Social adaptation of a first-grader to school. How to help your child adapt to school. What parents can do

The beginning of autumn for many parents was marked by a solemn event: the baby went to first grade. Usually, both children and parents prepare for this long and hard: they attend training courses and classes, undergo diagnostics for psychological readiness for school. However, still the transition from to school life going to school does not always go smoothly, as it is accompanied by psychological and social problems. A first-grader has a new daily routine and responsibilities, which often causes fatigue, irritability, moodiness, and disobedience. It is impossible to say for sure how long this difficult period will last; it is individual for each family. The family should have an atmosphere that will help the child to integrate into school life as comfortably as possible, succeeding in the field of knowledge. After all, if you don’t support a first-grader in time, the negativity of the first difficulties at school can develop into a persistent dislike for learning. How to help a little student get used to school as quickly as possible, read this article.

Adaptation to school

Adaptation to school is the child’s transition to systematic schooling and his adaptation to school conditions. Every first grader experiences this period in his own way. Before school, most children attended kindergarten, where every day was filled with games and play activities, walks, and naps and a leisurely daily routine kept the kids from getting tired. Everything is different at school: new requirements, intensive regime, the need to keep up with everything. How to adapt to them? This requires effort and time, and most importantly, parents’ understanding that this is necessary.

It is generally accepted that the adaptation of a first-grader lasts from the first 10-15 days to several months. This is influenced by many factors, such as the specifics of the school, and its level of preparedness for school, the volume of workload and the level of complexity of the educational process, and others. And here you cannot do without the help of a teacher and relatives: parents and grandparents.

Difficulties

Teach your child the rules of communication with classmates. Explain how important it is to be polite and attentive to your peers - and communication at school will only be a joy.

Psychological

For successful psychological adaptation A friendly and calm atmosphere in the family is important. Don't forget to relax, play calm games, and go for a walk.

1. Create an atmosphere of well-being in your family. Love the child.
2. Build high self-esteem in your child.
3. Don't forget that your child is an asset to his parents.
4. Take an interest in school, ask your child about the events of each day.
5. Spend time with your child after school day.
6. Do not allow physical pressure on the child.
7. Consider the character and temperament of the child - only an individual approach. Observe what he can do better and faster, and where he should provide help and suggest.
8. Give the first grader independence in organizing his own educational activities. Control appropriately.
9. Encourage the student for various successes - not just academic ones. Encourage him to achieve his goals.

Physiological

During the period of adaptation to school, the child’s body is exposed to stress. Medical statistics show that among first-graders there are always children who lose weight after barely completing the first quarter of school; some children have low blood pressure, and some have high blood pressure. Headaches, moodiness, neurotic conditions are not a complete list of physiological problems that can happen to your child.

Before you reproach your child for being lazy and shirking his educational duties, remember what health problems he has. Nothing complicated - just be attentive to your baby.

What advice should you give to parents of a first-grader from a physiological point of view?

1. Form a daily routine for a first-grader that is different from the daily routine of a preschooler, gradually.
2. Make it a habit to monitor changes in activities at home.
3. Don't forget about regular physical education when doing homework.
4. Follow correct posture student.
5. Properly light the place where your child does his homework.
6. Follow proper nutrition first grader. On the recommendation of a doctor, give vitamin preparations.
7. Activate your child's motor activity.
8. Follow the rules of healthy sleep for your child - at least 9.5 hours.
9. Limit watching TV shows and playing games on the computer.
10. Nurture your child's will and independence.

"This is interesting! The norm for completing homework with a first grader is 40 minutes.”

Social

Children who have not attended kindergarten may encounter problems communicating with classmates. In kindergarten, a child goes through a process of socialization, where he acquires communication skills and ways to build relationships in a team. At school, the teacher does not always pay attention to this. This is why your child will again need the help of his parents.

Be attentive to your child’s messages about his relationships with classmates. Try to help with good advice, look for the answer in psychological and pedagogical literature. Try to tell him how to overcome the conflict situation. Support the parents of those children with whom your child has developed a relationship. Report alarming situations to your teacher. Remember how important it is to protect your own child, as well as teach him to overcome obstacles on his own.

Teach your child to be an individual: to have his own opinion, prove it, but be tolerant of the opinions of others.

“The golden rule of education. A child needs love most at the time when he least deserves it.”

So, if you have become a happy parent of a first-grader, then simple tips will help you on how to easily survive such a crucial moment as adaptation to school:

Do not ignore such a crucial moment as the beginning of school life. Help your child overcome the period of adaptation to school, support him, provide the necessary conditions living and studying and you will see with what ease he will learn and how his abilities will reveal themselves.

Adaptation of first-graders to school.

First year of school - an extremely difficult, turning point period in a child’s life. His place in the system of social relations changes, his entire way of life changes, and his psycho-emotional stress increases. Carefree games are replaced by daily learning activities. They require intense mental work from the child, increased attention, concentrated work in lessons and a relatively motionless body position, maintaining the correct working posture. It is known that for a child of six or seven years old this so-called static load is very difficult. Lessons at school, as well as the passion of many first-graders for television programs, sometimes music and foreign language classes, lead to the fact that the child’s physical activity becomes half as much as it was before entering school. The need for movement remains great.

A child coming to school for the first time will be greeted new team children and adults. He needs to establish contacts with peers and teachers, learn to fulfill the requirements of school discipline, new responsibilities associated with academic work. Experience shows that not all children are ready for this. Some first-graders, even with a high level of intellectual development, find it difficult to bear the workload that schooling requires. Psychologists point out that for many first-graders, and especially six-year-olds, social adaptation is difficult, since a personality capable of obeying has not yet been formed. school regime, learn school norms of behavior, recognize school responsibilities. At the same time, it is in the 1st grade that the foundation of the child’s attitude towards school and learning is laid. In order for children to most safely pass this stage of their lives, their parents need to know and daily take into account the peculiarities of the mental and physiological state of children that arise when they begin school.

From the first days of school, the child faces a number of tasks that require the mobilization of his intellectual and physical strength. Many aspects of the educational process present difficulties for children. It is difficult for them to sit through a lesson in the same position, it is difficult not to be distracted and follow the teacher’s thoughts, it is difficult to do all the time not what they want, but what is required of them, it is difficult to restrain and not express out loud their thoughts and emotions that appear in abundance. In addition, children do not immediately learn new rules of behavior with adults, do not immediately recognize the teacher’s position and establish a distance in relations with him and other adults at school.

