How to help your child adapt to school. Adaptation of children to school

The child goes to first grade. This event is both joyful and exciting. A new road opens before the baby. His future depends on how correctly the little student takes his first steps. Of course, the little one cannot cope on his own. Correct adaptation of children to school is the task of the teaching staff, as well as parents.

What is adaptation?

The concept itself implies getting used to new conditions. A child who recently attended preschool, had a flexible daily routine, and spent a lot of time playing games, will have to adapt to a different way. You will need to learn to listen to the teacher, do your homework, and find a common language with your classmates. This, in essence, is the child’s adaptation at school. 1st grade in an educational institution is rightfully considered the most difficult. It is especially difficult for children who have not previously attended kindergarten. We also have to deal with the difficulties of socialization.

Adapting children to school is a real stress for some parents. To a greater extent, mothers worry that they will not be able to cope with their responsibilities, that through their fault the child will lag behind his classmates. A truly difficult task falls on fragile shoulders. It is necessary to help the child adjust himself to other living conditions. At the same time, a mother should under no circumstances show her experiences to her son or daughter! And what you definitely shouldn’t do is raise your voice at a little schoolchild who can’t read or write.

The success of a child's adaptation may depend on many factors. First of all, this is the temperament of the little student, as well as the model of relationships in the family. If a child loves to be the center of attention and does not tolerate loneliness well, he will probably quickly be able to get used to a new team. Also, if there is harmony and mutual respect in the family, and the baby has no complexes, adaptation will take place with minimal losses.

However, socialization is only a small part of the whole process. It is not enough to get used to the new team and teachers. Adaptation of children to school is, first of all, the presence of interest. The child must understand that he attends school not because it is necessary, but because here he will be able to learn a lot of new and useful information. Getting the child interested is the task of parents and teachers.

Degrees of adaptation

No two people are alike. Likewise, children have their own psychological characteristics. For some, just a few days are enough to get used to new conditions, while others will feel uncomfortable in a strange team even after a month. Psychologists traditionally divide children into three groups. The first is kids with an easy degree of adaptation. This includes guys who quickly join the new team and make friends. Such children get along well with teachers; all their attention is directed to learning new subjects.

The second group of guys is considered the most common. This includes children with an average degree of adaptation to school. The period of adaptation to new conditions is longer for them, taking from several weeks to two months. At the initial stages of education, children do not accept the conditions in which they had to find themselves. During lessons, they can talk to their friends and not listen to the teacher’s comments. Such guys initially do not show interest in studying. This group especially often includes children who did not attend preschool. Children's adaptation to school will be faster if parents have an appropriate conversation with the children long before September 1. It is worth explaining to your child that interesting changes are coming in life that will be beneficial. If necessary, a psychologist can work with the child.

The third group are children with a severe degree of adaptation. The child exhibits negative forms of behavior, he does not listen to teachers, and offends classmates. The exact opposite manifestation is also common - a small schoolchild withdraws into himself. The child behaves very quietly, does not speak, and does not answer the teacher’s questions. In most cases, such children practically do not master the school curriculum. The problem of a child’s adaptation to school most often has a reason. This is either psychological trauma or family discord. You cannot do without a specialist in this situation.

Difficulties still to be faced

Successfully adapting a child to school is not an easy task. Even if a son or daughter belongs to the first group, that is, he easily establishes a common language with a new team and shows interest in learning, you should be prepared for the fact that you will have to face difficulties. The most common complaint of most parents is the laziness of the little student. In fact, the child is not to blame for anything. He just lost his motivation. He is not interested in attending this or that lesson or doing homework on a specific subject. Surely many parents have noticed that children enjoy attending classes such as singing, physical education, and drawing. Because you can have an interesting time with them. The task of teachers and parents is to interest the student in attending the subject in which interest has been lost.

Verbilism is another problem that many parents of first-graders have to face. The problem is that many mothers and fathers pay great attention to speech development from an early age. A poem about a bear sung by a two-year-old child is touching. The baby is admired, which increases his self-esteem. At school, it turns out that all a student can do is speak beautifully, clearly, and clearly pronounce complex sounds. At the same time, the thinking processes are quite slow. The program (children's adaptation to school is a difficult path for every first-grader) must necessarily include subjects that stimulate productive activity. This is drawing, modeling, designing, mosaic, etc.

Chronic underachievement

At the beginning of learning, every child is a blank slate. Why does it happen that one kid turns into an excellent student, and another into an avid loser? Blaming a child for poor education is stupid. Chronic underachievement is primarily a failure of parents, and only then of teachers. What's going on? The little student cannot cope with the task assigned to him, and his mood decreases. At the same time, many parents only aggravate the situation and begin to scold the baby. The little student’s self-doubt grows exponentially. He does not want to continue his studies so as not to experience negative emotions again. This is how chronic underachievement develops.

During the period of children's adaptation to school, parents should be patient. Moms and dads need to be prepared for the fact that the baby will not succeed in many tasks right away. If you properly encourage your child and reward him for successfully completing his work, the student will want to attend lessons again and again.

Every year, domestic educational methods are improved. Many educational institutions today have decided not to grade first grade children for their work. The results are already visible. Adaptation of children to school conditions is less painful.

How can a teacher help a child?

