Just recently, you rejoiced at the first steps and words of your little one, and it’s time to get acquainted with other children and go to preschool. Any mother worries about how the baby will get used to the new regime and the team, how it will be for a long time away from her. Do I need to prepare my child for a visit to the garden and how to do it right?
Pros of going to kindergarten
A child in kindergarten will encounter other people. Their desires, behavior and ways of communication will differ from the usual little home conditions. You cannot get this experience outside the garden.
In kindergarten, the child learns to interact with other children and adults, communicating with them in a different way than he used to in the family. As a result, the child learns to make his own decisions, defend his opinion, learns how to defend himself or find a compromise. If you exclude the kindergarten phase, the child will have to learn it later in school, which is usually more difficult.
Other advantages of visiting a childcare facility such as a kindergarten include the following points:
- Being among peers has a positive effect on the development of the child, as well as on the formation of his personality.
- The child becomes more independent and learns to take care of himself.
- A clear sleep, food intake and wakefulness schedule is important for the well-being of babies.
- In the kindergarten, various classes are held, including physical education, as well as preparation for school in older groups.
- The child becomes more attentive to the world around him.
For information on what to look for when choosing a kindergarten, see the next program.
Minuses
- The child is away from mom for a long time. This is especially difficult for babies under 3 years old who are in great need of their mother. Separation can have a bad effect on the psychological state of the baby. The child will be sad and cry, and even refuse to go to kindergarten. The adaptation period, during which the child will not walk for the whole day, will help to eliminate such a problem.
- The child starts to get sick often. The cause of frequent illnesses can be infection from other children, and psychological discomfort.
- The child develops bad habits that he adopts from other children. Kids often "bring" bad words from the garden, because in preschool age they absorb everything like sponges.
- Kindergarten meals are no match for homemade meals. Many parents complain about the menu itself and the quality of the products.
The need for preparation
Many parents believe that a child who will soon attend kindergarten needs to be properly prepared for such changes in life. And they think absolutely right, because by paying attention to preparation and the first weeks in kindergarten, the result will be a faster addiction of the baby and a visit to preschool in a good mood.
Even sociable, completely independent and lively children should be prepared for visiting kindergarten. It is not known how the changes will affect the state of the child's psyche, so it is better to worry about preparation in advance than to work on eliminating psychological trauma in the future.
The role of parents in shaping the child's attitude to kindergarten
It is very important that the parents are positive, then this attitude will be passed on to the little one. You don't need to worry too much about how the child will be in the garden, otherwise the child will feel your anxiety and insecurity, and will manipulate these feelings. Remember that the easiest way to get used to the kindergarten is children whose parents are firmly convinced of the need to visit the kindergarten or they have no other choice but to give the baby to the kindergarten.
Parents should tell their toddler about kindergarten long before their first preschool visit. Let the child learn about other children, the regime in kindergarten, interesting activities. It is important not to rush, but to introduce the baby to the garden gradually. Go for a walk near the garden and show your child the building and the walking children. Be sure to go to the garden in advance to find out more about the daily routine and other features of visiting the garden.
You can't put pressure on a child and threaten him, telling that there are strict educators in the kindergarten who will teach him the rules and obedience. Focus on new acquaintances and new toys.
If your child has older brothers or friends attending the garden, use them as an example. Tell your family and friends in front of your child how proud you are that the baby went to kindergarten. Tell your baby that you are very happy that he has grown so much and has become independent that he begins to go to the garden.
How to prepare a child for kindergarten?
To make the adaptation process easy, and the child went to kindergarten without problems, you need to not only teach him to do what he may not have been able to do before, but also prepare him psychologically for this.
Psychological preparation
- First of all, mom does not need to be nervous and show it to the child. Tell good things about the kindergarten, but at the same time try not to embellish too much, so that the child does not form unnecessarily rosy expectations.
- Emphasize on building pride in your toddler in kindergarten. Tell them that getting to the kindergarten is not so easy (which is really the case now because of the long queues) and many children are deprived of this opportunity.
- To make the baby less afraid of the “missing” mother, often play hide and seek with the baby and periodically leave the child with other relatives, for example, while the mother goes shopping.
Mode
- Try to change your child's daily routine 2-3 months before he starts preschool. Adjust the routine so that it is easy for your child to wake up by the time you go to the garden in the future.
