Advice from a teacher-psychologist “Child adaptation in kindergarten”

Your child will soon start attending kindergarten, and you want him to quickly and painlessly get used to new events and people in his life? In this case, it will be useful for you to familiarize yourself with some simple recommendations that will facilitate a comfortable adaptation to kindergarten. So, what mistakes should you definitely avoid and how can you help your baby?

What is child adaptation

Adaptation

refers to the body's adaptation to a new environment. We are also talking about the child’s adaptation to kindergarten.

At first, such an institution for any child is an unknown and alien space, with new people and relationships. The process of addiction requires serious mental costs, often accompanied by tension and even exhaustion of physical and mental strength.

Some manifestations of the child’s mood during the days of adaptation cause anxiety in parents, causing them to doubt that he will be able to go through this period without a serious nervous breakdown. It is important to remember: behavioral features that often worry parents are often typical when adapting to kindergarten.

Almost all mothers, faced with changes in the behavior of their little daughter or son, come to the conclusion that kindergarten is “not for us.” It seems to parents that other members of the group did not experience similar symptoms, or that they were not so pronounced. This is wrong. Adaptation is characterized by various negative manifestations that occur at all levels. Once in an unusual environment, a baby almost always experiences nervous stress, which is especially pronounced in the first days. Let's take a closer look at the most common symptoms of this difficult period and find out how long it lasts.

Tips for parents

Listed below are useful practical recommendations on individual stages of a child’s adaptation to future entry into kindergarten.

Developing independence

Before entering kindergarten, the child must have at least basic self-care skills - we are not talking about full independence at such a young age. The recommended minimum includes:

• Ability to ask and go to the toilet. It is advisable to at least train your child to use the potty, and also to communicate in a timely manner about the desire to go for a minor or major need. For nurseries and the very elementary group of preschool educational institutions, this is usually sufficient;
• Dressing and undressing. The child must be able to take off his clothes/shoes and put them on. Start mastering this skill in a playful way, help only if the child cannot cope with the process for a long period of time, but do not do everything for him - he should take at least minimal participation in the event. To facilitate this process, choose the simplest things without a lot of buttons and fasteners that fit freely on the baby. Dress for kindergarten only according to the weather;
• Eating food. The child must be able to use a fork, spoon and plates - supplementary feeding is not practiced in the kindergarten (unless it is a specialized nursery for children over 1 year old). Try to teach him to be neat, and also adapt his daily diet as much as possible to the standard preschool menu so that your baby does not refuse unfamiliar food;
• Personal hygiene. Another mandatory point is the ability to wash your hands, feet, dry yourself, and wash your face. The basic rules of personal hygiene should be instilled from early childhood, in parallel with the other above-mentioned activities. Show in practice how to do it correctly, use educational books or cartoons.

Protecting against infections in kindergarten

A typical problem in the first year of kindergarten is the child’s frequent illnesses. Various infections do not allow the child to be constantly present in the group; often the number of days missed due to illness can be calculated in weeks or even months.

It should be understood that this process is natural - the child comes into contact with other children, constantly being in close contact with classmates. Immunity gradually develops protection against most classic childhood diseases. How to make this process easier and hurt less?

• Correct selection of clothes. The child should not be overcooled, but also not overheated both in the group and on the street during walks. Dress it solely according to the weather (focusing on yourself +1 additional layer), as well as the current temperature conditions in the group itself - often in winter the heat in the premises of preschool educational institutions is very high, and in spring or autumn, on the contrary, it is quite cool;
• Balanced diet. The baby must consume sufficient quantities of vegetables, fruits, meat, fish and other healthy foods in order to develop harmoniously physically and support the immune system with a natural supply of essential vitamins and microelements;
• Hardening. Regular walks in the fresh air, airing rooms and other activities will help the thermoregulatory mechanisms of the baby’s body work correctly;
• Timely consultation with a doctor. Even with minor signs of illness, you should immediately contact your pediatrician - proper treatment will reduce the risk of complications;
• Additional measures. During mass epidemics, you can give your child special vitamin-mineral complexes and provide preventive support with antiviral agents and interferons.