The first teacher is the person with whose help the baby gets used to new conditions. A special program is used to adapt the child to school. Methods are developed taking into account the psychological and age characteristics of students. The teacher can judge the degree of adaptation thanks to special tests that can be conducted during one of the classroom hours. To get a clearer picture, testing should be carried out at the end of the first quarter of training:

“Paint” technique. The teacher gives the children felt-tip pens or paints, as well as sheets of paper on which objects related to certain lessons are depicted (number - mathematics, pen - writing, brush - drawing, accordion - singing, etc.). Students are asked to color the pictures. If a baby paints a certain object in a dark color, this indicates possible difficulties associated with it. The technique allows you to determine the progress of each child in one direction or another.
Methodology “What I like at school.” The teacher offers to draw a picture on a given topic. From the image you can judge the psychological state of the child. You should pay attention to the children whose drawings are far from school life. A teacher with a pointer, a school board in the images can indicate a high level of educational motivation.
“Sun, cloud, rain” technique. Students are given pieces of paper that depict the described weather phenomena. The teacher offers to describe the state at school, at home, with friends. The child circles the drawing he likes. In this way, the teacher determines which children have already fully adapted to school life (circled with a sun).

At the end of the first quarter, you can conduct a short survey. Answering the questions will help identify the level of adaptation of each child in the class. Questions could be:

Do you like school?
If you were told that everyone didn't have to come to class tomorrow, would you come to school?
Do you like your classmates?
Would you like another teacher to work with you?
Are you happy when classes are cancelled?
Are you friends with many of your classmates?
Would you like the breaks to be longer and the lessons to be shorter?

To get honest answers to the questions, you should invite the children to fill out the questionnaire at home, together with their parents. Having identified the level of adaptation in the class, the teacher chooses a further work strategy. Practice shows that by the end of the first quarter, 90% of the children have already fully adapted to the new conditions.

Play as a way to adapt

For children who are just adapting to new conditions, it is important to present new information in a form that is interesting to them. It is no coincidence that the first lessons in many educational institutions are held in the form of a game. The most difficult task for any first-grader is to sit in one’s seat for an entire lesson. 40 minutes seems like an eternity. The game “Diligent Student” will come to the rescue. The children are asked to portray high school students who know how to behave at school. And to make the game interesting for kids, it is advisable to include a competitive aspect. At the end of the lesson, the teacher indicates the most diligent students who are awarded prizes.

A child’s psychological adaptation to school will be easier if the child knows his classmates. Therefore, the school team is recommended to hold an interesting event in an informal setting before the start of the school year. The ideal option is a hike. During fun games in nature, kids will be able to get to know each other. Parents, in turn, will have the opportunity to communicate more closely with the teacher.

What can parents do?

Moral support is very important for a child who is just starting school. The adaptation of the little student to new conditions depends on how correctly mothers and fathers behave. It is worth supporting the child in all his endeavors and under no circumstances scolding him for failures. You should never compare your child with other students. It is necessary to ensure that the student focuses on his own results. For example, if today your son made only two mistakes in his homework, and yesterday there were three, this is already a real success that is definitely worth celebrating!

What else should parents do? Work to adapt children to school is based on the formation of a certain daily routine. You need to teach your baby to go to bed on time so that he can get up in the morning without any problems. Haste is additional stress for the baby. The child must know exactly the procedure. In the morning - to school, at lunch - homework, in the evening - to sleep on time, and on weekends you can have fun with your parents.

Motivating a child to study school subjects also partially falls on the shoulders of parents. Mom should explain why it is worth learning English (“You’ll learn it, and we’ll travel without any problems”), mathematics (“You can count how many toys you have”), reading (“You can read the biggest fairy tale on your own”).

Children's adaptation to school affects the functioning of the student's immune system. It is especially difficult for children who have not previously attended preschool. The kids begin to get sick often and miss classes. This also affects psychological adaptation. Frequent absences lead to the child not having time to establish communication in the team. How to deal with this? A pediatrician will help solve the problem by prescribing a suitable immune-stimulating drug. You cannot self-medicate.

It will be possible to reduce the incidence rate if the first-graders’ office at school is moved to a separate block, where the children have contact only with teachers and peers. Your daily routine also affects your health. If a separate room is allocated, it will be possible to reduce lessons in the first quarter to 35 minutes. Classes must be held in the first half of the day. At this time, the guys are very active. The ability to organize daytime naps is a huge plus. For children aged 6, rest during the day is still very important. In this way, it is possible to restore brain activity, as well as physical activity.

Signs of successful adaptation

How do you know that children’s adaptation to school is going well? The following signs may indicate this:

the child comes home from school cheerful and talks about his impressions of the day;
the baby has new friends;
homework is completed without tears or stress;
the child becomes upset if, for a number of reasons, he has to stay at home rather than go to school;
The child sleeps well, falls asleep quickly, and wakes up in the morning without any problems.

The presence of at least a few of the listed signs indicates that the child’s adaptation to school is proceeding normally. 1st grade can be full of vivid impressions and memories. But, unfortunately, not all children have a smooth adaptation. If your child doesn’t sleep well, comes home from school tired, or complains about the lack of friends, you should consult with the teacher. Children with a severe degree of adaptation need the help of a psychologist.

Summarize

The child’s pedagogical adaptation to school will be quick and painless with proper interaction between teachers and parents. Success largely depends on the emotional state of the baby. A pleasant team at school, warm communication with the family - all this will lead to the solution of the task. The child adapts to new conditions as quickly as possible and accepts the educational institution as part of his life.

