Some children eagerly await the "first bell", while others arrange scandals for their parents, not wanting to become first-graders. Correctly to solve such problems and fully prepare the baby for training help the recommendations of qualified psychotherapists and pediatricians.
When to give the child to school?
Correct formation of intellectual, physiological and social skills that provide children with a comfortable and simple acquisition of knowledge occurs between 6 and 7 years of life. When deciding how many years to give a child to school, it is better not to rush and try to grow an " indigo ". Researches of experts confirm that too early visiting of educational institutions negatively affects psychoemotional health of kids, the optimal age for a first-grader is 7-8 years.
Diagnosis of the child's readiness for school
The ability to behave culturally in different groups, write or read is not a strong reason for the beginning of secondary education. Criteria for a child's readiness for school always include the following factors:
- intellectual;
- psychological;
- physical;
- speech;
- social;
- motivational.
Often parents neglect the absence of one or more of the listed items, shifting responsibility to teachers ("in the first class they will teach and tell"). It is important to objectively evaluate the child's complete readiness for school and take into account all of the above criteria, conduct preliminary screening tests. You can apply for professional advice and help to a child psychotherapist.
Intellectual readiness of the child for school
To begin the process of intensive training, the baby must be well developed mentally. This implies sufficient functional maturity of certain brain structures. Indicators of the child's readiness for school necessarily include such skills:
- establishing a logical connection;
- group grouping of objects on similar grounds and the discovery of differences between them (generalization and analysis);
- concentration and retention of attention for 20 minutes;
- developed memory;
- space-physical orientation;
- mathematical account;
- representation of geometric figures;
- knowledge of colors, letters.
A future first-grader must have minimal information about himself:
- where he lives;
- name;
- surname;
- family members;
- the profession of relatives;
- phone numbers of parents (preferably).
Psychological readiness of the child for schooling
Since September 1, children fall into a completely new and new environment and collective for them, so they must be able to cope with the attendant difficulties and solve their own problems independently. The personal readiness of the child for school is determined by the following criteria:
- the ability to keep within their behavior;
- emotional stability;
- absence of aggressive or impulsive actions and reactions;
- organization;
- equilibrium.
The child's readiness for school psychologically also includes the ability to absorb instructor instructions and follow them, even if the kid would prefer to do more interesting things or go to another place. This helps to maintain discipline, accustoms to responsibility and improves understanding of cause-effect interactions.
Physical readiness of the child for school
Often poor performance is due to health problems, not lack of knowledge and laziness. There are many cases where children simply could not learn to read because of dyslexia , but teachers and parents ignored the disease. The determination of the child's readiness for school is carried out according to a set of standard features:
- sight and hearing are normal;
- advanced coordination and finger motor skills;
- correct spatial orientation;
- correct perception of surrounding phenomena and objects;
- interest in physical activity, sports activities.
Speech readiness of the child for school
The first class involves active communication of the child with teachers, coaches and peers. In order for the learning process to pass easily and comfortably, it is important to assess in advance the speech components of the child's readiness for school:
- possession of a vast vocabulary;
- the correct construction of proposals;
- knowledge of the basics of grammar;
- a coherent presentation of thoughts and facts;
- the ability to speak monologue, retell.
It is desirable that any speech defects be corrected with the help of a speech therapist and home lessons. Readiness of the child for school provides a normal pronunciation of all letters, their complex combinations. Otherwise, the kid may be embarrassed to speak out loud and read, communicate. Sometimes this leads to ridicule and harassment, a deterioration in self-esteem and severe psychological trauma.
Social readiness of the child for school
Systematic adaptation of children to stay in society begins at an early age, with contacts with relatives and in kindergarten. Thanks to regular socialization, the level of the child's readiness for school is constantly increasing and by the 7th year has reached satisfactory rates:
- polite communication with pedagogues and people who are older;
- conversations with peers;
- the ability to have friendly and friendly relations;
- teamwork;
- choice of position leader or slave;
- maintaining a conversation;
- Inclusion in the company;
- observance of priority;
- tactfulness and respect;
- compassion.
Motivational readiness of the child for school
The key to successful learning activity is the desire to receive new experience, knowledge and apply them. The readiness of children to learn at school is assessed depending on the described factor. To become a happy first-grader, the kid must:
- strive to acquire information;
- to be interested in the surrounding world;
- dream about a profession;
- think about your future.
Test for the readiness of the child for school
On the eve of Knowledge Day, children are invited to a preliminary interview. It is necessary for the teacher to get acquainted with the kids, find out their strengths and give valuable advice to parents, help improve the child's readiness for schooling. Tests provide an assessment of several indicators:
- psychological and emotional stability;
- social adaptation;
- intellectual development;
- personal abilities and motivation.
A basic check of the child's readiness for school can be conducted at home, if parents are interested in knowing the results in advance. The simplest psychological test:
- Draw a person. The image must be voluminous and detailed, proportional.
- Copy the inscription. Even if the kid does not know how to write well, under normal development he is able to "copy" letters.
- Display a set of points. Similarly, the inscription, the child should almost identical to repeat the picture, so that the number of elements exactly matched.
Evaluation of socialization:
- Carefully see how the preschooler behaves on a walk-whether he communicates with other children, whether he finds friends.
- Learn the attitude of the child to mature and elderly people. Is he inferior to a sitting place, does he follow the order?
- Offer the kid a team game. Such entertainment will show how he knows how to cooperate, what position he takes.
Intelligence check:
- Count from 0 to 10.
- Subtract, fold.
- Come up with a short story on the picture or describe what is happening on it.
- To name geometric figures.
- Read the paragraph.
- Lay out a square, a triangle of sticks (matches).
- Classify items by some characteristics (color, purpose, size).
- Choose a qualitative adjective for the noun.
- Name your name, address.
- Tell about the parents and the family.
About motivation and personal characteristics is easy to learn, if you just talk with the child. It is necessary to ask:
- whether he wants (and why) to study;
- who dreams of becoming in the future;
- what he wants to do in his spare time;
- what subjects would be his interests.
Problems of children's readiness for schooling
These difficulties arise if the baby categorically refuses to receive knowledge and does not want to become a first-grader. Even intellectual, social and psychoemotional readiness for schooling lose importance when the child does not have motivation. In such cases, it is important for parents to find out what causes a negative reaction.
Why does the child not want to go to school?
The problem under consideration is mainly in the fear and excitement of the baby before entering the educational institution. Often the child does not want to go to school because of the fleeting negative statements of relatives. Some phrases pronounced accidentally are postponed in memory and are badly reflected in the idea of learning:
- "No one will be nursing you at school";
- "With such knowledge will not be taken to the first class";
- "Everyone will laugh at you" and similar words.
The child is not ready for school - what to do?
If preliminary tests have shown the lack of the necessary level of knowledge, physical or psychoemotional development for admission to the first grade, you should immediately begin to cope with these difficulties. Any existing problems can be solved with the help of individual lessons with the baby, imitating schooling. Pedagogues and children's psychotherapists advise:
- Accustom the child to a constant regime of the day .
- More often praise him, do not punish for failure and not compare (negatively) with others.
- Daily learn new knowledge together, preferably in a game form.
- To support the child in different endeavors, to help him in choosing a hobby.
- To give time for physical activity.
- Provide freedom of action (within reasonable limits) for the development of independence, individual responsibility.
- Tell funny and good stories from your own childhood.
- Explain what benefits the child will receive when he becomes a first-grader.
- Buy personal supplies for writing and drawing. Organize a small individual workstation (desk or desk, chair).
- If necessary, refer to a narrow-profile specialists (psychologist, speech therapist and others).