Adaptation period

There are several degrees of child adaptation in kindergarten.

Mild degree

Usually lasts up to a week. This is a fairly short period, characterized by the baby’s poor sleep, loss of appetite, and reluctance to play with other babies. Gradually everything returns to normal, complete adaptation to the new conditions begins. By the end of the first week, appetite returns to its previous level, and sleep patterns take a little longer to recover. Speech inhibition may occur. Usually this degree of adaptation is not accompanied by sudden illnesses.

Average degree

Lasts from a week to a month. The baby’s emotional state returns to normal more slowly than with a mild form. In the first month, illnesses begin to appear: usually in the form of acute respiratory infections. The disease lasts about a week and ends without complications. It takes a month or a little more to restore your appetite. The emotional background is unstable, the mood often changes. During the day there is tearfulness. In relationships with close people, the child is emotionally excited: when parting and meeting, he cries or screams. The attitude towards peers is often indifferent, but they can also show interest. Speech activity slows down.

Characteristic external manifestations:

• red cheeks or paleness;
• dark circles under the eyes;
• sweating;
• diathesis.

These symptoms last for about 2 weeks. Feeling the emotional support of a loved one, the child begins to show cognitive activity and adapts faster.

Severe degree

The most difficult degree of adaptation of a child is in kindergarten, lasting 1-2 months (or more). The baby's emotional state is recovering very slowly. A preschooler can suffer from several diseases that come with complications.

Severe degree is characterized by persistent behavioral disturbances:

1. Sleep is intermittent, restless.
2. The baby may wake up crying or scream in his sleep.
3. Appetite practically disappears - sometimes to the point of refusing to eat.
4. Neurotic vomiting is possible.

The child consciously and unconsciously tries to get out of the situation, and all his emotions are directed towards this: screaming, crying, aggression. An active motor process or lack of activity may be observed with obvious negative emotions (depression, passive submission, quiet crying, tension). The child tries to avoid his peers and may become aggressive. Refuses to play games.

Consultation with a psychologist

Before entering kindergarten, the child must undergo a comprehensive medical examination. One of his points is to visit a psychologist. Why is it necessary?

A qualified specialist conducts a 15–20 minute conversation with the baby and parents to determine the child’s readiness to enter kindergarten. This event takes the form of a game; a specialized doctor evaluates the child’s behavior, his psychomotor reactions and other characteristics, and conducts express screening.

At the end of the medical examination, the psychologist can give his recommendation on the advisability of visiting a preschool institution. It should be understood that the record made by a psychologist is in no way a prescription (the decision on the possibility or impossibility of visiting a preschool educational institution in controversial cases is made by the medical commission), but it allows parents to pay attention to individual problems in the upbringing, development, and speech therapy of the child.

What factors influence a child’s adaptation?

There are many important factors that influence adaptation to kindergarten:

• The state of the child's health and level of development
  . A well-developed and almost disease-free preschooler copes more easily with the difficulties of social adaptation.
• Presence of favorite games or subject activities
  . This helps to engage him in relevant activities.
• Age
  . Adaptation is more difficult in children under two years of age. Having crossed this line, they more easily adapt to new conditions. There is a simple explanation for this: as children grow up, they become more inquisitive and gain more experience in how to behave in different situations.
• Personality traits
  . Children of the same age category may behave differently during the adaptation period. Some may fall into a stressful state, ceasing to show interest in the world around them or showing obvious protest. However, a short period passes, and behavior returns to normal: appetite, sleep, and mood return. Other children may not outwardly show their anxiety for the first few days, but after a few days their tension spills out: their mood worsens, they do not want to part with their parents. This category of children requires the help of loved ones and a teacher. Be careful: subordinate reactions can last a long time, resulting in serious illnesses.
• Gender
  . Adaptation is more difficult for boys, since in preschool age they are more attached to their parents, and it is difficult to bear parting with them.
• Family and living conditions
  . We are talking about creating a regime for the baby in accordance with his individual characteristics and age, developing skills and abilities. If the family does not create the right conditions for the child’s development, without teaching him basic skills, then it will not be easy for him to get used to kindergarten. Adaptation is not easy for only children in the family, especially if they are overprotected and dependent on their mother or father.