The beginning of autumn for many parents was marked by a solemn event: the baby went to first grade. Usually, both children and parents prepare for this long and hard: they attend preparatory courses and classes, undergo diagnostic tests for psychological readiness for school. However, the transition from preschool life to school does not always go smoothly, as it is accompanied by psychological and social problems. A first-grader has a new daily routine and responsibilities, which often causes fatigue, irritability, moodiness, and disobedience. It is impossible to say for sure how long this difficult period will last; it is individual for each family. The family should have an atmosphere that will help the child to integrate into school life as comfortably as possible, succeeding in the field of knowledge. After all, if you don’t support a first-grader in time, the negativity of the first difficulties at school can develop into a persistent dislike for learning. How to help a little student get used to school as quickly as possible, read this article.

Adaptation to school

Adaptation to school is the child’s transition to systematic schooling and his adaptation to school conditions. Every first grader experiences this period in his own way. Before school, most children attended kindergarten, where every day was filled with games and play activities, walks, and daytime naps and a leisurely daily routine kept the kids from getting tired. Everything is different at school: new requirements, intensive regime, the need to keep up with everything. How to adapt to them? This requires effort and time, and most importantly, parents’ understanding that this is necessary.

It is generally accepted that the adaptation of a first-grader lasts from the first 10-15 days to several months. This is influenced by many factors, such as the specifics of the school, and its level of preparedness for school, the volume of workload and the level of complexity of the educational process, and others. And here you cannot do without the help of a teacher and relatives: parents and grandparents.

Difficulties

Teach your child the rules of communication with classmates. Explain how important it is to be polite and attentive to your peers - and communication at school will only be a joy.

Psychological

A friendly and calm atmosphere in the family is important for successful psychological adaptation. Don't forget to relax, play calm games, and go for a walk.

Create an atmosphere of well-being in your family. Love the child.
Build high self-esteem in your child.
Don't forget that your child is an asset to his parents.
Take an interest in school, ask your child about the events of each day.
Spend time with your child after the school day.
Do not allow physical pressure on the child.
Consider the character and temperament of the child - only an individual approach. Observe what he can do better and faster, and where he should provide help and suggest.
Give the first grader independence in organizing his own learning activities. Control appropriately.
Encourage the student for various successes - not just academic ones. Encourage him to achieve his goals.

Physiological

During the period of adaptation to school, the child’s body is exposed to stress. Medical statistics show that among first-graders there are always children who lose weight after barely completing the first quarter of school; some children have low blood pressure, and some have high blood pressure. Headaches, moodiness, neurotic conditions are not a complete list of physiological problems that can happen to your child.

Before you reproach your child for being lazy and shirking his educational duties, remember what health problems he has. Nothing complicated - just be attentive to your baby.

What advice should you give to parents of a first-grader from a physiological point of view?

Form a daily routine for a first-grader that is different from the daily routine of a preschooler, gradually.
Make it a habit to monitor changes in activities at home.
Don't forget about regular physical education when doing homework.
Make sure the student has correct posture.
Properly light the place where your child does his homework.
Make sure your first grader eats properly. On the recommendation of a doctor, give vitamin preparations.
Activate your child's motor activity.
Follow the rules of healthy sleep for your child - at least 9.5 hours.
Limit watching TV shows and playing games on the computer.
Nurture your child's will and independence.

"This is interesting! The norm for completing homework with a first grader is 40 minutes.”

Social

Children who have not attended kindergarten may encounter problems communicating with classmates. In kindergarten, a child goes through a process of socialization, where he acquires communication skills and ways to build relationships in a team. At school, the teacher does not always pay attention to this. This is why your child will again need the help of his parents.

Be attentive to your child’s messages about his relationships with classmates. Try to help with good advice, look for the answer in psychological and pedagogical literature. Try to tell him how to overcome the conflict situation. Support the parents of those children with whom your child has developed a relationship. Report alarming situations to your teacher. Remember how important it is to protect your own child, as well as teach him to overcome obstacles on his own.

Teach your child to be an individual: to have his own opinion, prove it, but be tolerant of the opinions of others.

“The golden rule of education. A child needs love most at the time when he least deserves it.”

So, if you have become a happy parent of a first-grader, then simple tips will help you on how to easily survive such a crucial moment as adaptation to school:

Do not ignore such a crucial moment as the beginning of school life. Help your child overcome the period of adaptation to school, support him, provide the necessary living and learning conditions, and see how easily he will learn and how his abilities will unfold.

Many parents are perplexed why their children become aggressive when they enter school, react sharply to any criticism and get tired very quickly. This is due to changes in the conditions in which the child develops. Adaptation to increased workload and demands lasts differently for everyone: it all depends on the baby’s internal reserve and the help of adults.

Types of adaptation

The word “adaptation” itself means the restructuring of the body for development in a changed environment. It occurs at the physiological and psychological levels.

Physiological adaptation

Associated with adaptation to new conditions of all physiological processes and systems of the body.

It usually goes through 3 stages:

Acute adaptation: lasts 2-3 weeks and is the most difficult for a first grader. At this time, almost all systems of the body change their “working settings”, which is associated with changes in the daily routine, work and rest, and vigorous activity. As a result, the immune system is weakened and the risk of disease increases.
Unsustainable adaptation: the body’s response to stress becomes more stable, but the optimal option has not yet been found.
Relatively stable adaptation: the body reacts to changing conditions with virtually no stress.

It usually takes 2-6 months until complete adaptation to the school environment takes place. The success of adaptation depends primarily on.