Therefore, it takes time for adaptation to school to occur, for the child to get used to new conditions and learn to meet new requirements.First 2-3 months after the start of training are the most difficult, the child gets used to a new way of life, to the rules of the school, to a new daily routine. The situation of novelty is to a certain extent alarming for any person. The child experiences emotional discomfort primarily due to the uncertainty of ideas about the requirements of teachers, about the characteristics and conditions of learning, about the values ​​and norms of behavior in the class team, etc. This state can be called a state of internal tension, wariness, and anxiety. Such psychological stress, if long enough, can lead to school maladjustment: the child becomes undisciplined, inattentive, irresponsible, lags behind in school, gets tired quickly and simply does not want to go to school. Weak children (and, unfortunately, there are more and more of them from year to year) are the most susceptible to maladjustment. Some first-graders become very noisy, loud, distracted in class, and capricious. Others become very constrained, timid, try to remain inconspicuous, do not listen when adults address them, and cry at the slightest failure or remark. In some children, sleep and appetite may be disturbed, sometimes the temperature rises, and chronic diseases become worse. There may be an interest in toys, games, and books for very young children.

No matter how it starts academic year at school, the adaptation process is going on one way or another. The only question is how long it will take the child and the teacher to complete it and how effective this process will be. According to statistics, half of the children in the class adapt in the first half of the year; the second half require more time to get used to the new school life. Much depends on the individual characteristics of the child, whether he was psychologically ready for schooling, and it also depends on the state of the child’s health and the level of his physiological development. Adaptation to school is a multifaceted process. Its components are physiological adaptation and socio-psychological adaptation (to teachers and their demands, to classmates).

Physiological adaptation.

Getting used to new conditions and requirements, the child’s body goes through several stages:

1) The first 2-3 weeks of training are called a “physiological storm”. During this period, the child’s body responds to all new influences with significant tension in almost all of its systems, that is, children spend a significant part of their body’s resources. This explains the fact that in September many first-graders get sick.

2) The next stage of adaptation is unstable adaptation. The child’s body finds acceptable, close to optimal responses to new conditions.

3) After this, a period of relatively stable adaptation begins. The body reacts to stress with less stress.

Many parents and teachers tend to underestimate the complexity of the period of physiological adaptation of first-graders. However, according to medical observations, some children lose weight by the end of the 1st quarter, many experience a decrease in blood pressure (which is a sign of fatigue), and some experience a significant increase (a sign of fatigue). It is not surprising that many first-graders complain of headaches, fatigue and other ailments in the 1st quarter. Manifestations of difficulties of adaptation and overstrain of the body can also be the capriciousness of children at home and a decrease in the ability to self-regulate behavior.

Socio-psychological adaptation.

Regardless of when a child starts school, he goes through a special stage of his development - the crisis of 7 (6) years.

The social status of the former child changes - a new social role “student” appears. This can be considered the birth of the child’s social “I”.

A change in the external position entails a change in the self-awareness of the 1st grade student, and a reassessment of values ​​occurs. What was important before becomes secondary, and what is relevant to learning becomes more valuable.

During the period of 6-7 years serious changes occur in the child’s emotional sphere. In preschool childhood, when faced with failures or receiving unflattering comments about his appearance, the child, of course, felt resentment or annoyance, but this did not dramatically affect the development of his personality as a whole. During the crisis period of 7 (6) years, the child’s intellectual development, his developed ability to generalize, entail a generalization of experiences. Thus, a chain of failures (in studies, in communication) can lead to the formation of a stable inferiority complex. Such “acquisition” at the age of 6-7 has the most negative impact on the development of the child’s self-esteem and the level of his aspirations.

This feature of the psyche of children is taken into account in school education - the first year of school is non-evaluative, that is, when assessing the work of students, grades are not used, more emphasis is placed on qualitative analysis their activities. Parents should also take into account the generalization of experiences when communicating with their son or daughter: notice all the slightest achievements of the child, evaluate not the child, but his actions, talking about failures, note that all this is temporary, support the child’s activity in overcoming various difficulties. To optimize the adaptation period of first-graders, they need to be helped to get to know each other, with teachers, with the new learning situation, with the school and school rules.

It is especially important for parents of first-graders:

help the child get used to the position of a schoolchild (therefore it is important to show the difference: a schoolboy is not a schoolchild). To form a “student’s internal position,” which is a fusion of cognitive needs and the need to communicate with adults at a new level. To do this, you need to talk with your child about why you need to study, what school is, what rules exist at school. It is very important for a first-grader to feel accepted into the school family. For successful schooling, the child must be sufficiently confident in himself, in his strengths, his capabilities and abilities. A positive image of himself as a schoolchild will give him the opportunity to better adapt to changing living conditions and firmly take the position of a schoolchild, and will also form an emotionally positive attitude towards school;

build a schoolchild's daily routine. Create a school day routine with justification for its sequence;

introduce the concept of assessment, self-esteem and its various criteria: correctness, accuracy, beauty, diligence, interest and develop together with the child ways how all this can be achieved.

teach the child to ask a question (not so much in a procedural sense, but in the sense of determination);

develop in children the ability to control their emotions, that is, the development of arbitrary behavior. The student must be able to consciously subordinate his actions to the rule, listen carefully and accurately carry out the task proposed orally and according to a visually perceived model. They can help him with this didactic games and games according to the rules. Many children can only come to an understanding of many school tasks through play.

develop learning motivation. Educational motivation consists of cognitive and social motives for learning, as well as motives for achievement.

develop communication skills. Communication skills will allow you to act adequately in collective learning activities. Mastering methods of educational activity requires students to be able to look at themselves and their actions from the outside, to objectively evaluate themselves and other participants in joint collective activities. You should not be surprised if, after some time, parents of children who have not had varied experience communicating with their peers are faced with their reluctance to go to school, as well as complaints that everyone is offended by them, no one listens, the teacher does not like them, etc. n. It is necessary to learn to respond adequately to such complaints. First of all, show your child that you understand him, sympathize with him, without blaming anyone. When he calms down, try to analyze the causes and consequences of the current situation together, and discuss how to behave in the future in a similar case. Then you can move on to discussing how you can improve the situation now, what steps to take to make friends and win the sympathy of your classmates. It is necessary to support the child in his attempts to cope with the difficulties that have arisen, to continue going to school, and to show sincere faith in his capabilities.

