The beginning of the school year including contractions words is not an easy time: it is difficult to get back into a busy rhythm and intensive communication, you need to build relationships with your classmates and teachers. And first graders are unfamiliar with everything, and the unknown generates fear and strengthens insecurity. How can parents support their students and reduce the stress of adaptation?
Love and Peace of Mind
A supportive and friendly family environment – the main thing that your child needs, especially during a difficult period of getting used to school after the summer. If school progress is in the first place, and parents are nervous and angry about grades, homework, dirty school uniform, if they scold for mistakes, forgotten items or being late, it does not help to solve problems and does not improve performance, but only creates fear and discourages learning. In addition, children unconsciously adopt the mood and behavior patterns of their parents. Therefore adults should first assess their own emotional state.
Try to be calm and encourage the child instead of scolding. Humor and adjectives that start with i is very supportive and inspiring, but not irony, which can offend. Mockery and criticism do not motivate children to achieve, but lower their self-esteem. Show respect and unconditional love – hug your child as often as possible and tell him that you love him not for his good grades or achievements, but just so, always. So that the schoolchild was not afraid to go home even with a bad grade or mark in the diary, and knew that his home – a fortress, where they love and always support, where you can relax and rest after the school day, and then quietly go to school.
Encourage independence
The school years are a time of growth, when the child learns independence, when he develops an attitude toward life and ways of action in different situations. During this time it’s important to be there and gently guide without stifling your child’s initiative. Explain to the child that the results of his studies depend only on him, on his efforts and perseverance. Tell him that at school there can be difficulties and mistakes, you don’t have to be afraid of it – you need to act, and gradually what he does will get better and better.
The task of parents is to provide a comfortable workplace and help establish a daily learning process. Show in detail what to do – how to hang up the form in the closet, put in order on the table, how to have lunch at home after school, how to properly assemble a bag. Carefully study with your child the route from home to school and discuss safety issues.
Praise your child for what he or she is doing, even if it’s not perfect! And do not force them to redo it (including homework) – it is better to delicately advise how to do it better next time.
Regime – it’s important.
Start the day with a quiet morning routine – it is important that there is enough time for them. Of course, everyone knows that it is better not to leave the lessons for late evening, even if the child has not had time for something – do not encourage him to sit up until night for fear of a bad grade. Pay attention to nutrition. Tell the schoolchild that a healthy, balanced diet increases mental ability and stress resistance, and that these products are rich in vitamins and minerals.
Since learning is the schoolboy’s area of responsibility, you don’t need to control his every move, sit next to him and do his homework. You don’t have to be nervous and find out for your child what’s assigned, if he/she didn’t write it down at the lesson – calmly advise him/her to find out from the classmates himself. At the same time it is useful to show how to get the necessary information for school – educational platforms and educational sites, dictionaries, directories, encyclopedias.
Family Communication
Agree with the schoolchild that every evening you will analyze together the events of the past day. Listen carefully, don’t interrupt and don’t criticize, it hurts trust. Notice changes in the mood, try to understand your son or daughter’s feelings, because what seems elementary to adults is very difficult for children. Recall the difficulties you faced as a child, what helped you overcome them, what made you happy at school, and share these memories with your child.
It is important for young students to learn how to communicate with their peers and teachers, how to ask for help and support others, how to assert their point of view, and at the same time, how to respect the opinions of others. Discuss these topics in situations that arise at school and, of course, build respectful relationships within the family, because if your child’s opinions are not taken into account at home, how will he or she learn to defend his or her position and respect what others think? Play difficult situations with your child, make examples of dialogues. If any communication or learning problems recur regularly, it’s worth talking to the teacher about it and considering seeing a child psychologist.
Spend as much time as possible with the whole family – it energizes both children and adults. But it is better to limit clubs and additional activities in September and October, so that the child first adapts to school.