Causes of difficult adaptation

Let us highlight separately the reasons why adaptation is difficult:

• The absence of a regime at home that coincides with that established in kindergarten.
• Inability to occupy oneself independently.
• Having specific habits.
• Lack of basic skills.
• Lack of experience communicating with an unfamiliar environment.

Factors indicating the end of the adaptation period

There are factors characteristic of completing adaptation to kindergarten:

• A good appetite.
• Deep sleep.
• Cheerfulness and good mood.
• Restoration of previously acquired skills, vigor.
• Age-appropriate weight gain.

Stages of physiological and psychological adaptation to new conditions and rules

Finding himself in new conditions, the baby must adapt not only emotionally, but also physically. A small organism adapts to a new environment . Physiological adaptation is divided into the following stages:

1. Acute adaptation. During this period, the small organism reacts painfully to the new environment. All vital systems are in tension. As a result, many children become ill during this period.
2. Unstable device. The body is still weakened, but is already reacting normally to environmental conditions.
3. Stable fixture. The child’s body returns to the same state as before the first visit to kindergarten.

During the period of acute adaptation, a decrease in immunity often occurs and the baby may get sick

The stronger the baby’s immune system, the easier it will be to survive adaptation to new conditions. In this case, the age of the child does not matter . Children who regularly spend time in the fresh air, eat well and communicate with peers often begin adaptation to preschool immediately from the second stage.

Psychological adaptation is also important, which implies the child’s adaptation to the requirements existing in the new team. The process will include:

• getting used to the daily routine;
• establishing contact with teachers and children's staff;
• adoption of new “collective” rules.

Most children behave warily in the first days and do not want to play with classmates or communicate with teachers. But very little time passes, and the baby already feels at home.

Statistics indicate that a child’s psychological adaptation lasts an average of three weeks.

Negative reactions of children: main stages of adaptation

It is important to understand all the critical points that make it difficult to adapt to kindergarten.

Let us highlight the main ones:

• Early rise
  . For children whose daily routine was rarely regulated before, waking up at 7:30 (or even earlier) can become seriously stressful. To mitigate this negative factor for adaptation, a couple of weeks before visits to kindergarten, start waking up your baby earlier, accustoming him to the new routine. In kindergarten, also wake him up a little earlier than necessary, so that he can collect his thoughts for 10-15 minutes, lounging in bed, gradually moving from sleep to full awakening.
• Daytime sleep
  . To make it easier for a preschooler to adapt to kindergarten, do not ignore this aspect. Is your child used to falling asleep with a soft toy? Let him take her to the garden first. You can also buy fun pajamas for sleeping in the garden that your son or daughter will love.
• Lunch without the company of mom or dad
  . Feeding children causes many adaptation problems. Some refuse food that differs in taste from homemade, others simply do not want to have dinner without their mother.
• Getting used to the regime
  . Do you want the adaptation to be smoother? Find out in advance the schedule of the selected kindergarten. In a month or two, begin introducing the regime at home. Do this not abruptly, but gradually. In preschool age, it is recommended that a child sleep about 2-3 hours during the day and 10 hours at night. For comfortable adaptation to kindergarten, bedtime should begin as early as 21:00.
• Full-day stay in kindergarten
  . It is recommended to attend kindergarten before bedtime for the first week. In the second week you can stay until afternoon tea. It is advisable to stay full-time after a month of visits. Of course, these norms are quite individual. If adaptation is severe, pick up your child earlier. For any degree of adaptation, it is not recommended to pick up the baby last - children have a hard time experiencing this either consciously or subconsciously. Try not to allow the child to be left alone after all the children have been picked up by their parents.
• Contacts with unfamiliar children
  . Often in modern families there is only one child, and he rarely has the opportunity to establish relationships with peers. Usually, intersections with them occur only in the clinic, on the playground or at a party. Result: the child is not accustomed to contact with other children. Observe how he interacts with others. An extroverted child quickly makes contact and actively communicates with others - in this case, adaptation will be easier. A young introvert is usually shy and very obedient, so he will likely have difficulty communicating with more aggressive or active peers.
• Contact with the teacher
  . Undoubtedly, the teacher is an important figure in the process of getting used to kindergarten. Experience and communication skills allow him to correctly assess the psychological state of a preschooler and prevent various problems. If you have the opportunity to meet the teacher in advance, you will probably immediately determine how comfortable your son or daughter will be with such a person. Tell him about the child’s individual characteristics, his preferences, and concerns. Condemn all stages of adaptation.

