong.
Parents can be understood - they want their baby to be the best, so sometimes moms and dads are overly critical. Help your child to get used to the new environment and then the school years will be really useful and unforgettable.
Health and beyond
If you ask parents what a good school is, they will probably answer that this is a school where two or three foreign languages are studied, teaches etiquette, science and develops intellectually.
If you ask a doctor what a good school is, then most likely the doctor will answer that this is a school with a swimming pool, two excellent gyms and comfortable premises. And he will be absolutely right. There should be a cult of health in the school.
When a child is in poor health, everything is difficult for him:
he cannot endure a thirty-minute lesson - he gets tired quickly; he is not able to keep his posture - he lies down on the desk; physical education lessons are a burden for him, because his large muscles are not developed, it is difficult for the baby to run and jump.
Why are there physical education lessons in the school curriculum? The answer is obvious. For the health of students. Children need to actively work the heart, blood vessels, when running and jumping in physical education lessons, there is a corresponding load on the joints. It is easier for a physically developed child at school. He is able to withstand new loads, both physical and psychological.
Expert commentary Tatiana Kozman, child psychologist
I would advise parents to start preparing for school early. The period from 3 to 6 years is especially important. What should parents pay attention to?
First, the physical condition of the baby. If the immune system is weakened. I advise you to increase it as follows:
stay in the fresh air; hardening; water procedures; balanced diet; drinking plenty of fluids.
Second, pay attention to fine and gross motor skills.
Small ones can be developed with the help of finger massage, pens, appliqué, modeling, games with small objects.
Large - with the help of sports, outdoor games in the fresh air.
A healthy child is a successful student.
And what about the parents?
Shifting by parents to preschool institutions or development centers of their family responsibilities for preparing a child for school is justified only in the case of exclusive employment of adults and an objective lack of opportunity to deal with children.
Dad and mom are able to instill basic skills in children.
To begin with, pay attention to the baby's speech.
What to do to develop the child's speech?
The main thing is sound pronunciation, which, in fact, is the guarantee of pure speech.
It is equally important to develop children's vocabulary, that is, to retell the books they have read, to discuss and analyze situations from life. Talk to your children about different topics, discuss movies, games, trips. Teach children not only to have their own opinions, but also to express them tactfully.
Important!
If the family is bilingual, then a year before school, the child should attend either a kindergarten or a development center, where communication is conducted in the language in which the school will be taught.
Pay attention to the development of cognitive processes - memory, thinking.
Memory develops beautifully with the help of learned verses. The “everyday” way of developing memory is to ask the child to remember the list of products that you should buy with him in the store.
Do not overdo it in your desire to put in the head of the child everything that seems important to you. Any classes should not be spent more than 30 minutes and it is better in a playful way. Otherwise, the concentration of attention decreases, the effect is lost, and in the future interest in learning as such will disappear.
It is equally important to develop communication skills. Try to develop the ability to communicate not only with children, but also with adults. Soon, the child will have to communicate with the teacher, and he must understand that following the instructions of the elders is mandatory.
The child simply needs to be taught not to be afraid to ask the teacher a question in case of difficulty or in a conflict situation.
What is strongly discouraged to do?
Get angry. Keep in mind that he (or she) is still very young and much of what his parents know is simply unknown to him.
Does the child not understand something? Encourage him to ask questions and thus solve problems that arise. Don't forget about "physicists" and "lyricists". Some child, like a squirrel from a fairy tale, "clicks" mathematical problems, but, at the same time, cannot retell what he has just read in a coherent language.
Expert commentary: Lyudmila Andreeva, Primary School Teacher
First graders are always stressed when they come to school. This is due to the fact that their social status changes dramatically. The problems of communication in the team fall on the kids. And here we are already talking about rights and obligations.
When it comes to rights, children (and parents!) Are well prepared. As for responsibilities, not all children take them for granted. Accordingly, this makes them uncomfortable, so I strongly advise you to conduct preliminary conversations with the children, explaining to them what a school is, why you need to study well, what responsibilities the baby will have.
And one more important note.
Your child has become a schoolboy. Learn to “let go” of your beloved child. The excitement for the baby (and later for the adult) will not completely disappear, but the task of the parents is to teach the child to cope with elementary difficulties on his own and learn to do without his mother.
You can study the entire textbook for grade 1 with your child. However, it is more important to teach the kid to think, analyze, develop memory, be able to communicate without conflicts and cope with simple tasks without the help of parents and grandparents.
The main thing is not to overdo it and to do so as not to deprive the child of his health and desire to learn while preparing for school.
Take the test Is your child ready for school? Is it time for your child to start first grade? The test results may disappoint you. But remember that we are all students in the school of life. A child is not born a first grader; school readiness is a complex of abilities that are amenable to exercise.
