The problem of adapting to school and 3rd grade science activities
is connected not so much with the difficulties of mastering the educational material, but with the physiological features of a first-grader. It is difficult for him to sit still, to answer only when asked, and for a long time to refuse to play. How to help him get in the mood for learning?
Pure physiology!
The development of the child’s nervous system occurs gradually, the range of individual indicators here is very wide. In class there may be children who can easily sit through 4 lessons and read kindergarten science textbooks, and their peers, starting to look longingly out the window 5 minutes after the bell. There is no sense in trying to give the child an example of more “mature” peers and calling on him or her to be more attentive. It is important to understand what kind of adaptation difficulties your first-grader is experiencing.
Why is it difficult for your child? 3 scenarios
The lesson lasts “too long” for the child. For the first 20 minutes he is attentive and focused, and then he gets tired and loses interest. But at recess he has time to rest, and in the second lesson he’s ready to work again. It is necessary to help the child to increase the time of active attention. To this end, you can use children’s games: “peek-a-boo”, “silence”, putting together puzzles or mosaic patterns. Play at home in the evenings and on weekends. Also try to go to museums, the theater and children’s shows more often.
Child fatigue increases by the end of the school day, or, conversely, it “swings” only to the last lesson. Here it is necessary to adjust the mode. So, if a pupil gets tired during the 3rd or 4th period, he/she has to be saved from unnecessary stress after waking up: his/her backpack and clothes and 3rd grade science textbook have to be prepared in the evening, and all serious conversations and instructions have to be postponed until the end of the day. Those who “wake up” by the end of school, it is useful to get up early, do exercises and make breakfast.
The child is involved in the educational process, but he behaves restlessly: jumps up from his seat, interrupts everyone. You need to pay attention to the rules of the sequence. Helpful are board games “walkers,” in which you have to wait for your turn. Useful to visit the crowded playgrounds in parks, where you have to stand in line before rolling down the slide.
Between books and toys
Play motivation in a child who went to school, changes to the educational. But do not assume that these changes happen overnight, and the love of play should leave the child once and for all. The experience of successful people shows: their merits are largely related to the ability to maintain their play motivation until old age. Don’t demand that your first-grader drastically reduce his time for entertainment. On the contrary, you should use his love of play to ease his adjustment to school. But, of course, it is important to discuss in which situations you need to be serious: this applies to behavior during tests or answering at the board.
When buying school supplies, it is not necessary to create an “adult” environment to set the child in a serious mood. Choose bright notebooks, backpacks and pencil cases with images of favorite characters. Their appearance will additionally stimulate the child to use all these accessories.
Do not forbid to take small toys to school. They will help to establish friendly relations with classmates and find something to do during the breaks. It is only important to agree that it is not allowed to take out toys in class.
Use playful motivation when doing boring assignments. Tell him that he’s solving a secret code, not solving an arithmetic problem.
Childhood Continues
Very often the reason for restless behavior at school is nervousness of parents. An overly serious attitude of adults to learning harms a child. Hearing endless questions about whether he forgot the textbook, whether he understood the rule, the kid loses confidence in his ability to meet the status of a “good student. Many parents mention so often how important it is to get an education that the first grader begins to treat the lessons as an ordeal. If you are more forgiving of his mistakes and less controlling, he will adapt more quickly to the new environment.
Don’t overreact to the teacher’s comments about your child. Teachers like obedient and lively reading children, but your first grader does not have to meet these expectations. He has every right to adapt and “mature.
Whatever setbacks befall your child, try to be on his side. There’s no need to criticize the teacher for severity and prejudice, so as not to undermine his authority, but you shouldn’t repeat the mantra “the teacher is always right” either. Smooth over corners, discussing a problem situation with your child. Instead of “Marya Ivanovna is complaining that you are disrupting the lesson,” it is better to use a more lenient version: “It’s hard for the teacher to lead the lesson when you are talking. You need to help her by showing your listening skills!”
Don’t limit your communication with friends and family, even if it causes you to reduce the time you have to do your homework. It’s not always necessary to put learning in the first place: it is important that the child learns to set priorities. For example, it is quite possible to learn a poem in traffic on the way to visit, but you will have to postpone the walk until the evening if you have not done work on the mistakes in the test.