- If the child has already stopped sleeping during the day, teach him to rest in the afternoon just by lying in bed. Tell him what quiet games are available to him during such a vacation, for example, writing stories, playing word games, playing with fingers, or looking closely at objects around him and remembering their details.
- Offer food to your child at the same time every day. It is desirable that it coincides with the time of breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea in kindergarten. Try not to allow snacks at the wrong time, and homemade dishes can be made similar to those that the baby will receive in the kindergarten. This will reduce the likelihood of the emergence of whims related to food in preschool.
- Also, pay attention to your child's use of the bathroom after breakfast. It is optimal that it is at this time that the child goes "big". Give your toddler time to relax in the toilet. If your child has problems with bowel movements, take the time to resolve them before going to the garden.
New team
If the baby is shy and shy, it will be more difficult for him to get used to the children's team than for sociable toddlers. Try to expand your child's social circle before going to the garden. Go on a visit, meet the kids on the playground, sign up for developmental classes.
If you notice your baby has problems communicating with other children, tell him how to behave. Let the child find out that he can go up to the children and say hello, offer to play together. Also tell me how you can find a compromise if the child refuses to give his toy or is not given someone else's toy. Teach your baby to take with him to the garden only those toys that he does not mind sharing with his peers.
Discipline
Play with your child in kindergarten, let the toys be children, and you are educators. Such a game will not only help the child better understand what kind of regime he will have in kindergarten, but repeating it in the future, the mother will find out how the baby relates to the new place and what is happening within the garden walls.
Training
- Teach your child to undress, eat with a spoon, and ask for help if something goes wrong. Pay attention to weaning crumbs from diapers if the baby is still wearing a diaper.
- Read more to your child, teaching him to listen to you carefully. At the same time, increase your reading time gradually.
- Play games with your little one in which you need to imitate, for example, walk like bears or jump like a bunny. This will come in handy for the baby and during outdoor games for a walk, and in music lessons, and for physical education lessons.
Medical examination
Each child who is going to go to the kindergarten undergoes a medical examination 2-3 months before the start of the preschool visit. This is the name of the examination of babies by a local doctor and specialists, on the basis of which children are treated or healed, if necessary. The doctor may recommend doing breathing exercises, hardening the child, and also taking a course of medicines to improve immunity (for example, rosehip syrup or multivitamins).
The child is examined by such specialists:
- Oculist. It checks the vision and determines if correction is required.
- Neuropathologist. He analyzes the state of the child's nervous system and the possible risk of neurotic reactions.
- Dermatologist. He examines the baby's skin and pays special attention to children with allergies.
- Orthopedist. He looks for scoliosis, flat feet, posture disorders in the child, and if such problems are found, he prescribes treatment. For healthy children, such a specialist gives recommendations on how to prevent such diseases.
- Surgeon. It identifies possible developmental pathologies that are treated surgically.
- Pediatrician. He directs the child for tests, necessary additional studies and examination by other specialists, if required.
- Psychologist. He discusses the mental state of the child with the parents and gives individual advice on getting used to kindergarten.
If a child has developmental defects or chronic diseases, a commission of specialist doctors issues permission to attend kindergarten. Such a commission determines the need to send sick children to specialized kindergartens.
Hardening
Procedures for hardening a child are recommended for all children going to kindergarten. They will strengthen the immune system and prepare the baby for the attack of viruses and bacteria in the children's team. The basic principles of all tempering procedures are their regularity, as well as gradualness. You can start hardening the crumb in the warm season only if the child is completely healthy.
The child can have the following procedures:
- Take a walk twice a day in the fresh air.
- Sleep in the fresh air.
- Take air baths.
- Walking barefoot at home, and later on the street.
- Wash with a gradual decrease in water temperature to +16 + 18 ° C.
- Stay in direct sunlight twice or three times a day for up to 10 minutes in the summer.
- Set the temperature in the room where the child stays at +16 + 18 ° C.
- Pour water over your feet before going to bed with a gradual decrease in temperature from + 28 ° C to + 18 ° C.
- Bath twice a week before going to bed at a temperature of + 36 ° C, pouring water after the procedure with a temperature of 1-2 ° C lower.