Signs of successful adaptation:

Firstly, it is the child’s satisfaction with the learning process. He enjoys school and has no insecurities or fears. The second sign is how easily the child copes with the program. If the school is regular and the program is traditional, and the child is experiencing difficulties in learning, it is necessary to support him in difficult times, not to criticize unnecessarily slowness, and also not to compare him with other children. All children are different.

If the program is complex, and even involves studying foreign language- carefully monitor whether such a load is excessive for the child. It is better to correct this in time, otherwise health problems will begin. Maybe in another class, with less workload, the child will feel more comfortable?

It is very important at first to instill in the student confidence in success, not to let him succumb to despondency (“I won’t succeed!”), otherwise you will struggle with apathy for a very long time.

The next sign of successful adaptation - this is the degree of independence of the child when performing educational assignments, readiness to resort to the help of an adult only AFTER attempts to complete the task yourself. Often parents are too eager to “help” the child, which sometimes causes the opposite effect. The student gets used to preparing lessons together and does not want to do it alone. Here it is better to immediately define the boundaries of your help and gradually reduce them.

But the most important sign, in our opinion, that a child has fully settled into the school environment is his satisfaction interpersonal relationships- with classmates and teacher.

Parents often scold their child because he returns late from school, that his friends often call him “not on business,” and that he spends too much time on walks. However, it would be good to remember that during this period the first grader is actively establishing contacts, looking for his place in the children's environment, learning to cooperate with other children and accepting help. Help him in this difficult matter! Depending on what niche your child will occupy during distribution social roles, depends on the entire period of his education at school.

Separately, it is necessary to say about the relationship with the teacher.

First teacher - This important person in the life of your entire family. It would be good to immediately establish close contact with her, listen to her advice, offer help in organizing holidays and general affairs - after all, any of your participation in school life will benefit your child. Your son or daughter will have a reason to be proud of you!

Be sure to agree on the requirements so that the child does not suffer from your disagreements with the teacher. If you are not satisfied (or simply do not understand) the teaching method, ask the teacher to explain its features and advantages over other teaching methods. We think that any teacher will do this willingly, because he is interested in seeing you primarily as assistants, not critics.

Thus, we can say that the main indicators of a child’s favorable psychological adaptation are: the formation of adequate behavior, establishing contacts with students, the teacher, and mastering the skills of educational activities. The joint efforts of teachers, educators, parents, doctors, and psychologists can reduce the risk of a child experiencing school maladaptation and learning difficulties.

What knowledge should a future first-grader have?

In the area of ​​speech development and readiness to master literacy, it is necessary:

Be able to clearly pronounce all speech sounds;

Be able to isolate a given sound in a stream of speech;

Be able to determine the place of a sound in a word (at the beginning, in the middle, at the end);

Be able to pronounce words syllable by syllable;

Be able to compose sentences of 3-5 words;

Be able to use generalizing concepts;

Be able to write a story based on a picture;

Distinguish between genres fiction(fairy tale, story, fable, poem);

Be able to consistently convey the content of a fairy tale.

In the field of development of elementary mathematical concepts:

Know all numbers from 0 to 9;

Be able to compare numbers from the top ten;

Be able to correlate the number and number of objects;

Be able to compare two groups of objects;

Be able to compose and solve one-step addition and subtraction problems;

Know the names of the shapes: triangle, square, circle;

Be able to compare objects by color, size, shape;

Be able to operate with the concepts: “left”, “right”, “up”, “down”, “earlier”, “later”, “in front”, “behind”. "between";

Be able to group the proposed objects according to a certain criterion.

In the field of ideas about the surrounding world:

Be able to distinguish by appearance plants common in our area and

name their distinctive features;

Be able to distinguish between wild and domestic animals;

Be able to distinguish birds by appearance;

Have an idea of ​​the seasonal signs of nature;

Know the names of the 12 months of the year;

Know the names of all days of the week.

In addition, a child entering first grade must know:

What country does he live in; - what city;

Home address;

Full names of your family members;

Have general concepts O various types their activities;

Know the rules of conduct in in public places and on the street.

For the first time in first class!

Admission to school - An extremely important moment for a child.

The start of school radically changes his entire lifestyle.

The carelessness, carelessness, and immersion in play characteristic of preschoolers are replaced by a life filled with many demands, responsibilities and restrictions: now the child must go to school every day, work systematically and hard, follow a daily routine, obey various norms and rules of school life, fulfill the requirements of the teacher, do what is assigned in class school curriculum, do homework diligently, achieve good results learning...

Psychological readiness for schooling

Don't let your child get bored during class. If a child is interested in learning, he learns better. Interest is the best of motivations; it makes children truly creative individuals and gives them the opportunity to experience satisfaction from intellectual activities.

Try to show the need for each knowledge

Connect new knowledge with already acquired and understood knowledge

Repeat the exercises. The development of a child's mental abilities is determined by time and practice. If an exercise doesn't work out for you, take a break, return to it later, or offer your child an easier option.

Don't be overly concerned about lack of success and little progress.

Be patient, do not rush, do not give your child tasks that significantly exceed his intellectual capabilities.

When working with a child, moderation is needed. Do not force your child to do the exercise if he is fidgeting endlessly, tired, or upset.

Try to determine the limits of your child’s endurance and increase the duration of classes by a very short period of time each time.

Avoid disapproving evaluation. Never emphasize his weaknesses in comparison with other children. Build his confidence in his abilities.

Try not to perceive working with your child as hard work, be happy and enjoy the communication process, and never lose your sense of humor.

Memo to parents of first-graders

1. Support your child’s desire to become a schoolchild. Your sincere interest in his school affairs and concerns, a serious attitude towards his first achievements and possible difficulties will help the first grader confirm the significance of his new position and activities.

2. Discuss with your child the rules and regulations he encountered at school. Explain their necessity and feasibility.

3. Your child came to school to study. When a person studies, he may not succeed in something right away, this is natural. The child has the right to make mistakes.

