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Back to kindergarten: answers to your questions
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Unless a strict Vigipirate plan, you accompany your child to his class. It is good to see his works (plasticine, paintings…) and discuss with his teacher. A welcome time is planned from 15 to 20 minutes, during which arrivals are gradual. Be on time because it is an important time, a real “airlock” for the child. The first days, you can accompany him to the dormitory, choose his location with him and put his blanket on it. During the welcome time, he has access to free games, some parents take the opportunity to read a story before leaving, the children present gather to listen …
Autonomy
There is no work, no learning without autonomy. It is done through gestures that seem very simple to adults but which educate the little ones, for example by explaining to them where the tools are and how to name them (ex: the scissors are stored in the pencil box placed on the shelf next to the door). This allows you to integrate the vocabulary, to present the material as you go. of its use and to locate oneself in space. The work in small section is to tidy up by classifying, with the help of the teacher. On the practical side, to gain autonomy, you put on and take off your jacket, wash your hands alone by rubbing between your fingers… These are fundamental acquisitions.
cellars
The school canteen does not depend on the school but on the municipality. Find out about the number and training of the managerial staff, which should be benevolent, and not just on (standardized) hygiene issues. Ask where he eats, with how many other children (30, 60, 90), is he accompanied during the meal (it would be good if we told him what to put on his plate, for example) … and what is the acoustic quality of the place: some canteens are close to 90 decibels, that’s huge! It takes an hour for the brain to rest from such an uproar. To meditate…
Friends
In small section, the 2½-3-year-old child is still egocentric, he is just coming out of his period of fusion with his mother. This separation can be tough. Some bite, some are afraid of others. It takes observation times. To unite the group, the teacher often organizes rounds. Games are set up to deepen the knowledge of each other, with balloons, songs like “Hello my cousin” where you face your neighbor. The dinette area and the car area are the hotspots for emerging socialization!
Doudou
In the morning on arrival, in a small section, it is placed on the bed in the dormitory, or in a crate. We’ll find him for a nap. If the child deprived of his blanket screams, he is often allowed to keep it in class. But it is rare that he keeps it for long, because there is so much to discover and other reassuring sensory approaches, such as the gym with large fabrics in which to curl up, hide …
Teacher and ATSEM
Master or mistress represent the framework, the authority. It is the referent, and the first person who opens on a universe larger than the house. And has the first school tools. The regional specialist for nursery schools (Atsem) assists him in the preparation of school materials in particular, and provides hygiene care, treats minor ailments. As its position is the responsibility of the municipalities, more and more municipalities are removing positions to finance those of the animators of extracurricular activities. They are therefore found in small sections. Much more rarely then.
Jeu Magazine
As a basis for child development, play is a strong point of the new 2015 nursery program… unlike the old program, which insisted more on the rationality of the card and all-paper, to the detriment of sensory experiences. Emphasis is placed on the situation, motor skills and play in space which develop the imagination of the little one.
Language
While until then priority had been given to phonology, the new program gives more importance to oral language. Understand something said, a text read, such as a poetry or a tale, without necessarily a visual support with images (like the old albums) helps to understand the instructions and subtleties of the language. The child is more creative, alert. He will gradually integrate the relationship between letters and sounds, which together make other sounds. And that all of this is used to learn to read and write.
Cleanliness
To be accepted in kindergarten, the child must be physically and psychologically ready. In other words: clean. Small accidents at the start of the year can be tolerated. Initially, fixed times are scheduled for going to the toilet. It is reassuring for the little ones who must find their way around if the toilets are not in the classroom.
Nap
Depending on the establishment, the nap is based on school time or that of extracurricular activities. In medium and large section, it is generally no longer offered to children. But it is usual in small sections, except sometimes for lack of space. The organization varies: groundsheet unrolled in the classroom or the playroom, separate dormitory, with mattress, sheet and blanket … It is an important time after the meal, to allow the children to rest before starting class again in the afternoon. SD