The child went to school. For him, this is a difficult transitional period, during which parental support is so necessary. In order not to aggravate his condition, you can introduce a simple but effective ritual into your life together — just as the teacher and game practitioner Maria Shvetsova did.
Why don’t we tell you what was good and interesting today? I suggest to children who are waiting for a bedtime story. In my hands I hold a blue elephant. He will move from one warm palm to another and listen to everything that has accumulated during the day.
Let’s not forget that we didn’t like it very much today. Let me start.
I tell my version of today. It’s amazing — we were together almost all the time, and everyone has their own impressions.
The daughter told the secrets of the yard game — those that they had previously agreed to keep under the heading «secret». She shared that she did not like the teacher very much (and in time — now I know what to do about it). The son completely forgot how happy the gift was in the morning. I noted that I liked the fairy tale that he came up with today.
This ritual appeared in our family when the eldest daughter went to school. As a teacher, I understood that her adaptation in a new capacity also depended very much on the quality of our communication. And instead of being confidentially deep, it became more and more formally friendly.
Often mothers, especially those with several children, are only interested in how to “feed-cloth-wash”. This is understandable: life is addictive, there is less and less strength left for the family and quality communication. At some point, the thread of understanding between parents and children begins to break.
It is important to establish a sequence and not interrupt until someone has finished. You can use a toy — says the one in whose hands it is
Personally, the blue elephant and our new ritual came to my aid. From time to time, other family members are included in the discussion. And I am happy to see how:
- children learn to see the situation from different angles: not always what is good for one is exactly the same as a plus for another;
- the degree of trust rises. Even if the parents were at work all day, such high-quality communication in the evening is enough not to lose touch;
- children master reflection, learn to retell events. Later in school, these skills will be very useful to them.
For an evening conversation to give such results, you need to follow simple rules:
- Engage in discussions with the children. Talk about your successes and failures — of course, given the age of the child.
- Do not evaluate the conclusions of the child («Well, is it good ?!»).
- Celebrate children’s progress. For example, the phrase: “I liked what beautiful letters you managed to write today” can motivate a child to study harder.
- Set the order and do not interrupt until someone has finished. You can use a small toy — says the one who has it in his hands.
- Do not forget to hold discussions regularly, and then after a week the children themselves will remind you that it is time to get together and discuss the past day.
This simple evening ritual will help the child talk about what happened during the day, realize their feelings and feel the support of parents and older children.