When enrolling children in the first grade in the spring, parents least of all think about the mood of the child himself at that moment. Isn’t it time yet? But it turns out that long before September 1, most future first-graders experience unconscious anxiety.
British psychologists from the University of Bath, led by Dr. Julie Turner-Cobb, measured the levels of the “stress hormone” cortisol in the blood of children three times: two weeks after the start of school (an expected surge is natural stress), after six months (expected decline – adaptation) and, as a baseline, six months before school. To the surprise of scientists, this level of cortisol was unexpectedly high, which can be explained by a premonition of a completely new stage in life and an acute reaction of the child to the emotional experiences of parents. “You should not be afraid of stress,” says school psychologist Natalya Evsikova. – This is a natural and necessary reaction of the body, which needs to adapt to new conditions. Just try not to prolong the stressful situation: do not take your child for testing to several schools at once, decide for yourself, taking into account the physical capabilities and personality traits of the future student.