Adapting a child to kindergarten: what parents need to know

How can you help your child adapt to kindergarten? How to avoid maladjustment of the baby? How to prepare children for enrollment in preschool?

The period of admission to kindergarten is a serious stress for children's health and psyche. It is not surprising that adults are worried about whether the child will like the kindergarten, how he will react to the changed living conditions, whether he will quickly make friends with educators, teachers and other children. Let's take a look at what problems a mother and child can expect during the period of admission to kindergarten and how to make the process of adaptation of a child in kindergarten as easy as possible.

How does addiction work in kindergarten?

At first, many children are surprisingly willing to join the group, they are quite easily separated from their mother, but then, roaring and shouting, protest against their new social status - a kindergartner. Of course, there are babies who do not cry and happily rush to their aunt-educator. But there are very few such children, the rest of the addiction drags on for many months.

Why it happens? Psychologists define adaptation as the adaptation of the body to new conditions, requiring huge energy expenditures from it and often leading to stress. The following changes literally burst into the child's familiar world:

it receives less personal attention;
the daytime regime is changing;
there are no close people;
have to constantly contact with peers;
it is necessary to obey an unfamiliar adult.

The consequences of stress - why do children misbehave?

Changes in children's behavior frighten parents so much that they begin to think that this "nightmare" will not end and the baby will not be able to get used to kindergarten. No need to dramatize: negative behaviors are common in many children who get used to a new situation and disappear as they adapt.

Tears and fear

At first, the baby demonstrates the whole spectrum of negative emotions: a quiet whimpering, crying after the rest of the kindergarteners and a constant roar. Various phobias are aggravated: the kid does not want to enter the group, is frightened by the teacher and is afraid that they will not come for him. Anger and tantrums, when he does not allow to take off his clothes, is replaced by depression and lethargy.

Decreased sociability

Sometimes even sociable children withdraw into themselves, refuse to contact society. This is quite natural - 2-3-year-old kids do not have a role-playing game, they play in parallel to each other.

Low cognitive interest

Due to overstrain, children are not interested in bright and attractive toys, it is difficult to involve them in the educational process. The child sits on the sidelines, preferring to watch the actions of adults and classmates.

Reverse development

The crumb "loses" the previously acquired social ones, which he successfully used at home: he stops dressing, uses cutlery, a pot. Parents are forced to spoon-feed him again, wash him like a baby.

Degradation of speech

The vocabulary of some children is rapidly depleting, and instead of sentences, you again hear separate "infant" words - for example, bibika. There are almost no adjectives and nouns in sentences, only verbs remain.

Change in motor activity

Some babies become hyperactive, others become inhibited and slow. Such changes depend on individual characteristics, first of all, on the type of temperament.

Sleep disturbance

There is practically no daytime sleep. The teacher does not have time to put the little reluctant in the bed, when he begins to sob. And if he falls asleep, he constantly wakes up and sobs, as if he has nightmares.

Decreased appetite

At first, the child may "go on a hunger strike" and even lose weight. So he shows his attitude to unusual food - casseroles and various soups. Some kids flatly refuse to even drink in the kindergarten.

Frequent illnesses

The body's resistance is noticeably reduced, any draft can incapacitate a child for a week. It is not surprising that each time the adaptation has to start literally from scratch.

We prevent maladjustment - we prepare in advance

To make the addiction less painful, you need to go with the baby a few months before entering the garden Young fighter course :).

Encourage children to take initiative in self-care. If a child knows how to dress, tie the laces on his shoes, drink from a mug, use a spoon, sit on a pot, wipe his bottom, wash his hands - he will feel much more confident in a group. Also, the child should be able to fall asleep on his own - they will not swing on the arms in kindergarten.
Prepare for communication with peers: often go to playgrounds, visit. Help the baby to establish contact by teaching a pattern of behavior: "Boy, what's your name?", "Look, what kind of car I have", "Let's play together".
Do not bring your child on the kindergarten orientation tour early in the morning when other children are brought in. After all, it is possible that he will see their tears. He may think that kindergarten is bad. He will ask you a quite reasonable question: “Since others are crying here, why should I go there?
Try to introduce your child to the caregivers. He should not just see the same "Aunt"but also chat with her in your presence. Wander around the territory of the kindergarten, watch the preschoolers play, making a special emphasis on the fact that parents always take their children home.
Adjust your home routine to make it as close as possible to your kindergarten routine. For example, at 7.40 - waking up, 8.50 - breakfast, 10.40 - morning promenade, noon - lunch, etc. (If you do not know the daily routine of your kindergarten, go and ask, the teachers will be happy to tell you). Please be patient: Children are conservative and do not change their habits by magic. We read a useful article: how to wake up a child in kindergarten.
Prepare your child for the inevitable separation from his beloved mother, leaving the baby with grandmothers and other relatives.
In order for the child to start having breakfast and lunch in the kindergarten as soon as possible, introduce kindergarten dishes into his diet: all kinds of casseroles, fruit soups, vegetable salads.
The best way to hedge against colds is by hardening, which you can start in the summer. And also experts advise not to wrap up children, but to dress them according to the weather.
Educators and medical workers of the preschool educational institution should learn in advance about the individual qualities of your baby: health status (for example, food allergies) and personality traits (emotionality, sluggishness, tearfulness).
Raise your child's self-esteem by presenting the need to attend kindergarten as a kind of work, almost like a mom and dad. Just do not embellish reality, unobtrusively prepare for possible difficulties so that he is not disappointed.
Never threaten a crumb with a preschool: "When you go to the kindergarten, they will quickly teach you how to behave correctly!" Remember, this place is not hard labor, but a concentration of knowledge and joy.