4. Create a daily routine with your first grader and ensure that it is followed.

5. Don’t overlook any difficulties your child may have initial stage mastering study skills.

6. Support your first grader in his desire to succeed. In every job, be sure to find something to praise him for. Remember that praise and emotional support (“Well done!”, “You did so well!”) can significantly increase a person’s intellectual achievements.

7. If something worries you about your child’s behavior or his academic affairs, do not hesitate to seek advice and advice from a teacher or school psychologist.

8. When you enter school, a person more authoritative than you appears in your child’s life. This is a teacher. Respect the first-grader's opinion about his teacher.

9. Teaching is difficult and responsible work. Entering school significantly changes a child’s life, but it should not deprive it of diversity, joy, and play. A first grader should have enough time for play activities.

The child goes to first grade. Why is it difficult for him to get used to school and how can his parents help him with this?

It seems like just recently you picked up your baby from the maternity hospital. And then the years flew by unnoticed, and it was time to take him to first grade. Joyful expectations, new impressions, elegant bouquets, white bows or bow ties – this paints a picture of a wonderful holiday for a first-grader. But the effect of novelty and charm in the unusual setting quickly wears off, and the child begins to understand that he came to school not for a holiday, but for study. And now the most interesting thing...

Suddenly you begin to notice that your previously obedient and kind child suddenly becomes aggressive, refuses to go to school, cries, is capricious, complains about the teacher and classmates, or collapses from fatigue. Of course, a loving parent immediately begins to sound the alarm: what to do about this? How to help your child get used to school? Is everything that is happening to him normal?

As always, there is no single answer to all these questions. After all, your child is a person, and he has his own individual characteristics, his own temperament, character, habits, health, and finally. Great importance have factors such as:

• the child’s level of readiness for schooling - this means not only mental, but also physical and psychological readiness;
• the degree of socialization of the baby - how well can he communicate and cooperate with peers and with adults, in particular, did he go to kindergarten?

How to understand how successfully a child gets used to school?

Starting school is a serious event in life. little man. Essentially, this is his step, or even a leap, into the unknown. Try for a moment to put yourself in the shoes of your daughter or son, or, if possible, remember your first school experiences. Exciting, right? Even if mom and dad told the baby in as much detail and in advance about what awaits him at school, the first time will still be very unexpected for him. And the words “You will study there,” in fact, are unlikely to say very much to a 6-7 year old. What does it mean to study? How to do it? Why do I need it? Why can’t I, as before, play and walk with my mother and sisters and brothers? And this is only the first level of your child’s experiences.

This includes new acquaintances and the need to get used to new operating conditions. Do Masha and Vanya like me? What about the teacher? Why do I have to sit at the same desk with Vasya, who pulls my pigtails? Why does everyone laugh when I want to play with the car? Why should I sit for so long if I want to run? Why doesn't the bell ring for so long? Why, if I want to go home to my mother, am I not allowed?

It’s easy to guess what enormous intellectual, physical, and emotional stress children experience during adaptation to school. And we, as loving parents, are simply obliged to help them get through this period as gently and painlessly as possible. It is for this reason that it is worth periodically trying to put yourself in the place of a child, learning to look from his bell tower, remembering how you felt when “the stars shone brighter and were big at home.” And give the baby exactly what he needs most now.

The baby needs time to get used to the new environment. Not one day, not one week and not even one month. According to the observations of experts, the average duration of adaptation to school is from two months to six months. Adaptation is considered successful if the child:

• calm, in a good mood;
• speaks well of the teacher and classmates;
• quickly makes friends among peers in the class;
• without discomfort and easily completes homework;
• understands and accepts school rules;
• reacts normally to the teacher’s comments;
• not afraid of teachers or peers;
• accepts the new daily routine normally - gets up in the morning without tears, falls asleep calmly in the evening.

Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Signs of child maladjustment may often be observed:

• excessive fatigue of the baby, difficulty falling asleep in the evenings and equally difficult awakenings in the morning;
• the child’s complaints about the demands of teachers and classmates;
• difficult adaptation to the demands of school, resentment, whims, resistance to order;
• as a result, difficulties in learning. With all this “bouquet”, it is simply impossible for a child to also concentrate on gaining new knowledge.

In such cases, comprehensive assistance from parents, a psychologist and a teacher is necessary. This way you can help your child go through this period in the most optimal way for him. But, for more conscious help from the baby, it’s a good idea to figure out what actually happens to him during the period of getting used to school?

First of all, let's deal with the increased physiological load on the baby. Educational activities require the child to maintain a relatively motionless posture throughout the lesson. If previously your child devoted most of his time to all sorts of activities - running, jumping, fun games– now he has to sit at his desk for several hours a day. Such a static load is very difficult for a six or seven year old child. The baby’s physical activity becomes actually half as much as before entering school. But the need for movement does not turn off so easily in one day - it still remains large and is now not being satisfied qualitatively.

In addition, at the age of 6 - 7 years, large muscles mature faster than small ones. In this regard, it is much easier for children to perform sweeping, strong movements than those that require greater precision - for example, writing. Accordingly, the child quickly gets tired from performing small movements.

The physiological adaptation of a first-grader to school goes through several stages:

1. “Physiological storm” is what experts call the first couple of weeks of school. All systems of the child’s body are greatly strained in response to new external influences, taking away a significant part of the baby’s resources. In this regard, many first-graders begin to get sick in September.
2. Then begins an unstable adaptation to new living conditions. The baby's body is trying to find the most appropriate reactions to the outside world.
3. And only then does the phase of relatively stable adaptation begin. Now the body already understands what is wanted from it and strains less in response to stress. The entire period of physical adaptation can last up to 6 months and depends on the child’s initial data, his endurance and state of health.

Parents should not underestimate the difficulty of the period of physiological adaptation of their child. Doctors say that some first-graders are losing weight by the end of October, and many are showing signs of fatigue, such as a decrease or increase in blood pressure. Therefore, there is nothing to be surprised when 6-7 year olds complain about constant feeling fatigue, headache or other pain in the first two to three months of school. Children may become capricious, partially lose control over their behavior, and their mood may change dramatically and frequently. For many children, school itself becomes a stressful factor, because it requires increased stress and attention. As a result, by the middle of the day children are overtired, unable to fully relax. Sometimes children are already sad in the morning, look devastated, may complain of abdominal pain, and sometimes even morning vomiting appears. If the baby also had some health difficulties before entering school, adaptation may not be easy. Remember this before you reproach your child for laziness and unwillingness to take on new responsibilities!

