The first comeback in kindergarten is approaching for your child? Between practical preparation and emotional accompaniment, here are the advice of Myriam Szejer, child psychiatrist, to approach this stage in all serenity.
There first return to kindergarten Mark an important step for the child as well as for his parents. In France, Instruction becomes compulsory from 3 years oldage at which most children discover the small section, before continuing on average and then in large section to CP. Some can be welcomed from 2 years or 2 and a half years, under conditions and depending on available places, especially in certain priority areas. To live this moment serenely and prepare your child on D -day, Myriam Szejer, child psychiatrist and psychoanalyst in Paris, shares his advice.
What to plan for back to school in kindergarten?
Before the Back to kindergartenparents generally busy checking all the boxes of their checklist to be sure not to forget anything on D-Day. Here is a List of things to do For the first school year of her child ::
- Make a medical appointment to ensure children’s vaccines (compulsory to be admitted to school).
- Prepare the child’s bagwith the requested school supplies.
- Add first name labels to clothes of the child.
- Buy a duplicate comforter and a pacifier for the school, if they are accepted.
- Find out about the school’s day care (canteen service, daycare center, etc.).
- Plan the time of the nanny depending on the school schedules (if necessary).
- Prepare a copy of your civil liability insurance, which covers your child and acts as a school insurance.
In addition to business and certain administrative procedures to be made, it is important to Prepare your child for his return to kindergarten. If he has already been at the crèche or at a nanny with other children, he is then used to separation from his parents and group life. So it is now necessary Explain how a day takes place at school : Talk to him about the mistress, the games and activities he will do, moments of recreation, nap times, etc. Remind him also, without putting pressure on him, the rules of good behaviors to have, like listening to the mistress, respecting the other comrades.
At the level of cleanlinessso that everything is going well, reassure your child by explaining to him that in the event of concern, we will not rumble and we will help him change. If you fear that a small accident is coming, Talk to the mistress and plan a clean outfit in the satchel.
It depends on schools, but in general The first school year in a small kindergarten section takes place under the sign of adaptation. The first day, parents can stay with their child in the classroom, often for an hour, so that he can take his marks. They can read a story to him, do an activity with him and get to know the teacher and the master and the atsem.
Once the parents have left, the rest of the day, the teacher will present the class to the children, and start explaining certain school rules (calling, being in line two by two, using the coat rack, etc.). Then it will be time for the first activities and games.
What attitude to adopt as a parent on the day of the school year?
On the day of the back to school in kindergarten, the parents, or one of the two, accompany the child to the classroom. To make it going well, and avoid crises, Myriam Szejer, child psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, advises mothers of “”give in Make way for dads that day. In our cultures, their role is ‘separator’. Children often react differently in front of their dad: fewer whims, more pride, everything you need to go! “.
She also recalls that in any case, “”The parent should not drag the goodbye, come back to make a ‘last hug’ or start to cry in front of the child!“” Because it is the best way to reactivate sorrow and maintain the child in a scary situation. “You just have to say firmly ‘I go there, see you later’, to kiss your little one while keeping a smile and to leave without turning around and without monitoring from the corner of the eye the first hours of class”, she said. Also think of Be well on time at the end of the school The first times, to prevent the child from feeling a delay as an abandonment.
If the separation still takes place in tearsknow that the majority of children calm down as soon as their parent leaves school. On the other hand, if the situation persists on the days, or even the following weeks, it may be a sign that your child is not ready and that it takes a while to put him in kindergarten.
Thanks to Myriam Szejer, child psychiatrist and psychoanalyst in Montrouge.