Is it possible to combine breastfeeding and kindergarten?
As a breastfeeding consultant, I quite often hear this question from a nursing mother when the baby turns 2 years old: "How to properly wean the baby, because we are soon in kindergarten?" Should I wean my baby before kindergarten? - read the article

Hello kindergarten! Tips on how to teach a child to go to kindergarten

Despite months of preparation, the adaptation stage is inevitable. What should adults do so as not to harm the child's nervous system, which is working at maximum speed?

Inspire your child that kindergarten is good. He shouldn't have any fear of this institution. Tell us how good it is in the kindergarten, there are many children, toys, kind teachers. In the kindergarten they play, study, sleep, and in the evening the children go home.
Try to develop a positive attitude towards kindergarten in your child. In the presence of children, give a positive assessment of the activities of the preschool educational institution, even if something does not suit you. Tell your kid what wonderful kindergarten he visits, what lovely nannies and teachers there are.
Adhere to the "kindergarten" routine, not only on weekdays. Of course, on Saturday you can allow the baby to wake up a little later, but the main operating points must be strictly observed.
Create a pleasant and conflict-free atmosphere at home. Do not punish the child for accidental offenses, on the contrary, praise and caress more often (see the article: to punish a child for accidental offenses?). Special mention should be made of his every achievement, change in behavior for the better.
Give a kind of mother's deputy to the kindergarten - a favorite soft toy. Holding her to themselves, children calm down faster and more successfully experience parting with their parents.
If every morning in the group starts the same way - with tears and unwillingness to let mom go to work, let dad, older sister or another relative take to the garden.
When parting, explain clearly when you will return (after a day's walk, lunch, or afternoon snack). Be sure to come on time!Psychologist's advice (to parents): leave a key in the child's drawer and say that we are going to work, and after work you will go for the baby, take the key and go home together. Without the baby and the key, you still cannot get home, so you will take the baby in any case.
Develop a special separation ritual: kiss on both cheeks, wave your arms, rub your noses. So that the baby does not get upset, leave immediately - calmly and not paying attention to the screams. Your indecision and anxiety will only intensify his experience.
So that the child does not see the tears of peers when parting with mothers, bring him later in the first week - by nine o'clock. This way you will ride out the emotional storm in the locker room and will not be late for breakfast.
Leave it for the whole day gradually: first, take it after a morning walk, from the second week - after lunch, and after about a month (or even earlier) try to leave it for a nap.
When meeting, do not show your own concern. Ask the crumbs what he was doing, with whom he made friends, what he managed to learn new. How he ate, whether he cried without you, you can find out from the teacher.
Think of a fabulous story about how a little bunny went to kindergarten, where at first he was a little scared, but then he became friends with the rest of the preschool children and the rabbit teacher. The essence of the tale is the return of the beloved mother. So you gently tell the child that the parents will definitely take him home.

At first, when I took my son to kindergarten, I promised him that I would go to the store and buy a surprise for him. When I return from the store, I will immediately pick it up from the kindergarten. I always kept my promises and by the time I had to pick up the child from the kindergarten, there was some kind of "surprise" in my bag - a small toy, a kinder surprise, some useful treat (for example, marmalade) or something else. But with this method, care must be taken so that it does not grow into constant practice. Otherwise, the kid will constantly demand gifts))

So, most of the negative manifestations in children's behavior are the normal reaction of the body to the adaptation process. If you listen to your child, very soon the warning signs will fade away, and he will soon become independent and successfully join the peer group.

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