The consequences may be different:

Loss of appetite, weight loss.
Changes in blood pressure.
The appearance of headaches.
Decreased performance and fatigue.
Bad dream.
Neuroses and depression.

Socio-psychological adaptation

It is associated with the child’s adaptation to the environment and his psycho-emotional state, which inevitably leads to stress.

Moreover, it can manifest itself in different ways:

A child who was previously not known for being organized gets up independently in the morning, makes his bed and goes to school. Parents are happy that their child has become more responsible. This type of behavior does not need to be corrected, but when the child adapts to new conditions, he most often becomes the same as he was.
Another option (more frequent): the always collected child becomes absent-minded, refuses to follow the daily routine, is rude and capricious. And here you need to be careful.

Stress itself has a strong effect on the body, but does not exceed the limits of its adaptive capabilities. It stimulates positive changes and faster adaptation. Long-term exposure has devastating consequences: nervous diseases, breakdowns (distress stage).

It depends on the actions of adults during this period whether the child will be able to cope with this condition, or whether the stress will hide in the depths of the subconscious and begin to manifest itself in unusual situations, forcing its “owner” to act impulsively and unexpectedly. And already at these moments it is important to understand that it is impossible to achieve obedience and the desire to study well through physical punishment. .

Preliminary work

It is easiest for a child to adapt when he is familiar with what awaits him and here the help of adults is invaluable:

Positive stories about school life : how we went camping together, how interesting the teacher was, how interesting it was in the lessons and how fun it was during recess. There is no need to intimidate in advance with strict teachers and bad grades. After all, it is quite possible that he will find good teachers, and he will study with pleasure.
Joint purchase of goods for school : stationery, clothes briefcase. After all, these are not just necessary things, but also positive emotions that are somehow connected with school!
Gradual transition to a new daily routine : by the end of summer, accustom children to early bedtime and early rise.

Helping the child with physiological adaptation

To make it easier for your baby to adapt to changed conditions, you need to take into account the following nuances:

Vitamins : it is possible, but on the recommendation of a specialist, because their excess can be much worse than a deficiency. Medicines should not be taken without consulting a doctor.
Breakfast - Necessarily. After all, not all children like breakfast in the school cafeteria, and sometimes they have to go hungry until lunch. It would also be a good idea to give your baby a small snack and a bottle of water or juice.
After-school – not a solution, because the child needs proper rest after the training load. It is better to agree with relatives or non-working acquaintances who will stay with the student after school.
Hometasks First graders perform only at will. It is better to do it between 16:00 and 18:00 (at this time the second peak of brain activity is observed), but not in the evening, when the baby is tired. You need to teach him to be independent, but you cannot refuse him if he asks for help.
Vision It can get worse with increasing load, so you need to minimize the time your child spends at the computer or TV.
Full sleep (at least 11 hours) is simply necessary. Therefore, lights out at 21:00. After getting enough sleep, the baby will do exercises, have breakfast, and will finally wake up by the start of classes. A sleep-deprived student will “sleep” during the first two lessons and will not be able to learn the necessary material.

An important role is played by the organization of space, compliance with the daily routine and physical activity.

When you enter school, this usual routine changes. And not all children perceive these changes positively. Therefore, it is important to create a regime that will avoid overwork and satisfy all the child’s needs. The schedule should be clear and visual so that it is easier for a first grader to understand it.

What you need to consider when creating a daily routine:

Strict adherence to all points every day!
Changing types of activities (to prevent overwork).
Include only the main stages: lesson time, additional classes and homework. The rest of the time the child plays, so it is inappropriate to indicate it.
The schedule should be flexible so that cards can be interchanged.

Workspace organization

It is easier for a child to adapt to school life if he has his own workspace at home.

When organizing it, it is important to consider the following points:

Good room lighting.
Furniture is selected in accordance with the student’s height.
When working, the light should fall from the front or to the left if the child is right-handed, to the right if he is left-handed.
There should be order on the table: every thing has its place.

It is necessary to ensure that the child is positioned correctly at the table while reading or writing. Not only posture, but also visual acuity depends on this.

Physical activity

Many first-graders do not get 1.5-2 hours of sleep, move little, do not follow a diet, sit at a computer desk for several hours in a row, and then in front of the TV. All this leads to a decrease in motor load (almost 2 times!) and, as a result, inhibition of the child’s growth and development, increasing the risk of illness in the body.

Someone may hope for physical education lessons, but they are held, firstly, only 3 times a week, and secondly, their duration is only half an hour. According to experts, they compensate for only a tenth of the necessary physical activity of first-graders and do not allow them to fully restore strength.

To normalize the processes, it is important to ensure that the baby is fully active (at least 3 hours in total) by including in his daily routine:

Morning exercises.
Walks.
Outdoor games.

By instilling a culture of active recreation, you can normalize the development process of the body. You can interest your child by your own example: conscientious morning jogs and evening walks will not only bring you closer together, but will also help you successfully overcome the adaptation period.

Helping a child with social and psychological adaptation

Until the baby gets used to the new role, he needs support from his parents. At first, it is advisable to accompany him to school and take him home: the child will still have time to be independent, and at this time he needs support and awareness of his own “need”.