First of all, let's deal with some psychological characteristics first-graders. By the age of 6–7 years, a greater balance is established between the processes of excitation and inhibition than before. But still, excitement still prevails over inhibition, which is why first-graders are generally very active, restless, and highly excitable emotionally.

After 25-35 minutes of the lesson, the child’s performance decreases, and in the second lesson it may generally decline sharply. With high emotional intensity of lessons and extracurricular activities, children can become very tired. All this must be taken into account by adults to help their child adapt.

Addressing developmental psychology, we can say that a child comes into his life the new kind activities - educational. In general, the leading activities of a child are:

• from 1 year to 3 years - object-manipulative game;
• from 3 to 7 years - role-playing game;
• from 7 to 11 years – educational activities, operational and technical activities.

On the basis of this new activity for the child, thinking moves to the center of consciousness. It becomes the main mental function and gradually begins to determine the work of all other mental functions - perception, attention, memory, speech. All these functions also become arbitrary and intellectualized.

Thanks to the rapid and constant development of thinking, such a new property of a child’s personality appears as reflection - awareness of oneself, one’s position in a group - class, family, assessment of oneself from the position of “good - bad”. The child takes this assessment from the attitude of those close to him. And, depending on whether his family accepts and encourages him, broadcasting the message “you are good”, or condemns and criticizes him - “you are bad” - the child develops a sense of psychological and social competence in the first case or inferiority in the second.

According to psychologists, no matter how old a child goes to school - at 6 or 7 - he still goes through a special stage of development, called the 6-7-year-old crisis. The former child acquires a new role in society - the role of a student. At the same time, the child’s self-awareness changes, and a revaluation of values ​​is observed. Indeed, what was previously significant - play, walks - becomes secondary, and study and everything connected with it come to the forefront.

At the age of 6-7 years, the emotional sphere of the child changes radically. As a preschooler, a child, experiencing failure or hearing unpleasant feedback about his appearance, of course, he was offended or felt annoyed. But such emotions did not radically influence the development of his personality. Now, all failures are tolerated by the child much more acutely, and can lead to the emergence of a persistent inferiority complex. In other words, the more often a child receives negative evaluations, the more defective he feels. Naturally, such an “acquisition” can negatively affect the child’s self-esteem and the level of his future aspirations and expectations from life.

In school education, this feature of the child’s psyche is taken into account, so the first grade of school is a priori non-grading - grades are not used when assessing the work of schoolchildren. But parents should also support their child in every possible way:

• celebrate all the child’s achievements, even the most insignificant ones;
• evaluate not the child’s personality, but his actions - instead of the phrase “you are bad”, say “you did not do very well”;


- when communicating with your son or daughter about failures, explain that this is temporary, support the child’s desire to overcome various difficulties.

Social and psychological adaptation of first-graders can proceed in different ways. There are three types of adaptation:

• 1. Favorable:
• the child adapts to schooling during the first two months;
• the child easily copes with the school curriculum;
• he quickly finds friends, gets used to the new team, communicates well with peers, establishes contact with the teacher;
• he is practically in an even good mood all the time, he is calm, friendly, and friendly;
• he performs school duties without tension and with interest and desire.

2. Medium:

• the time to get used to school lasts up to six months;
• the child cannot accept the situation of studying, communicating with the teacher, peers - he can sort things out with a friend or play in class, reacts to the teacher’s comments with insults and tears or does not react at all;
• difficult for a child to learn curriculum.

Usually, such children get used to school and adjust to the new rhythm of life only by the end of the first half of the year.

3. Unfavorable:

• the child exhibits negative forms of behavior and may show negative emotions sharply;
• the child is not able to master the curriculum, it is difficult for him to learn reading, writing, counting, etc.;

Parents, classmates, and teachers often complain about such children; they are capable of unpredictable reactions and can “interfere with working in class.” All this adds up to a whole range of problems.

Causes of socio-psychological maladjustment

Experts identify the following factors for impaired socio-psychological adaptation:

• inadequate demands from adults - teachers and parents;
• situations of constant failure;
• child's learning problems;
• discontent, punishment, reproaches from adults;
• a state of internal tension, anxiety, and vigilance in a child.

Such tension makes the child undisciplined, irresponsible, inattentive, he may lag behind in his studies, gets tired quickly and simply has no desire to go to school:

• unbearable additional loads - various clubs and sections that gradually create stress and “overload” for the child; he is constantly afraid of “not being on time” and ultimately sacrifices the quality of all work;
• rejection of schoolchildren by their peers. Such situations in turn give rise to protest and bad behavior.

It is important for all adults - parents and teachers alike - to remember that bad behavior is a red flag. It is necessary to show additional attention to the student, observe him, and understand the reasons for the difficulty in adapting to school.

The issue of helping children get used to school painlessly and smoothly without compromising their health has never been more relevant. Experts recommend following simple tips:

1. Help your child get used to his new role as a schoolchild. To do this, it is necessary to explain to the child what school is, why study is needed, what rules exist at school;
2. Correctly build a daily routine for your first-grader. Daytime exercise must be consistent and constant, and take into account the child’s personal characteristics;
3. Discuss with your child the concepts of self-esteem, evaluation, and their various criteria: neatness, beauty, correctness, interest, diligence. Work with your child on ways to achieve all of this;
4. Teach your child to ask questions. Explain to him that asking is not at all shameful or shameful;
5. Develop your first grader's learning motivation. Tell him what training gives, what benefits he will receive and what he can achieve thanks to successful studies. But, of course, be honest with him and, first of all, with yourself - no need to say that Golden medal will open the door to a carefree life. You yourself know that this is not so. But it’s still worth explaining that learning is interesting, important and necessary in order to later realize yourself in some business, right?
6. Teach your child to manage his emotions. This does not mean suppressing and hushing up your problems and fears. But the development of voluntary behavior is very important for every person. The student must be able to obey the rules when necessary, carry out tasks accurately, and listen carefully to assignments. Games according to the rules and didactic games can help with this - through them the child can come to an understanding of school assignments;
7. Teach your child to communicate. Communication skills will help him function normally in group activities at school;
8. Support your child in his attempts to cope with difficulties. Show him that you really believe in him and are always ready to help him if necessary;
9. Show genuine interest in the class or school your child goes to. Be sure to listen to your child when he wants to tell you something;
10. Stop criticizing your child. Even if he is bad at reading, counting, and writing, he is sloppy. Criticism from loved ones, especially in the presence of strangers, can only aggravate problems;
11. Encourage your child. Celebrate not only his academic successes, but also other achievements, even the most insignificant ones. Any supportive words from the parents will help the baby feel significant and important in the work he is doing;
12. Consider your child's temperament. Active children are physically unable to sit in one place for a long time. Slow people, on the contrary, have difficulty getting used to the difficult rhythm of school;
13. Stop yourself from comparing your child to other children. Such comparisons will lead either to increased pride - “I’m better than everyone!”, or to a drop in self-esteem and envy of others - “I’m worse than him...”. You can only compare your child with himself, his new successes with previous achievements;
14. Don't think that children's problems are easier than adults' ones. Conflict situation with a peer or teacher may be no easier for a child than a conflict between a parent and a boss at work;
15. When your child enters school, do not suddenly change family relationships. You shouldn’t say: “Now you’re big, wash the dishes and clean the house yourself,” etc. Remember, he already has enough stress from school;
16. If possible, do not overload the child during the adaptation period. There is no need to drag him straight into the sea of ​​clubs and sections. Wait, let him cope with the new situation, and everything else will be done later;
17. Do not show your baby your anxiety and concern about his performance at school. Just be interested in his affairs without judging him. And be patient while waiting for success - it may not appear on the first day! But if you label your child as a failure, his talents may never emerge;
18. If your child is very sensitive about school, reduce the importance of school grades. Show your child that you value and love him, and not for good studies, but just like that, that is, of course;
19. Be sincerely interested in your child’s school life, but focus not on grades, but on his relationships with other children, school holidays, excursions, duty, etc.;
20. At home, create an opportunity for your child to relax and unwind. Remember - at first, school is a very serious burden for your child, and he really gets tired;
21. Provide your child with a friendly atmosphere in the family. Let him know that he is always welcome and loved at home, no matter what;
22. After class, take a walk with your child. Help him satisfy his need for movement and activity;
23. Remember that late evening is not for lessons! After class, give your baby a rest, and then do your homework for tomorrow as early as possible. Then the child needs full sleep;
24. And remember that the main help for a child is kind, trusting, open communication with parents, their love and support.

The most important– is the development in a child of a positive and joyful attitude towards life in general, and towards daily school activities in particular. When learning begins to bring joy and pleasure to the child, then school will cease to be a problem.

Adaptation of first-graders to school.

