Preparing for school is an important stage that almost every child goes through in his life. Of course, these are quite modern trends, because before the children went to first grade and received all the basic knowledge there. Due to the fact that now in most schools classes are overloaded, the teacher is not always able to teach all the children. Many first-graders do not have time to understand and remember the material that is given in the lesson.
For the lower grades, such knowledge gaps are a serious problem. In order to avoid it in the first grade, before entering a school, a child is taught according to a special program for preparing children for school. But after all, not everyone and far from always comes out to pay for a tutor or to take a baby to classes. The program for preparing children for school can easily be studied with a child at home. In this article, we will consider how to do this and what a preschooler should be able to do.
School choice
Perhaps for some it will be a surprise that the place where the child will study and the program for preparing children for school can be related. But in fact, each educational institution has its own program for the first class, and it is precisely on it that knowledge that now has to teach the child depends. For example, in many gymnasiums, from the first grade, they begin to study foreign languages (English, French, German). In this case, the training program should include this subject.
Skills needed by a preschooler
Before you begin to study writing, math and reading with your child, you need to find out exactly what the baby knows and can do. There are certain skill groups that he must possess. So, readiness for school is determined by the following criteria:
- Association of objects and things in groups (classification). Various pictures are used to determine this skill. For example, you can ask the child to name all the trees, all animals.
- General knowledge. The child must know information about himself: name, address of residence, date of birth, names of relatives and friends.
- Fine motor skills. A preschooler should know how to hold a pen, redraw simple pictures, rewrite block letters.
- Remembering a small amount of information. You can tell your child a short story and ask her to retell.
Math training
One of the most important subjects that the child will study throughout the entire training period is mathematics. In the first grade, students are taught arithmetic. A preschooler should be able to count from 0 to 10 and vice versa, understand more / less. The concepts of large / small, narrow / wide, long / short are also mandatory. It is very important that the baby in the learning process includes logical thinking, compares, analyzes.
Reading and writing
Of course, before moving on to these subjects, you should learn the letters and sounds. Knowing them, it will be very easy for a preschooler to master reading and writing. The child must know how each letter is spelled and pronounced. In order for him to begin to read words, one must also learn syllables. It is with this that many children have problems. At first, it is very difficult for them to connect two sounds. This will take some time and patience.
As for writing, many elementary school teachers recommend starting with both printed and uppercase letters. So, when studying a new one, you should immediately write it with a preschooler in two versions.
When to start preparing
Many parents care about the age at which preschool children should start their schoolwork. Some parents already in the first year of life of a child begin to study letters and numbers with him, while others only in the last month before school. In fact, there are no clear limitations on this issue. It all depends on the individual characteristics of the child. Some children become interested in lessons at the age of three, while others do not show interest at all. It is interesting to note that girls have a much better readiness for school than boys.
Only one thing can be said for sure: the child does not need to be forced to study. He must want this himself, and it is his parents who can help him. In order for a preschooler to sit down to learn lessons with joy, he should be interested. The kid needs to be motivated, then his performance will increase sharply. The last time when it is necessary to begin preparing children for school is 6 years. At this age, the child should already know at least half of what has been described above.
Visual Aids and Tips
We all know that the main handbook at the age of 6 is the alphabet for children. Only, perhaps, preschoolers will not agree with this. In the era of computers and the Internet, books are becoming less and less popular every year, especially among children. But this does not mean that it is bad. To prepare for the school of "advanced kids", you can use the electronic alphabet for children 6 years old.
There are many programs for preparing children for school, videos and other visual material that will help the child learn any subject. At the same time he will be interested and fun.
If parents are ardent opponents of computers for children, then such visual materials should be done with their own hands or bought in a store. So, for the bill you can cut beautiful and funny pictures. To study letters draw bright cards.
Each child needs a special approach. What he likes and what he enjoys must be used in a learning game. Let's say a preschooler really likes to play at the store. He constantly asks you to buy something from him. Fine! In this game, you can easily enter both the study of letters and numbers. Lay out the goods (these can be cards with cars, food, animals). On each stick a small tag with numbers and letters. Now you are buying on just a red truck, and a car with the letter "A". The kid himself will not notice how he learns letters and numbers, because he will constantly hear and see them.
Social adaptation
Preparation for school will undoubtedly help the child with further education in an educational institution. However, another equally important factor is social adaptation. A preschooler should be ready for easy communication with both peers and adults. Psychological preparation for school is another important stage that must be checked before taking a child to an educational institution. A preschooler must clearly answer questions, be able to resolve conflicts and be emotionally prepared for the difficulties that he will certainly encounter at school.
Oddly enough, but without knowing it, many parents prevent the child from socially adapting. For example, when a stranger asks a preschooler’s name in a bus or store, mom or dad is responsible for him. The child must learn to communicate with strangers from personal experience. First, his answers will be completely quiet and slurred, but over time he will be bolder.
At playgrounds, the child should not be protected from conflict. Argues with the kids? It should be so. He must be able to defend his interests and listen to the opinions of others. Intervene only in extreme necessity, while not resolving the conflict instead of the child, but helping him do it on his own.