The first day of school is approaching and emotions are running high. We know that both parents and children are a little stressed about what awaits them in first grade. We will say from experience - it's not scary - it's experienced.
In order to be better prepared, we suggest you read the opinions of mothers who have gone down this path, as well as our recommendations - what you need to prepare for your beloved first coat.
And here are a few more tips that will help you adapt your child and prepare him for what awaits him at school, so that he grabs his backpack with joy and takes on the path of learning.
1. To share our childhood memories
It has an extremely positive effect on the children to tell them about the time when we too were small and went to school, about how we were excited, about the fun and interesting moments, about our first teacher, about friends… and generally what we remember from our first grade.
All these stories will charge the child with positive expectation and perceive change as something desirable.
2. Let the child feel proud of having grown up
Seven years is the limit that psychologists define as key in a person's life. First grade is the first test of growing up, the first height a child must overcome. For some, the bar is lower, for others higher, but it is important that children overcome it as a natural thing, without stress and unnecessary tension. Let them take on their new responsibilities with pride, and not with fear or innuendo - "You will be a student, but you know nothing", "you will be a student, and you still get wet, pee, can't tie your shoelaces" and t.n. It is desirable to avoid such hints, because they do not have a stimulating, but on the contrary - a demotivating effect on the child.
3. Who am I?
The child must know who he is - his three names, his address, his phone number, his parents' names. Most children by this age know these basics, but it is important that the child is able to provide this information, and only when necessary. That way, if he gets lost or God forbid some accident happens, he can adequately say his mother's or father's name, and not just say - "mom brought me".
In the first grade, the children will have to react when checking their full name, as well as the name of their parents, not when they list the names of parents and mention that Maria Petrova is also downstairs, the child to he doesn't realize it's his mother because he only knows her as "mama Mimi".
As a rule, the guards and teachers are obliged to hand over the child only to people who are included in the initial list (a kind of reception-handover protocol), which is signed by the parents, that they are the only people who have the right to take the children from school.
4. Don't scare the child with school!
Many parents of preschool children have strange methods of upbringing, constantly telling the child that if he does this or that, the children will laugh at him in class; that if he does not learn to count to ten he will not be accepted into the first grade; that if he doesn't learn to read in time, he will be a repeater… such words will hardly build a positive attitude and prepare the child to willingly go to school.
5. Teach the child to arrange his belongings
Now is the time for the child to learn to arrange his books and toys - like the adults. Until now he may have tidied up the room with mom's help, now little by little he has to learn to put his own things in their proper place and be responsible for them - not to forget and lose them. This will help you a lot, because the child will learn to organize his backpack independently and will not ask at the last moment: "Mom, where is my math notebook?".
6. Teach the child to speak clearly and loudly
This is very important for the self-esteem of the little ones in the first grade. Even if he is not very sure of the answer, it is better to raise his hand and share his opinion than to always remain silent and answer quietly and uncertainly when asked.
7. Teach the child to deal with disappointments
Disappointments and losses occur even in first grade and children must learn to deal with these emotions. It's time to step up the Don't Be Angry Man game. If until now we have nobly allowed the child to beat us and were happy that he learned to count and move pawns correctly, we must now teach him the strategy to win and accordingly how to bear with dignity his bad luck and bad attitude to others. The game of life is not always fair and not always by our rules, but we must play it with dignity - the sooner children learn these principles, the easier it will be for them.
8. Teach the child to be polite
Magic words such as "Thank you", "Please", "Excuse me…" should enter the active vocabulary of the child, if this has not happened by now. Basically, whatever the language is at home, so is the language of the little ones. Therefore, if we want our child to integrate and be well received by his classmates, we must also be careful how we talk at home - emphasize polite forms more, avoid imperative constructions and set as positive a personal example as possible.
9. Teach the child to be independent
Most children are shy, but they need to learn that shy people get nothing or the worst in this life. No one will think to meet their needs if they don't ask for it themselves. If the child is so shy that he is embarrassed to ask where the toilet is or if he can go, he will most likely pee, and then his problems, and with it yours, will deepen and increase.
The child must learn to navigate the environment independently, without worrying, but also without being arrogant and tactless towards peers and adults. We know that some people go to the other extreme and treat others as servants, and their children copy this pattern of behavior and wherever they go they think they are the ones who have the right to dictate the rules. One of the reasons why fewer and fewer people choose the teaching profession is to save themselves the humiliation of the inappropriate behavior of some parents and their children.
10. Teach the child to be curious
The more inquisitive he is, the more interesting he will be to learn new things. Active listening is very important and can be practiced in everyday life. If we explain to him while cleaning, even seemingly complicated things, such as how a vacuum cleaner or a washing machine works, even if he doesn't understand them, little by little he will learn to look for logic in things, which is extremely important when memorizing lessons. The child will not reproduce the lessons like a parrot, but will make sense of them.
And don't forget today's kids are very smart and the moment they feel they are being forced to cram meaningless things, they lose motivation and start secretly or secretly rebelling. If we can, however, direct their curiosity to something constructive, I believe that it is they who will be able to fight the senselessness and obsolescence of our educational system, which we clearly cannot cope with.
Let's wish them success!