Pros and cons of home education

Unlike national compulsory school education, attending kindergarten is voluntary, which gives parents the potential opportunity for alternative home education for their child as a replacement for preschool education. What are the main pros and cons of this event?

Advantages:

• The child is under constant parental control and is less exposed to various stresses;
• The baby has a free daily schedule - he wakes up when he wants, eats homemade food not according to a strict schedule, but when the parents decide;
• Potential for more in-depth development. If one of the parents is constantly at home and has the appropriate skills, he can better develop the child’s individual abilities (for example, a love of music, sports endeavors, and so on);
• Reducing the risk of widespread infectious diseases. Since the child is not constantly present in a group with a large number of children, he will be less likely to be at risk of contracting infectious diseases.

Flaws:

• Lack of full integration into society. Even long walks and games on playgrounds, as well as visits to special institutions for the early development of children, cannot fully replace regular presence in a group of peers, where social norms of behavior, interaction with each other, and the ability to respond correctly to various life situations are developed;
• Lack of a standardized educational process. Unfortunately, in most domestic families where the child does not attend preschool educational institutions, the educational process as such is absent for various reasons (large families, various life situations), as a result, the child is left to his own devices and does not receive a guaranteed preschool educational minimum. This problem will “come back to haunt” already in the first grade - a lack of discipline, a lack of understanding of the role of the teacher as the main mentor who replaced the teacher, non-compliance with the set of rules of the educational institution, and so on;
• Potential health risks in the medium term. If a child does not attend a preschool educational institution before school, then he has less contact with various infections, including rarely suffering from classic “childhood” diseases. However, this fact makes itself felt later - the immune system does not develop sufficiently extensive immune protection against such problems and the child, having already been placed in school society, begins to get sick more often than his peers.

How parents can help their child during the adaptation period

Parental help can be called fundamental in adaptation.

General recommendations:

1. Make sure your child acquires simple skills (the ability to use a spoon, ask to go potty, get dressed, communicate with others, use a handkerchief, express requests in words or gestures).
2. Don't discuss your experiences in front of your child.
3. Dress your baby according to the season. Shoes and clothing should not create difficulties for him. Choose shoes not with laces, but with Velcro, and clothes with snaps, not buttons.
4. Study the kindergarten routine in advance. Follow it every day (on weekends too).
5. Too frequent visits to public organizations (performances, clubs) in combination with many intellectual activities at home can overload the baby’s nervous system.
6. Often discuss with your preschooler how useful kindergarten is, and how important it is for him to go there (put dolls to bed, water flowers, play with soft toys).
7. Regularly check the contents of your baby’s pockets to make sure there are no piercing, small or sharp objects in them.
8. When meeting with the teacher, tell him about the baby’s mood and health. Be interested in how he behaves in kindergarten.
9. Do not give your child too expensive toys, and if this happens and the baby does not keep track of the thing, do not be too strict with him.
10. Plan your own schedule so that in the first month of being in kindergarten, the preschooler is not there until the end of the day, and can quickly find himself in familiar home conditions.
11. Teach your son or daughter to communicate with other people. Go on a visit or visit crowded playgrounds more often.
12. Only healthy children are allowed to attend kindergarten. Remember about the prevention of acute respiratory viral infections and acute respiratory infections.