A few more rules of parental behavior for the successful adaptation of children in a school environment:

The first 1.5-2 weeks of the child should not be punished! After all, this time is the most difficult for him, he changes and cannot cope with his emotions and behavior. Rudeness and aggression should also not be encouraged. But you can achieve your goal with a calm tone and attention, and not with humiliation and threats.
Make no more than three comments a day (as a last resort!) . After all, the child still doesn’t know anything about himself, so he is forced to believe the adults. Negative statements contribute to the development of low self-esteem.
Praise your child for his successes and rejoice with him , motivate to overcome difficulties, encourage any endeavors.
When a child is capricious, angry, or fails at something, he needs support and affection. . There is no need to punish him by interrupting the emotional connection or leaving him alone with himself - the baby cannot always cope on his own, he needs help.
Always “see” the child! Psychologists say that stating the very fact of a child’s presence (a small statement, such as “Are you reading a book?”) makes the child happy that he has been noticed, remembered, seen, which means he is needed. Only with such an attitude can he develop normal self-esteem.
Help to understand the rules of behavior and relationships in the classroom team . If your child understands why he needs to raise his hand during a lesson or why he shouldn’t be rude to his classmates, it will become easier for him to comply with them.
Try to keep abreast of your child’s entire school life. . And to do this, talk with the teacher and the child. Just don’t ask a first-grader how he behaved during class or recess. Questions like these can increase a child's tension and anxiety.
Remember that a teacher is an authority for a first grader . Therefore, you should not speak negatively about him. It is better to resolve the issue with the teacher alone, without the child.

Any inappropriate behavior of a first-grader is not always a whim, which... This is how the child expresses his condition, his inability to cope with the conflict. And the parent’s task is to support him, help, and not make demands. After all, a healthy child is a successful student.

The child goes to first grade. Why is it difficult for him to get used to school and how can his parents help him with this?

It seems like just recently you picked up your baby from the maternity hospital. And then the years flew by unnoticed, and it was time to take him to first grade. Joyful expectations, new impressions, elegant bouquets, white bows or bow ties – this paints a picture of a wonderful holiday for a first-grader. But the effect of novelty and charm in the unusual setting quickly wears off, and the child begins to understand that he came to school not for a holiday, but for study. And now the most interesting thing...

Suddenly you begin to notice that your previously obedient and kind child suddenly becomes aggressive, refuses to go to school, cries, is capricious, complains about the teacher and classmates, or collapses from fatigue. Of course, a loving parent immediately begins to sound the alarm: what to do about this? How to help your child get used to school? Is everything that is happening to him normal?

As always, there is no single answer to all these questions. After all, your child is a person, and he has his own individual characteristics, his own temperament, character, habits, health, and finally. Factors such as:

the child’s level of readiness for schooling - this means not only mental, but also physical and psychological readiness;
the degree of socialization of the baby - how well can he communicate and cooperate with peers and with adults, in particular, did he go to kindergarten?

How to understand how successfully a child gets used to school?

Starting school is a serious event in the life of a little person. Essentially, this is his step, or even a leap, into the unknown. Try for a moment to put yourself in the shoes of your daughter or son, or, if possible, remember your first school experiences. Exciting, right? Even if mom and dad told the baby in as much detail and in advance about what awaits him at school, the first time will still be very unexpected for him. And the words “You will study there,” in fact, are unlikely to say very much to a 6-7 year old. What does it mean to study? How to do it? Why do I need it? Why can’t I, as before, play and walk with my mother and sisters and brothers? And this is only the first level of your child’s experiences.

This includes new acquaintances and the need to get used to new operating conditions. Do Masha and Vanya like me? What about the teacher? Why do I have to sit at the same desk with Vasya, who pulls my pigtails? Why does everyone laugh when I want to play with the car? Why should I sit for so long if I want to run? Why doesn't the bell ring for so long? Why, if I want to go home to my mother, am I not allowed?

It’s easy to guess what enormous intellectual, physical, and emotional stress children experience during adaptation to school. And we, as loving parents, are simply obliged to help them get through this period as gently and painlessly as possible. It is for this reason that it is worth periodically trying to put yourself in the place of a child, learning to look from his bell tower, remembering how you felt when “the stars shone brighter and were big at home.” And give the baby exactly what he needs most now.

The baby needs time to get used to the new environment. Not one day, not one week and not even one month. According to the observations of experts, the average duration of adaptation to school is from two months to six months. Adaptation is considered successful if the child:

calm, in a good mood;
speaks well of the teacher and classmates;
quickly makes friends among peers in the class;
without discomfort and easily completes homework;
understands and accepts school rules;
reacts normally to the teacher’s comments;
not afraid of teachers or peers;
accepts the new daily routine normally - gets up in the morning without tears, falls asleep calmly in the evening.

Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Signs of child maladjustment may often be observed:

excessive fatigue of the baby, difficulty falling asleep in the evenings and equally difficult awakenings in the morning;
the child’s complaints about the demands of teachers and classmates;
difficult adaptation to the demands of school, resentment, whims, resistance to order;
as a result, difficulties in learning. With all this “bouquet”, it is simply impossible for a child to also concentrate on gaining new knowledge.

In such cases, comprehensive assistance from parents, a psychologist and a teacher is necessary. This way you can help your child go through this period in the most optimal way for him. But, for more conscious help from the baby, it’s a good idea to figure out what actually happens to him during the period of getting used to school?

