This one is for all those parents who's toddlers start school soon....
Its that time in your life when you are both relieved about your child securing a sear in a school and are anxious about sending him/ her away from you.
Foa ALL of us, our child is our most precious creation therfore is the BEST child in the world1
The first reaction that we have when someone criticizes our child is- How dare they!
There is one thing that we must all remember- Each Child is different.
The very thought of someone else controlloing our child scares us. We are anxious about how our child will behave and how will he be recieved in the new environment. We all have our sources of reference for our opinions. Some of our opinions are guided by what our parents told us about our first day of school, friend's experiences, stories or neighbours.
The anxiety that you are experiencing right now is called 'seperation anxiety'. Your toddler may be experiencing it more than you. Seperation anxiety is a normal reaction of a toddler but when we as parents pass on our anxiety to them, we made it very difficult for the child to adjust to the new situation.
The child looks at you for reassurance to ease his anxiety but if you are anxious, guilty, confused, worried, you will in turn increase his anxiety.
Before he starts school, you could do the following things that may help him:
1. Introduce him to strangers and let him be in the company of starngers for sometime while you watch from a distance. He should getv used to being with people becuae at this stage, his social skills will determine his adjustment at school.
2. Set a routine for him so that he gets into the habit of following one.
3. Talk to him about various things that he can look forward to. Get him excited about school, new friends, new books, new teacher, playground or whaever else appeals to him.
4. Answer ALL his queries and questions no matter how irrelevant they may seem to you. Never make fun of him. Let him understand that you understand his anxieties and that you are always there for him.
5. Tell him clearly who is going to drop/ pick him and you must follow it otherwise he will not trust you.
6. Tell him clearly what all are you going to put in his bag. Get him used to the idea of being responsible for his own bag and make sure he knows what to find where in it.
7. Explain to him clearly about whom to ask if he wishes to go to the toilet.
8. Never threaten him or develop an association between school and punishment.
9. when he starts school, ensure that you are informed about what is happening at school so that you can help him be at pace with the others in class.
10. Take the teachers advise constructively.
11. Listen to him, no matter how long it takes.
Your child, besides learning to read, will also learn social skills, collaborative play, taking orders and trusting people.
The most important thing that your child must understand and believe is that YOU are always there for him and that school is a fun place where he will be meeting new friends and will have the teacher as a guide.
If you want more tips or information, write to me..........
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
my 3.5yrs daughter does not like to eat vegetables. every time she wants plain chapati wihout veg. .First day of her school i send chapati with cheese in tiffin.She hardly touch the cheese.I am worried .Plz. suggest me .
ReplyDeleteThankyou.
Eating is a big problem with my 3 year old too.With long school hours I am worried about his staying hungry for so long and not eating his tiffin.
ReplyDeleteShika, I suggest you ask the child what she would like to eat instead...most of the time we impose food on to the child which the child might not care for. Even if you wishes to eat biscuits, or a chocolate, thats fine, chocolate grain bars are available in the market. As long as she eats something, else try and get her to eat some food before leaving for school.
ReplyDeleteDear Varsha and Shikha!
ReplyDeleteAs long as your child gets the nutrition during the rest of the day, its ok.
Try and make the food interesting. Pack surprises for your kid in the tiffin so that he looks forward to opening his tiffin everyday. you can also speak to the teacher to encourage your child to eat.
Another good way to make them eat is to tell them the importance of eating in the form of a story.
Another thing tyhat normally always works is that you must involve the child in making the tiffin because if they make it themselves, they will like to finish their food. All the best and hope your child gets enough nutrition.