Tips to help children cope with their schooling

When the little ones enter the first grade of school, What should moms and dads do so that the child is organized and can fulfill this new stage?

Going to school generates many mixed feelings for both parents and the little ones in the house. They can both feel joy and excitement and, suddenly, they can experience moments of nostalgia and concern for new changes.

How to help the little ones to be positive about the new stage in school?

Among the typical reactions that are presented are crying Y attachment to mom or dad so as not to stay in the educational center. Despite the enthusiasm of the child preparing his materials during the days before the start of the school year, the day they have to start school and enter the center, he cries and does not want his parents to abandon him.

Generally, schools collaborate to make the adjustment process easy and enjoyable for the family, however It will depend a lot on the management that the family nucleus carries out to facilitate or complicate the new stage that is about to be start.

Some tips to facilitate the new reality for children

Therefore, we consider it important to provide a series of recommendations to help them in this great step without generating greater fears in the little ones and, above all, that it serves as a guide for parents:

1. If possible, allow the child to know (15 days before) the educational center (including the classroom) in which she will receive lessons, as well as the teacher.

2. One week before entering classes, start picking up the child at a time close to the time he should do it in class, to get used to it. Children, during the first week and because of the illusion that makes them go to school, many times, they do it without any problem, but after the first week they begin to present problems in this appearance. Children require approximately eight hours a day to rest.

3. Keep a large planner or calendar at home where you can write down tasks, jobs and commitments that must be done each day, using drawings or stickers so that the child can identify it.

4. From three months before the start of school, homework should be assigned according to age, so that when he is in school he can assume those assigned by the teaching team. It is also advisable to have schedules in the house for meals, snacks, games, breaks and fulfillment of these duties, etc.

5. Establish from the first week a daily study routine to fulfill homework; even when not in exams it is important to review, for a time that does not exceed thirty minutes a day. It is important for the child to rest, eat, and then complete homework.

6. Label the materials before the start of the school period, with the child's name and indicate the importance of taking care of them and keeping them in their proper place, as well as the consequences in case of frequent loss.

7. Cultivate in the child the routine of preparing her materials and belongings to go to schoolof her, starting with cleaning her shoes (an activity that she can do together with her father when he is preparing clothing), prepare the briefcase with the notebooks, in such a way that it is not the parents who assume the responsibility in said work. It is important to have the materials ready the day before to make sure that you have everything you need.

8. To help with the previous point, the father or mother can write down the materials (extras) that they are requesting at school and then attend together (father / mother and child) to get them or make them if necessary, but always making it clear to the child that it is their responsibility. Parents can use a specific notebook to communicate with the teacher, which the child will always carry with him and the parents will always review it.

9. Teach and allow the child to line or decorate her notebooks and identify them by subject in such a way that the child recognizes them.

10. Stimulate in the student the order and cleanliness in notebooks, materials and bulk. Example: all the sheets must be stuck in the respective notebooks, and those sheets that do not correspond to any subject are kept in a folder for that purpose. We must ensure that the notebooks are ordered, complete and corrected by the teacher.

11. Maintain constant communication with the teacher to make sure of the school activities: meetings, walks, recitals, etc.

12. If the child is absent from class, make up the subject as soon as possible. In case of being absent due to an activity planned in advance, cover the subject.

13. Keep extra school supplies at home for emergencies. Generally, in the first years of school life, children are very fond of using cardboard, crayons, erasers, pencils color, scissors, therefore, it would greatly benefit to have reserves of these materials at home in case of any situation special.

14. Ask the child how her day was, what she liked the most, what she didn't like and why; errands the teacher mentioned; relationship with the peers, as well as supervising that they carry out the feeding routines properly. It is important not only to pay attention to what the child mentions verbally, but also to their gestures, body language, glances, evasions in the conversation and in case of doubts, delve with the teacher. Young children, for the most part, do not have the facility to express themselves and when faced with new situations they tend to repressing your feelings for fear that they will not be believed, therefore, it is very important to pay attention to non-verbal language.

15. Both parents must participate in the child's schooling process, on many occasions it is assumed that the mother is the one who must watch over these tasks, however the father occupies a very important place in the process of accompanying learning, therefore, the tasks that entail the schooling process is a work in set.

Observations on the importance of preparing children

It is important to remember that, on many occasions, the "anguish" generated by entering classes is usually greater in parents more than in the children themselves, who absorb the feelings of their parents, and this can affect their ability to adapt to the new environment, as well as their ability to organize themselves to new school demands.

It is not a good idea to try to alleviate the suffering of the child when entering school with these strategies that I will list below:

• Stay at the educational center, pick it up earlier
• Calling the center constantly, or not taking it to the center.

Any of these actions increase the child's distress and, consequently, may cause you greater difficulties in adjusting. For this reason, it is recommended to discuss it with the teacher or with the specialized personnel in the center educational: counselor, psychologist, etc., who provides specific guidance for the proper management of case.