First of all, let's deal with the increased physiological load on the baby. Educational activities require the child to maintain a relatively motionless posture throughout the lesson. If previously your child devoted most of his time to all sorts of activities - running, jumping, fun games - now he has to sit at a desk for several hours a day. Such a static load is very difficult for a six or seven year old child. The baby’s physical activity becomes actually half as much as before entering school. But the need for movement does not turn off so easily in one day - it still remains large and is now not being satisfied qualitatively.

In addition, at the age of 6 - 7 years, large muscles mature faster than small ones. In this regard, it is much easier for children to perform sweeping, strong movements than those that require greater precision - for example, writing. Accordingly, the child quickly gets tired from performing small movements.

The physiological adaptation of a first-grader to school goes through several stages:

“Physiological storm” is what experts call the first couple of weeks of school. All systems of the child’s body are greatly strained in response to new external influences, taking away a significant part of the baby’s resources. In this regard, many first-graders begin to get sick in September.
Then begins an unstable adaptation to new living conditions. The baby's body is trying to find the most appropriate reactions to the outside world.
And only then does the phase of relatively stable adaptation begin. Now the body already understands what is wanted from it and strains less in response to stress. The entire period of physical adaptation can last up to 6 months and depends on the child’s initial data, his endurance and state of health.

Parents should not underestimate the difficulty of the period of physiological adaptation of their child. Doctors say that some first-graders are losing weight by the end of October, and many are showing signs of fatigue, such as a decrease or increase in blood pressure. Therefore, there is nothing to be surprised when 6-7 year olds complain of a constant feeling of fatigue, headaches or other pains in the first two to three months of school. Children may become capricious, partially lose control over their behavior, and their mood may change dramatically and frequently. For many children, school itself becomes a stressogenic factor, because it requires increased stress and attention. As a result, by the middle of the day children are overtired, unable to fully relax. Sometimes children are already sad in the morning, look devastated, may complain of abdominal pain, and sometimes even morning vomiting occurs. If the baby also had some health difficulties before entering school, adaptation may not be easy. Remember this before you reproach your child for laziness and unwillingness to take on new responsibilities!

First of all, let's look at some of the psychological characteristics of a first-grader. By the age of 6–7 years, a greater balance is established between the processes of excitation and inhibition than before. But still, excitement still prevails over inhibition, which is why first-graders are generally very active, restless, and highly excitable emotionally.

After 25-35 minutes of the lesson, the child’s performance drops, and in the second lesson it may generally decline sharply. With high emotional saturation of lessons and extracurricular activities, children can become very tired. All this must be taken into account by adults to help their child adapt.

Turning to developmental psychology, we can say that a new type of activity comes into a child’s life - educational. In general, the leading activities of a child are:

from 1 year to 3 years - object-manipulative game;
from 3 to 7 years - role-playing game;
from 7 to 11 years – educational activities, operational and technical activities.

On the basis of this new activity for the child, thinking moves to the center of consciousness. It becomes the main mental function and gradually begins to determine the work of all other mental functions - perception, attention, memory, speech. All these functions also become arbitrary and intellectualized.

Thanks to the rapid and constant development of thinking, such a new property of a child’s personality appears as reflection - awareness of oneself, one’s position in a group - class, family, assessment of oneself from the position of “good - bad”. The child takes this assessment from the attitude of those close to him. And, depending on whether his family accepts and encourages him, broadcasting the message “you are good”, or condemns and criticizes him - “you are bad” - the child develops a sense of psychological and social competence in the first case or inferiority in the second.

According to psychologists, no matter how old a child goes to school - at 6 or 7 - he still goes through a special stage of development, called the 6-7-year-old crisis. The former child acquires a new role in society - the role of a student. At the same time, the child’s self-awareness changes, and a revaluation of values is observed. Indeed, what was previously significant - play, walks - becomes secondary, and study and everything connected with it come to the forefront.

At the age of 6-7 years, the emotional sphere of the child changes radically. As a preschooler, the baby, experiencing failure or hearing unpleasant comments about his appearance, of course, was offended or felt annoyed. But such emotions did not radically influence the development of his personality. Now, all failures are tolerated by the child much more acutely, and can lead to the emergence of a persistent inferiority complex. In other words, the more often a child receives negative evaluations, the more defective he feels. Naturally, such an “acquisition” can negatively affect the child’s self-esteem and the level of his future aspirations and expectations from life.

In school education, this feature of the child’s psyche is taken into account, so the first grade of school is a priori non-grading - grades are not used when assessing the work of schoolchildren. But parents should also support their child in every possible way:

celebrate all the child’s achievements, even the most insignificant ones;
evaluate not the child’s personality, but his actions - instead of the phrase “you are bad”, say “you did not do very well”;  - when communicating with your son or daughter about failures, explain that this is temporary, support the child’s desire to overcome various difficulties.

Social and psychological adaptation of first-graders can proceed in different ways. There are three types of adaptation:

1. Favorable:

the child adapts to schooling during the first two months;
he enjoys going to school and is not afraid or insecure;
the child easily copes with the school curriculum;
he quickly finds friends, gets used to the new team, communicates well with peers, establishes contact with the teacher;
he is practically in an even good mood all the time, he is calm, friendly, and friendly;
he performs school duties without tension and with interest and desire.

2. Medium:

the time to get used to school lasts up to six months;
the child cannot accept the situation of studying, communicating with the teacher, peers - he can sort things out with a friend or play in class, reacts to the teacher’s comments with insults and tears or does not react at all;
The child has difficulty following the curriculum.

Usually, such children get used to school and adjust to the new rhythm of life only by the end of the first half of the year.