If you have come to the conclusion that your child feels the need for contact with familiar adults and is not afraid of strangers, then this is a good sign. If he strives for independence, willingly engages in games, has some self-service skills, is friendly and open, then he is probably ready for kindergarten.

The main mistakes of parents

Many parents make mistakes that interfere with their adaptation to kindergarten. So, let's look at the most common misconceptions:

“The sooner you send your child to a nursery (a year or two), the sooner he adapts

If possible, it is better to abandon the nursery unless there is an urgent need for it. For children under three years of age (some longer), it is important to feel connected to their family and preferably spend most of the day in their home. During this period, his emotional connection with his mother and father is especially strong; it builds self-confidence in the child and provides a sense of security. Also, many physiological and psychological needs can only be “closed” by a mother or father. It has been noticed that children who were at an early age not in a nursery, but with their mother, are more emotionally stable.

Experts involved in preschool development have come to the conclusion that in recent years, preschoolers have often experienced developmental difficulties, so at an early age it is better to be under the supervision and care of their mother. This does not exclude joint attendance at play sessions for early development, which will be the first step towards socialization.

“A three-year-old child can stay in kindergarten all day.”

Kindergartens mainly accept children from the age of three. However, not every 3-year-old preschooler has such readiness, especially when it comes to staying full-time. Some people manage to adapt at three years old, others at four, and still others at five cannot easily tolerate separation from mom or dad. An adapted child goes to kindergarten with desire and says goodbye to his mother without crying or suffering.

Girls manage to get used to new people and routines faster, and this is easier for them at 3-4 years old than for boys, who adapt much more slowly. Boys are more emotionally attached to their parents and have a harder time being separated, even for a few hours. Focus on the baby’s condition and analyze it.

“You need to go to kindergarten in the fall”

More often, children are brought to kindergarten in September, but a more favorable time for adaptation is the end of spring and summer. During this period, the cognitive cycle usually ends, children walk more and do creative work. Daylight hours are becoming longer, brighter and warmer. Waking up in the morning is easier.

Autumn can hardly be called a good time for adaptation. At first, it is important for the baby to observe the slowness of the processes in order to be able to look around and get used to it. It is easier to do this in the summer, when there are fewer children in the kindergarten, and teachers have finished with the main educational programs and devote more time to role-playing games.

Let us note other difficulties that appear in the spring:

• The baby gets tired faster and finds it more difficult to concentrate.
• There is a decrease in emotional background due to lack of sunlight, gloomy weather, and early sunset.

“In a week you can get used to kindergarten”

For some children this is possible, but not for all. During the first month, it is advisable not to leave the baby all day. One to two weeks is an adjustment period for an emotionally stable child of 5-6 years old or for someone who has already attended kindergarten. Girls manage to get used to it faster, boys usually need at least a month. As already mentioned, for the first week it is advisable for the baby to spend time in the garden before lunch, then until afternoon tea, and only after a month try a full stay.

It happens that the child immediately stays for a full day, without expressing any special signs of anxiety or discomfort, but after 1-2 months mental overstrain begins to appear (obsessive movements, tics, enuresis, loss of appetite, viral diseases). The described factors indicate a high workload that was beyond the strength of a preschooler.

Reviews from mothers about their children’s experience of getting used to kindergarten

The main problem of adaptation is that they are all roaring while looking at each other. So if you are worried, don’t go for the first 2 months, then come back when everyone has adapted, and it will be easier for her. But this is a little selfish. My son cried for 2 weeks precisely when he came to the garden and saw the roaring children. Well, they brought him gifts every day, all sorts of little things, and that’s how they persuaded him. And he is cunning, now he always demands a gift.