The first year of school is an extremely difficult, turning point period in a child’s life. His place in the system of social relations changes, his entire way of life changes, and his psycho-emotional stress increases. Carefree games are replaced by daily learning activities. They require intense mental work from the child, increased attention, concentrated work in lessons and a relatively motionless body position, maintaining the correct working posture. It is known that for a child of six or seven years old this so-called static load is very difficult. Lessons at school, as well as the passion of many first-graders for television programs, sometimes music and foreign language classes, lead to the fact that the child’s physical activity becomes half as much as it was before entering school. The need for movement remains great.
A child coming to school for the first time will be greeted by a new group of children and adults. He needs to establish contacts with peers and teachers, learn to fulfill the requirements of school discipline, and new responsibilities associated with academic work. Experience shows that not all children are ready for this. Some first-graders, even with a high level of intellectual development, find it difficult to bear the workload that schooling requires. Psychologists point out that for many first-graders, and especially six-year-olds, social adaptation is difficult, since a personality capable of obeying the school regime, mastering school norms of behavior, and recognizing school responsibilities has not yet been formed.
At the same time, it is in the 1st grade that the foundation of the child’s attitude towards school and learning is laid. In order for children to most safely pass this stage of their lives, their parents need to know and daily take into account the peculiarities of the mental and physiological state of children that arise when they begin school.
From the first days of school, the child faces a number of tasks that require the mobilization of his intellectual and physical strength. Many aspects of the educational process present difficulties for children. It is difficult for them to sit through a lesson in the same position, it is difficult not to be distracted and follow the teacher’s thoughts, it is difficult to do all the time not what they want, but what is required of them, it is difficult to restrain and not express out loud their thoughts and emotions that appear in abundance. In addition, children do not immediately learn new rules of behavior with adults, do not immediately recognize the teacher’s position and establish a distance in relations with him and other adults at school.
Therefore, it takes time for adaptation to school to occur, for the child to get used to new conditions and learn to meet new requirements.
The first 2-3 months after the start of education are the most difficult, the child gets used to a new way of life, to the rules of the school, to a new daily routine.
The situation of novelty is to a certain extent alarming for any person. The child experiences emotional discomfort primarily due to the uncertainty of ideas about the requirements of teachers, the characteristics and conditions of learning, the values ​​and norms of behavior in the class team, etc.
This state can be called a state of internal tension, alertness, anxiety.
Such psychological stress, if long enough, can lead to school maladjustment: the child becomes undisciplined, inattentive, irresponsible, lags behind in school, gets tired quickly and simply does not want to go to school. Weak children (and, unfortunately, there are more and more of them from year to year) are the most susceptible to maladjustment.
Some first-graders become very noisy, loud, distracted in class, and capricious. Others become very constrained, timid, try to remain inconspicuous, do not listen when adults address them, and cry at the slightest failure or remark.
In some children, sleep and appetite may be disturbed, sometimes the temperature rises, and chronic diseases become worse. There may be an interest in toys, games, and books for very young children.
Regardless of how the school year begins, the adaptation process continues one way or another. The only question is how long it will take the child and the teacher to complete it and how effective this process will be. According to statistics, half of the children in the class adapt in the first half of the year; the second half require more time to get used to the new school life. Much depends on the individual characteristics of the child, whether he was psychologically ready for schooling, and it also depends on the state of the child’s health and the level of his physiological development.
Adaptation to school is a multifaceted process. Its components are physiological adaptation and socio-psychological adaptation (to teachers and their demands, to classmates).
Physiological adaptation.
Getting used to new conditions and requirements, the child’s body goes through several stages:
1) The first 2-3 weeks of training are called a “physiological storm”. During this period, the child’s body responds to all new influences with significant tension in almost all of its systems, that is, children spend a significant part of their body’s resources. This explains the fact that in September many first-graders get sick.
2) The next stage of adaptation is unstable adaptation. The child’s body finds acceptable, close to optimal responses to new conditions.
3) After this, a period of relatively stable adaptation begins. The body reacts to stress with less stress.
Many parents and teachers tend to underestimate the complexity of the period of physiological adaptation of first-graders. However, according to medical observations, some children lose weight by the end of the 1st quarter, many experience a decrease in blood pressure (which is a sign of fatigue), and some experience a significant increase (a sign of fatigue). It is not surprising that many first-graders complain of headaches, fatigue and other ailments in the 1st quarter. Manifestations of difficulties of adaptation and overstrain of the body can also be the capriciousness of children at home and a decrease in the ability to self-regulate behavior.
Socio-psychological adaptation.
Regardless of when a child starts school, he goes through a special stage of his development - the crisis of 7 (6) years.
The social status of the former child changes - a new social role “student” appears. This can be considered the birth of the child’s social “I”.
A change in the external position entails a change in the self-awareness of the 1st grade student, and a reassessment of values ​​occurs. What was important before becomes secondary, and what is relevant to learning becomes more valuable.
During the period of 6-7 years, serious changes occur in the emotional sphere of the child. In preschool childhood, when faced with failures or receiving unflattering comments about his appearance, the child, of course, felt resentment or annoyance, but this did not dramatically affect the development of his personality as a whole. During the crisis period of 7 (6) years, the child’s intellectual development, his developed ability to generalize, entail a generalization of experiences. Thus, a chain of failures (in studies, in communication) can lead to the formation of a stable inferiority complex. Such “acquisition” at the age of 6-7 has the most negative impact on the development of the child’s self-esteem and the level of his aspirations.
This feature of the psyche of children is taken into account in school education - the first year of school is non-evaluative, that is, grades are not used when assessing the work of students, more emphasis is placed on a qualitative analysis of their activities. Parents should also take into account the generalization of experiences when communicating with their son or daughter: notice all the slightest achievements of the child, evaluate not the child, but his actions, talking about failures, note that all this is temporary, support the child’s activity in overcoming various difficulties.
To optimize the adaptation period of first-graders, they need to be helped to get to know each other, with teachers, with the new learning situation, with the school and school rules.
It is especially important for first-graders:
- help the child get used to the position of a schoolchild (therefore it is important to show the difference: a schoolchild is not a schoolchild). To form the “internal position of a schoolchild,” which is a fusion of cognitive needs and the need to communicate with adults at a new level (Bozhovich L.I.) To do this, you need to talk with the child about why you need to study, what school is, what rules exist at school . It is very important for a first-grader to feel accepted into the school family. For successful schooling, a child must be sufficiently confident in himself, in his strengths, his capabilities and abilities. A positive image of himself as a schoolchild will give him the opportunity to better adapt to changing living conditions and firmly take the position of a schoolchild, and will also form an emotionally positive attitude towards school
- build a schoolchild’s daily routine. Create a school day routine with justification for its sequence.
- introduce the concept of assessment, self-esteem and its various criteria: correctness, accuracy, beauty, diligence, interest and develop together with the child ways how all this can be achieved.
- teach the child to ask a question (not so much in a procedural sense, but in the sense of determination);
- develop in children the ability to control their emotions, that is, the development of arbitrary behavior. The student must be able to consciously subordinate his actions to the rule, listen carefully and accurately carry out the task proposed orally and according to a visually perceived model. Didactic games and games according to the rules can help him with this. Many children can only come to an understanding of many school tasks through play.
- develop learning motivation. Educational motivation consists of cognitive and social motives for learning, as well as motives for achievement. N.I. Gutkina believes that educational motivation provides the necessary level of arbitrariness.
- develop communication skills. Communication skills will allow you to act adequately in collective learning activities. Mastering methods of educational activity requires students to be able to look at themselves and their actions from the outside, to objectively evaluate themselves and other participants in joint collective activities. You should not be surprised if, after some time, parents of children who have not had varied experience communicating with their peers are faced with their reluctance to go to school, as well as complaints that everyone is offended by them, no one listens, the teacher does not like them, etc. n. It is necessary to learn to respond adequately to such complaints. First of all, show your child that you understand him, sympathize with him, without blaming anyone. When he calms down, try to analyze the causes and consequences of the current situation together, and discuss how to behave in the future in a similar case. Then you can move on to discussing how you can improve the situation now, what steps to take to make friends and win the sympathy of your classmates. It is necessary to support the child in his attempts to cope with the difficulties that have arisen, to continue going to school, and to show sincere faith in his capabilities.

Signs of successful adaptation:

Firstly, it is the child’s satisfaction with the learning process. He enjoys school and has no insecurities or fears.
The second sign is how easily the child copes with the program. If the school is regular and the program is traditional, and the child is experiencing difficulties in learning, it is necessary to support him in difficult times, not to criticize him unnecessarily for his slowness, and also not to compare him with other children. All children are different.
If the program is complex, and even involves learning a foreign language, carefully monitor whether such a load is excessive for the child. It is better to correct this in time, otherwise health problems will begin. Maybe in another class, with less workload, the child will feel more comfortable?
It is very important at first to instill in the student confidence in success, not to let him succumb to despondency (“I won’t succeed!”), otherwise you will struggle with apathy for a very long time.
The next sign of successful adaptation is the degree of independence of the child when performing educational tasks, the readiness to resort to the help of an adult only AFTER attempts to complete the task himself. Often parents are too eager to “help” the child, which sometimes causes the opposite effect. The student gets used to preparing lessons together and does not want to do it alone. Here it is better to immediately define the boundaries of your help and gradually reduce them.
But the most important sign, in our opinion, that a child has fully settled into the school environment is his satisfaction with interpersonal relationships - with classmates and the teacher.
Parents often scold their child because he returns late from school, that his friends often call him “not on business,” and that he spends too much time on walks. However, it would be good to remember that during this period the first grader is actively establishing contacts, looking for his place in the children's environment, learning to cooperate with other children and accepting help. Help him in this difficult matter! The entire period of his schooling depends on what niche your child will occupy in the distribution of social roles.
Separately, it is necessary to say about the relationship with the teacher.
The first teacher is an important person in the life of your entire family. It would be good to immediately establish close contact with her, listen to her advice, offer help in organizing holidays and general affairs - after all, any of your participation in school life will benefit your child. Your son or daughter will have a reason to be proud of you! Be sure to agree on the requirements so that the child does not suffer from your disagreements with the teacher. If you are not satisfied (or simply do not understand) the teaching method, ask the teacher to explain its features and advantages over other teaching methods. We think that any teacher will do this willingly, because he is interested in seeing you primarily as assistants, not critics.
Thus, we can say that the main indicators of a child’s favorable psychological adaptation are: the formation of adequate behavior, establishing contacts with students, the teacher, and mastering the skills of educational activities. The joint efforts of teachers, educators, parents, doctors, and psychologists can reduce the risk of a child experiencing school maladaptation and learning difficulties.