3. Unfavorable:

the child exhibits negative forms of behavior and may show negative emotions sharply;
the child is not able to master the curriculum, it is difficult for him to learn reading, writing, counting, etc.;

Parents, classmates, and teachers often complain about such children; they are capable of unpredictable reactions and can “interfere with working in class.” All this adds up to a whole range of problems.

Causes of socio-psychological maladjustment

Experts identify the following factors affecting socio-psychological adaptation:

inadequate demands from adults - teachers and parents;
situations of constant failure;
child's learning problems;
discontent, punishment, reproaches from adults;
a state of internal tension, anxiety, and vigilance in a child.

Such tension makes the child undisciplined, irresponsible, inattentive, he may lag behind in his studies, gets tired quickly and simply has no desire to go to school:

unbearable additional loads - various clubs and sections that gradually create stress and “overload” for the child; he is constantly afraid of “not being on time” and ultimately sacrifices the quality of all work;
rejection of schoolchildren by their peers. Such situations in turn give rise to protest and bad behavior.

It is important for all adults - parents and teachers alike - to remember that bad behavior is a red flag. It is necessary to show additional attention to the student, observe him, and understand the reasons for the difficulty in adapting to school.

The issue of helping children get used to school painlessly and smoothly without compromising their health has never been more relevant. Experts recommend following simple tips:

Help your child get used to his new role as a schoolchild. To do this, it is necessary to explain to the child what school is, why study is needed, what rules exist at school;
Correctly build a daily routine for your first-grader. Daytime exercise must be consistent and constant, and take into account the child’s personal characteristics;
Discuss with your child the concepts of self-esteem, evaluation, and their various criteria: neatness, beauty, correctness, interest, diligence. Work with your child on ways to achieve all of this;
Teach your child to ask questions. Explain to him that asking is not at all shameful or shameful;
Develop your first grader's learning motivation. Tell him what education gives, what benefits he will receive and what he can achieve through successful studies. But, of course, be honest with him and, first of all, with yourself - no need to say that a gold medal will open the door to a carefree life. You yourself know that this is not so. But it’s still worth explaining that learning is interesting, important and necessary in order to later realize yourself in some business, right?
Teach your child to manage his emotions. This does not mean suppressing and hushing up your problems and fears. But the development of voluntary behavior is very important for every person. The student must be able to obey the rules when necessary, carry out tasks accurately, and listen carefully to assignments. Games according to the rules and didactic games can help with this - through them the child can come to an understanding of school assignments;
Teach your child to communicate. Communication skills will help him function normally in group activities at school;
Support your child in his attempts to cope with difficulties. Show him that you really believe in him and are always ready to help him if necessary;
Show genuine interest in the class or school your child goes to. Be sure to listen to your child when he wants to tell you something;
Stop criticizing your child. Even if he is bad at reading, counting, and writing, he is sloppy. Criticism from loved ones, especially in the presence of strangers, can only aggravate problems;
Encourage your child. Celebrate not only his academic successes, but also other achievements, even the most insignificant ones. Any supportive words from the parents will help the baby feel significant and important in the work he is doing;
Consider your child's temperament. Active children are physically unable to sit in one place for a long time. Slow people, on the contrary, have difficulty getting used to the difficult rhythm of school;
Stop yourself from comparing your child to other children. Such comparisons will lead either to increased pride - “I’m better than everyone!”, or to a drop in self-esteem and envy of others - “I’m worse than him...”. You can only compare your child with himself, his new successes with previous achievements;
Don't think that children's problems are easier than adults' ones. A conflict situation with a peer or teacher may be no easier for a child than a conflict between a parent and a boss at work;
When your child enters school, do not suddenly change family relationships. You shouldn’t say: “Now you’re big, wash the dishes and clean the house yourself,” etc. Remember, he already has enough stress from school right now;
If possible, do not overload the child during the adaptation period. There is no need to drag him straight into the sea of clubs and sections. Wait, let him cope with the new situation, and everything else will be done later;
Do not show your baby your anxiety and concern about his performance at school. Just be interested in his affairs without judging him. And be patient while waiting for success - it may not appear on the first day! But if you label your child as a failure, his talents may never emerge;
If your child is very sensitive about school, reduce the importance of school grades. Show your child that you value and love him, and not for good studies, but just like that, that is, of course;
Be sincerely interested in your child’s school life, but focus not on grades, but on his relationships with other children, school holidays, excursions, duty, etc.;
At home, create an opportunity for your child to relax and unwind. Remember - at first, school is a very serious burden for your child, and he really gets tired;
Provide your child with a friendly atmosphere in the family. Let him know that he is always welcome and loved at home, no matter what;
After class, take a walk with your child. Help him satisfy his need for movement and activity;
Remember that late evening is not for lessons! After class, give your baby a rest, and then do your homework for tomorrow as early as possible. Then the child needs full sleep;
And remember that the main help for a child is kind, trusting, open communication with parents, their love and support.

The most important– is the development in a child of a positive and joyful attitude towards life in general, and towards daily school activities in particular. When learning begins to bring joy and pleasure to the child, then school will cease to be a problem.

The child is going to a new class and needs help finding his way. The phrase “Third “G” along the corridor to the left” will not be enough here. At a crucial moment for the family, try to isolate from the family your cousin from a distant suburb, who always talks about how he beat newcomers and excellent students as a child, and stop humming the song: “Who's on the new guy? Take away what’s ready!” More valuable advice from Inna Pribora and psychologist Inna Belyaeva are shared below.