Lenka

https://www.babyblog.ru/community/post/school/1693370

We went to 1.8, it took about a week to adapt. In general, everything was simpler than I thought. But the child is very sociable and easily finds contact with people.

Avina

Read also:  How to forget your first love: effective methods and recommendations from psychologists

https://www.u-mama.ru/forum/kids/kindergarten/315104/index.html

Just in the summer we went to a part-time group. I picked it up early at first - we walked a lot after kindergarten, there were very few children in kindergarten - the children were not deprived of attention, everyone quickly became friends. We ate a lot of fruit, went to nature, and didn’t get sick at all...

StiX

https://www.u-mama.ru/forum/kids/kindergarten/315104/index.html

I sent mine to kindergarten at the age of 4, before that I was caring for my grandmother. I didn’t want to go until I transferred to another group. So she never missed a day! She asked for it herself. Children don't always say what they don't like. Our first teacher, by the way, was later fired.

Aspeg

https://otvet.mail.ru/question/15952130

Children are all different. When I took my eldest son to kindergarten, he screamed like a fool. So we cried for a month and did not go to kindergarten. But there were no problems with the younger one, they came, left and went. The teacher told us to come at lunch, but I told her, if she cries, call me and I’ll pick you up. But nothing of the kind happened. That's it. In general, it seems to me that it depends on the teacher - I can say that for sure.

Elmira Tazhieva

https://new.vk.com/topic-31927034_28349445

For a month they went until lunch, then for a week she took her away after sleep, then she started leaving her for the whole day. Adaptation was difficult, I would even say hellish. The child cried during parting, but after 10 minutes he calmed down.

Frosia B

https://forum.littleone.ru/showthread.php?t=6181670

Adaptation of a child to kindergarten: advice from a psychologist

Usually adaptation is accompanied by stress, and parents can help the child cope with it.

So what are the ways to do this?

• Try to understand what aspects interfere with comfortable adaptation
  . The problem lies on the surface: just ask the child directly. It also happens that parents have to face a number of hidden difficulties. If adaptation is delayed, you need to consult a psychologist.
• It is important to be aware of what emotions a child may have during the adaptation period in order to neutralize negative ones and enhance positive ones
  . Among the negative ones, the most clearly expressed are: anger, resentment, fear. Among the positive ones: curiosity, satisfaction with a sense of independence.
• In the first weeks, it is advisable to limit the child's stay in the garden to three hours
  . Increase the interval slowly. Always tell your child when you are coming so that he does not feel abandoned. Do not show anxiety when saying goodbye: it will be transmitted doubly. Be relaxed, joke around.
• Let your child take his favorite toys to the garden
  . With their help, he will feel connected to home. Another trick can help: let him not be taken to the garden by his mother or father, but by another family member to whom he is not so strongly attached. In this case, the first minutes in the group will not be as painful as after parting with your mother.
• Experience a new period for him with your baby
  . Ask about details of the past day. You should be interested in everything: who he played with, what he learned, what he liked and what he was dissatisfied with. It is important for the child to feel your attention and support. He should not have the feeling that he is left to his own devices.
• Shortly before bed, talk to your child about plans for tomorrow
  . Remind him that tomorrow he will go to kindergarten again, cheer him up, give him the task of playing with some kind of kindergarten toy, or give him another “task” that he should complete in the garden.

Children 4-5 years old

It is psychologically easier to prepare a 4-5 year old child for attending kindergarten. When teaching a child, it would not be superfluous to say that the teacher knows better how to do this and that. This will help the child remember the positive moments of his stay in kindergarten.

With a child who is not adapting well to kindergarten, you need to agree on the time when he will be taken home. The promise to pick up immediately after sleep or afternoon snack must be fulfilled. If the mother cannot pick up the baby at the promised time, the grandmother, older brother, sister or father can do this.

For some children, crying in the garden is a method of manipulation. The child must learn that crying is not a prerequisite for being at home immediately.