For information on how to properly prepare the baby for kindergarten, see the program of Dr. Komarovsky.
Child's adaptation to kindergarten: the child went to kindergarten
As a rule, in the early days, children come to the garden for several hours. Often this is the time of walking with your group, where the baby gets to know other children and educators.
It would be a good idea to bring the baby on an evening walk so that the child sees their parents come for the children and take them home. Show your child that the garden closes in the evening and everyone goes home.
Further, the child's stay in the garden gradually becomes longer. First, the baby stays for breakfast and a walk, then lunch is added, a little later - a nap, and only after that - stay all day. Even if the child gets used to it very well, you should not rush to leave the baby for a full day.
Motivation methods
To eliminate problems with waking up in the morning, the child's unwillingness to get ready for kindergarten and being late, try to figure out why the child should go to the garden. For example, a toddler may say hello to fish swimming in an aquarium in a group, show a doll to friends, or play with a toy car in the garden.
Participation in the psychological mood of the child
The first few weeks of the child in the garden should be taken by the parents, without entrusting this task to distant relatives or a nanny. If mom is too worried about the crying of the baby during the breakup, let the dad lead the child. A good solution would be to come up with a special farewell ritual that will be repeated every day. For example, you can kiss your baby on the cheek or shake his hand.
Take your baby with a smile and a good mood. You should not ask the teacher in the presence of the child if the baby was crying. It is better to do this in private so that the baby does not see your concern.
Be sure to praise your child for all the efforts in kindergarten. View and save drawings and crafts. Ask about the lessons in detail. Let the child see that you are supporting him and that you are interested in every detail of his life outside the home.
Under no circumstances should a child be threatened to leave him in kindergarten in case of disobedience. In addition, if you do not like something in the institution or the caregivers, you should not discuss it in the presence of the child, so as not to form a negative assessment of the garden.
Solving possible problems
At first, children react painfully to parting with their mother in the locker room. There is no need to be upset if the baby cries when parting - such a reaction is absolutely normal. You should not leave the group unexpectedly, while the child is distracted, because after the baby notices your absence, he will be very upset. But you should not drag out the farewell for a long time, this will only worsen the child's condition. You can give your child with you something that reminds of mom, for example, a small photo, a key or a scarf. It is also worth telling the kid when you come for him, for example, "you sing, sleep and I'll pick you up."
For some babies, adaptation problems appear several weeks or months after starting a visit to the garden. This is often manifested by regression in development - the baby begins to wet his pants, refuses to dress or eat on his own. Parents at this time need to try to relieve mental stress with the help of frequent bodily contact (hug the child more and kiss more often), communication, quiet games, reading together. You can't scold a child for "falling into childhood", treat him with understanding.
If several months have passed, and the baby is still experiencing hard separation from his mother, constantly cries and does not want to play with the children, contact a psychologist. Lack of contact between your child and the caregiver can also be a problem. In this case, the situation will be corrected by changing the group or kindergarten.
Why you may face such problems and how to solve them, see the video of the "Teledetki" channel, where an experienced psychologist Anna Abarinova talks about many important nuances.
Tips
- Remember that it takes on average 2-3 months to adapt to the garden, and during this period parents should pay enough attention to the baby at home. Try to organize dinner together on weekdays, and cook your child's favorite meals on weekends.
- When picking up your child from the garden, ask about the events of the day and listen carefully to the child, asking questions. This will not only show your son or daughter that you are interested in his affairs, but will also contribute to the development of speech.
- Don't forget about your garden feedback. Talk to the caregiver periodically about how your child is doing in the garden. This information will be useful to you, as many kids behave differently in a team. And by telling the teacher about the child's behavior at home and his character, you can help find the right approach to the baby. If the child has difficulty sleeping during the day, talk to the teacher so that the baby is allowed to take his favorite toy to bed with him.
- Pay attention to the clothes your child will wear in kindergarten. Clothes with small buttons and hooks, as well as laces, are poor choices, as it will be difficult for your baby to take them off and put them back on. Do not put your child in too tight clothes. Avoid synthetic fabrics, it is better to choose cotton or wool clothing for the garden. Clothes with a different front and back look are a good choice.
Psychologist Svetlana Alekseeva gives valuable advice in the video of the Yarmama - Family Portal channel.