For those preparing for the main school exam

Why does a child need help?

Finding yourself in an unfamiliar team and working in it is a great stress for any person, especially a small one. The main reasons for concern: how you will be received, how they will evaluate you, and what they will think about the briefcase with a sewn-on portrait of the plush Minister of Education. The main parental role now is to support the student, and not to buzz about the soiled shirt collar. The support of a teacher can be irreplaceable, especially if he has sympathy for the child and you, but you can’t always count on it.

To fit into any team, you need to take a close look at it and evaluate how these guys in the “Serve Satan” T-shirts live here.

Find out what the norms, rules, values are here. Should I crouch and bow to the headman, throw a wet sponge, or shake my head to the beat of the biology teacher’s recitative? Consider what dangers a child might face in this company and work out a way to integrate.

The child’s integration should be helped by his skills, strengths and your support. The parent’s task is precisely to help the child understand the new environment and develop an appropriate strategy through gentle conversations about children, about class routine, and about relationships in the classroom. At the same time, conversations about class routine should not be devoted to lessons and grades (“How? Troyban in liter?” - not the most favorable start for an encouraging conversation). Of course, these exciting issues can be discussed, but talking about grades will not contribute to adaptation.

What to do?

1. We must remember that teachers’ relationship with a child begins with the “teacher-parent” relationship.

According to respected psychologist Gordon Neufeld, this is called “attachment transfer.” The essence of the technique is that the parent must go and make friends with the teacher. You probably shouldn’t show up with a box of beer at Elena Albertovna’s house, but you can always come to school and tell them that you are very interested in the problems of the school, Elena Albertovna and all the children of the world, that you are writing a scientific monograph, an article about responsible teachers , study the wintering conditions of the head teachers, draw portraits of women with glasses, or even want to offer your help, mostly moral. But you can move this aquarium too.

2. The second point, in the apt expression of the same Neufeld, is called “matchmaking.”

The process is two-way: you match the child with the teacher, and then the child gets a teacher at home. It would be useful for the teacher to know how worried your student is, asking questions about the teacher, waiting for the special day, choosing daisies. Tell her that you are a sensitive mother, and your child is a vulnerable person, and will not tolerate the usual tradition at their school of rolling new students down the stairs in a basin. Reassure the child too: “I told Elena Albertovna about your interest in newts and frogs. She is waiting for you with trepidation and has even prepared the best place in the back rows.”

3. Try to negotiate with the teacher to give you the opportunity to introduce your child to the class.

Sometimes teachers themselves ask a new student to tell him about himself or try to tell the class something else about a person other than his last name and initials. But you will definitely do better. During matchmaking, say that you yourself are a wonderful professional, an honorable advertiser, and if you manage to sell electric cotton swabs to simpletons, then you will be able to present the child in the most favorable light.

For parents of an extroverted type, it will be easy to speak in front of the class with a story about the family, common interests and hobbies of the child.

Introverts and those who are still afraid to answer at the board can collect several objects that will tell about the child (a tennis ball, a magnet with the Serpukhov coat of arms and a piece of buffalo skin), or make a presentation at Power Point.

4. The new guy went to study. Take time to discuss school life together.

Don’t interrogate, but be sincerely interested in all the important details: what did you eat? Did you laugh at school? and over what? was there anything upsetting? There is such a game: take a list of classmates and go through the last names with your child: what do you think, which one is which? Who's an excellent student? Who's the bully? Who's the joke? Who is friends with whom? Guess who you will make friends with? Do not forget, of course, to communicate that this is the first impression, and everything will change later. It will be interesting to see how the situation actually turns out.

Don’t forget to really look and pay attention to the fact that a boy with the last name Shkuroderov will turn out to be a shy violinist and your daughter’s best friend

If you have photos of classmates (online, for example), try to combine the names with the photos. This will help your child remember other children better, give him the feeling that they know each other, and will also force him to pay attention to his classmates, notice character traits, and think, what are they like? In general, it will distract you from the painful thoughts of “can it be seen from the outside that one of my ears is sticking out.”

While you chat about school every day, tell your stories, or remember the plots of books and movies. Pay attention to the heroes that are relevant to the child.

5. During school adaptation, create an atmosphere of complete acceptance at home.

Eliminate pressure, strict moralizing conversations and a critical approach to order in the children's room. Let only love and admiration for the child reign in all the rooms of the apartment.

Show more involvement with your child and implement stress-relieving activities.

Go on long family walks, ride on carousels, catch Pokemon in your arms, read slowly out loud, wrapped in a blanket with the whole family, and somehow hold a cup of aromatic tea, eat ice cream, buried in a pile of yellow leaves. In general, it makes sense to behave as stupidly as the smiling people from the motivators on the Facebook feed. Praise your child, give him positive feedback, even when the ice cream fell into the tea and the tea into the blanket, you just smile and don’t yell.

6. When a child goes to school, do not forget to give him some kind of artifact that gives strength.

A small souvenir that reminds you of you, a family trip, or something important for a child. Place in his backpack a note with encouraging words, a music box, a figurine of a double-headed eagle, a “thanks to grandfather for the victory” sticker, and a dried snake head. In addition to a behavioral strategy, a person must have a resource to rely on. Home, family, culture, books read, favorite stories, poems and songs - this is a good support that a child carries with him in any incomprehensible situation.