How quickly time flies! Until recently, you were looking forward to the birth of your baby, and now he is about to go to first grade. Many parents are concerned about how to prepare their child for school. You really should be puzzled about this and not expect that everything will be solved by itself at school. Most likely, the classes will be overcrowded, and the teacher will simply physically not be able to give proper attention to each child.
Preparing a child for school is a question that worries every parent. Willingness is determined by both the intellectual and, in many respects, its psychological base. To master the skills necessary for teaching at school, it is enough to devote 15-20 minutes a day. A huge number of developmental manuals and preparatory courses will come to help.
It is much more difficult to prepare a child from a psychological point of view. Psychological readiness does not arise by itself, but gradually develops over the years and requires regular training.
When to start preparing a child for school and how to do it correctly, we asked the medical psychologist of the psychotherapeutic center Elena Nikolaevna Nikolaeva.
It is important to create a positive attitude towards school in the child’s mind in advance: to tell that at school he learns a lot of interesting things, learns to read and write well, he will make many new friends. In no case should you frighten your child with school, homework and lack of free time.
A good psychological preparation for school is a game of “school”, where the child will learn to be diligent, perseverant, active, sociable.
One of the important aspects of preparing for school is the good health of the child. This is why hardening, exercising, exercising and preventing colds are essential.
For better adaptation at school, the child must be sociable, that is, be able to communicate with both peers and adults. He must understand and recognize the authority of adults, adequately respond to the remarks of peers and elders. To understand and evaluate actions, to know what is good and what is bad. The child must be taught to adequately assess their capabilities, admit mistakes, be able to lose. Therefore, parents must prepare the kid and explain to him the rules of life that will help him integrate into the school society.
Such work with a child must be started in advance, from the age of three to four. The key to further painless adaptation of the baby in the school team is two basic conditions: discipline and knowledge of the rules.
The child should realize the importance and responsibility of the learning process and be proud of his status as a student, feel a desire to achieve success in school. Parents should show how proud they are of their future student, this is very important for the psychological formation of the school’s image – the opinion of parents is important for children.
Necessary qualities such as accuracy, responsibility and diligence are never formed immediately – it takes time, patience and effort. Very often, a child needs simple support from a close adult.
Children always have the right to make mistakes, this is characteristic of all people, without exception. It is very important that the child is not afraid to make mistakes. Going to school, he learns to learn. Many parents scold children for mistakes, poor grades, which leads to a decrease in the preschooler’s self-esteem and fear of taking the wrong step. If a child makes a mistake, you just need to pay attention to him and offer or help to fix it.
Praise is a prerequisite for correcting mistakes. Even for small success or achievement of children, it is necessary to reward with encouragement.
Preparation is not only the ability to count and write, but also self-control – the child himself must do some simple things without persuasion (go to bed, brush his teeth, collect his toys, and in the future everything that is necessary for school). The sooner parents understand how important and necessary this is for their child, the better the process of preparation and education as a whole will be formed.
Already from the age of 5, a child can be motivated to learn by determining what interests him. This interest can be the desire to be in a team, a change of scenery, a craving for knowledge, the development of creative abilities. Encourage these aspirations, they are fundamental in the psychological preparation of the child for school.
The all-round development of a child is a guarantee of his further successful learning, and all the abilities and aspirations inherent in childhood will be necessarily realized in an adult, independent life.
Be patient and considerate, and your efforts are bound to yield remarkable results. Good luck!