First-graders look forward to their first day of school and are very excited, because they are beginning a new, “adult” life. For parents, the beginning of school life is also a serious test and a cause for concern: will their child be able to cope with new responsibilities? How quickly does he adapt to school? Parents have good reason to worry: how adaptation to school goes will determine not only the child’s future academic performance, but also his entire future life.

How to help your child smoothly and painlessly transition from a carefree childhood life to a new educational activity for him? This is discussed in this article.

What can parents do to ensure successful adaptation to school?

During this difficult period, parents must support their child in everything. Almost all preschool children really want to go to school, they want to grow up, they want to be like their elders. In other words, initially all first-graders have a very high academic level. But when daily classes at school begin, the child faces the first difficulties: instead of carefree entertainment - result-oriented studies, instead of dynamic games - long lessons during which you need to sit quietly. Due to such difficulties, motivation to study is significantly reduced, and the main thing for parents is to help their child maintain interest in learning from the very first days at school. The most difficult problem for all first-graders is to sit still. This is explained age characteristics child's body: in a 6-7 year old child, the brain is still developing, and it is still very difficult for a child to maintain attention for a long time. It is especially difficult for 6-year-olds to concentrate on their studies - this is why it is recommended to send children to school at 7 years old.

How can I help my child cope with this problem?

The most important thing is to never scold your child for restlessness, or rather, not to scold him for anything related to school, so that he does not lose interest in learning. The task of adults is to help the child establish educational process, learn to follow the teacher’s instructions correctly and in a certain sequence: sit up straight, open your notebooks, take pens, write a number... Don’t forget that even these simple actions are new and unfamiliar to the child.

Should parents help their child with homework?

While doing homework, you must sit next to your child, especially at first. But at the same time, the task of adults is to help the child sit still, and not to do homework for him. Sitting next to him, try to maintain his interest in learning: praise him for his achievements and in no case scold him if he makes a mistake. If the learning process is difficult for a child or something doesn’t work out, while doing homework, you can put something tasty next to it as an encouragement - an apple, a tangerine. Pampering your baby with his favorite treats while studying will help him enjoy preparing his homework more. Just make sure that the treats do not leave stains on textbooks and notebooks.

Adaptation of first-graders at school.

But at the same time, encouragement should not be confused with punishment. You can’t tell children something like “you won’t go for a walk until you’ve done your homework” or “you’ll make a mistake in homework“You won’t get chocolate.” Such statements can discourage interest in learning, and school and everything connected with it should not cause negative feelings in the child.

Nowadays, many children do not attend kindergarten, but are raised at home. Does home education help you adapt to school life faster or, on the contrary, does it hinder you?

Both “home” children and “kindergarten” children can have problems at school, but, as a rule, they are different. According to statistics, children who did not attend preschool institutions have problems adapting to school much more often than those who went to kindergarten. The main problem For all first-graders, joining a new team and changing their usual way of life is a challenge, and for “home” children this problem is especially acute. Due to insufficient experience communicating with peers, children who have not attended preschool institutions often lack communicative readiness for school: they lack the skills of joint action with other children, the ability to communicate in a team, to yield, to obey. But in addition to communication, children at home also have a motivational problem. Due to the fact that such children had little contact with peers in the preschool period, at school they are often more interested in communicating than in studying. In this case, the task of the parents is to orient the child towards studying. If a “home” child is the only child in the family, this means that preschool age he communicated more with adults than with his peers, so at school he tends to communicate more with the teacher than with his classmates. This behavior interferes with joining the team and complicates the adaptation process.

What to do if first-graders have difficulty communicating with the teacher?

The figure of a teacher is very important for a first-grader, especially at the beginning of school, so it is very important that the child likes the teacher from the very beginning. The authority of the teacher in the eyes of a first-grader is very high, and the child trusts his words even more than the words of his parents. This attitude is quite normal: it maintains interest in school. If children experience fear of a teacher, then the origins of this fear should be sought not in school, but in the family. This means that in preschool age the child was instilled with excessive fear of adults. You cannot scold a child for this fear: support the child, explain that the teacher does not wish him harm.

What else will help a child adapt to school life faster?

First-graders need good nutrition and a strict daily routine, then the child will not only be less tired, but also less sick, and therefore less likely to miss school. The baby must go to bed no later than 21.00, only then will the night's rest be truly complete. It is very important that the child walks outside every day, because... Children of this age are characterized by a great need for physical activity. Another very important point: first-graders are still small children, so you need to be sure to leave them time to play every day.

You should not expect incredible progress or any super-achievement from a first-grader from the first days of school. The main task of the entire elementary school is to teach the child to learn, in other words, to teach him directly the learning process: how to better understand and remember new material, how to repeat what has been learned, how to sit at a desk correctly, how to use a book, how to complete assignments. Primary School should support the child’s desire to learn, with which he came to first grade, and instill an interest in acquiring new knowledge in the future. The task of parents is to be patient and attentive, to support the baby during this difficult period and show their love for him. Then in the future he will definitely please you with his academic achievements.

How to help a first-grader adapt to school.