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 tension.
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 7 (6) year crisis.
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 arbitrariness of 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 a variety of 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. etc. 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.

Adaptation is a mechanism for the socialization of an individual, his inclusion in a system of new relationships and social connections. When a first-grader enters school, he finds himself in completely different living conditions and a new social circle. A psychological analysis of the characteristics of first-graders’ adaptation to school revealed the following problems.

• Unlike kindergarten, where preschoolers were considered the oldest children in the group, first-graders are the youngest students.
• In kindergarten, the child had a gentle daily routine, while at school there was a clear routine and strict discipline.
• A first-grader needs to move from play to educational cognitive activity.
• Children find themselves in a more strict system of requirements for them.
• Many new people appear around the first grader, both adults and children, with whom it is necessary to establish connections.

Adaptation for a first-grader can last from two weeks to six months. The length of the adaptation period depends on the following factors:

• individual characteristics of the child;
• degree of development of social skills.

The goal of the adaptation process is the adequate inclusion of a first-grader in a new social situation.

Adaptations for first-graders according to the Federal State Educational Standard

Traditionally, adaptation is considered the process of a child getting used to the conditions of school life. The main attention is paid to its social component, i.e. A first grader must “get into the role of a student”:

• contact has been established with the teacher;
• the child is aware of his responsibilities and obeys school requirements;
• established relationships with classmates;
• the child does not create conflict situations in the classroom;
• has the necessary educational skills and abilities.

In connection with the introduction of the Federal State Educational Standard in primary schools, approaches to the essence of adaptation have changed, and the list of criteria for successful adaptation has expanded significantly. According to the new educational standards, during the organization of the educational process in primary schools, it is necessary to place emphasis on a person-oriented, systemic activity-based and health-saving approach. It is important to focus on the individual characteristics of the student and move from the method of “equalizing” all children in the class to the method of revealing the “I-concept” of each child.

Following these requirements, the process of adaptation of first-graders in the conditions of the Federal State Educational Standard should be reoriented and also take into account two other components.

• Physical adaptation- assessed by such parameters as daily well-being, level of performance, sleep, appetite, presence of diseases, exacerbation of chronic diseases.
• Psychological adaptation first-graders to school - assessed according to such parameters as motivation for school and learning, level of development of psychological processes, mood, readiness and ability for self-assessment.

According to the above criteria, the adaptation process covers all aspects of a child’s life that undergo serious changes when entering school. The general characteristics of the levels of adaptation of first-graders to school are as follows.

• High level characterized by the child’s rapid adaptation to school (within 2-6 weeks). He has a positive motivation for school and quickly and easily learns the program material. Can solve tasks of increased complexity. Possesses self-educational skills. Responsible for carrying out the teacher's instructions. Has friends in class. No health problems.
• Average level- the child gets used to school for quite a long time (2-3 months), but does not experience negative experiences from attending it. There are minor mood swings and fatigue. Understands the teacher’s visual explanations and assimilates the basic material of the curriculum. Solves standard tasks, is diligent and attentive. Conscientiously follows the teacher's instructions, but under his control. Maintains friendly relations with many classmates.
• Low level- the child experiences significant difficulties in getting used to school and has a negative attitude towards it. May violate discipline. He assimilates educational material in fragments and shows no interest in classes. Often has a depressed mood and complains about his health. He communicates little with his classmates and does not know everyone by name.

In the absence of a specially organized educational process by the teacher and without psychological support, the majority of first-graders achieve only an average level of adaptation to school. In accordance with the Federal State Educational Standard, an educational institution must create such psychological and pedagogical conditions that are aimed at creating a favorable environment for the child’s health and will contribute to the comprehensive harmonious development of the individual.

Adaptation conditions

For successful adaptation of first-graders to school, it is necessary to ensure compliance with the following conditions:

• organization of educational and cognitive activities in accordance with the age characteristics of six-year-olds;
• creating comfortable conditions for communication;
• carrying out health and preventive work;
• organization of a gentle school schedule with a gradual transition to the usual routine;
• compliance with sanitary and hygienic requirements;
• organization of active leisure outside school hours;
• formation of a positive family attitude towards the student’s new status;
• conducting continuous monitoring of the level of adaptation.

The professional level of teachers plays an important role in the effective implementation of all these conditions.

Problems of adaptation of first-graders

In the case of a successful combination of external and intra-school factors, the child “enters” school life without problems and does not experience emotional discomfort while in the classroom. However, sometimes certain difficulties may arise in adapting first-graders to school. We are talking about the following circumstances:

• chronic underachievement - occurs against the background of low performance or undeveloped educational skills;
• withdrawal from activities - manifests itself in children who are deprived of attention; during lessons they absolutely do not listen to the teacher’s explanations and “immerse themselves in themselves”;
• negativistic demonstrativeness - characterized by a child’s bad behavior in order to attract attention, while any punishment is perceived by him as a desired reward;
• verbalism is a special type of child development, in which he has very developed speech, but there is a delay in logical and figurative thinking; in such a situation, the first grader creates the impression of a smart child, often has high self-esteem, but in practice cannot cope with solving problems and creative tasks;
• manifestation of laziness - can arise for many reasons (a small percentage of cognitive motives, low need for theoretical knowledge, lack of self-confidence, temperamental characteristics, etc.) and leads to a slowdown in the process of achieving success, reduces interest in school life.

To solve the listed problems of a child’s adaptation to school, it is necessary to identify and eliminate the cause of maladjustment, create positive motivation in the first-grader for everyday educational activities, and provide him with moral and emotional support.

The process of adaptation of first-graders

The process of a child’s adaptation to school is very multifaceted and requires constant monitoring and correction by adults. To ensure its smooth progress, the administration of the educational institution must initiate. This is a comprehensive document that includes various activities, the main ones being:

• diagnostics;
• adaptation and corrective activities with children;
• working with parents.

To carry out diagnostics, you can use various research techniques:

• observation;
• methodology for studying educational motivation;
• Luscher method;
• “Houses” technique;
• “Ladder” technique;
• methods for studying school anxiety;
• drawing technique “Drawing of a Person”;
• questionnaire “Internal position of the student”;
• sociometry.

The main task of such in-depth diagnostics is to identify the difficulties of first-graders’ adaptation to school and outline ways to overcome them. Correction is carried out by organizing collective classes or individual consultations. Activities for children are divided into two groups:

• general class- are held for, with rules of behavior at school, building friendships, etc.;
• group, individual- are carried out for individual first-graders who have certain problems in adaptation.

Work with parents during the adaptation period should be aimed at increasing their pedagogical education. For this purpose, it is necessary to hold thematic parent meetings, develop, and organize individual consultations.

Effective implementation of the main directions of the adaptation program for first-graders leads to a softening and acceleration of the process of a child mastering a new type of activity, a new social role.

Problems of adaptation of first-graders to school are relevant for the entire education system. Every child, going to school for the first time, worries, worries and expects support from adults - parents and teachers. The main task that must be solved during this period is the preservation, support and development of the child’s individuality.

Adaptation to school is the process of getting used to new school conditions, which every first grader experiences and understands in his own way. Most first-graders come to school from kindergarten. There were games, walks, a quiet routine, naps during the day, and a teacher was always nearby. The current first-graders were the oldest children there! At school everything is different: here there is work in a rather intense mode and a new strict system of requirements. It takes time and effort to adapt to them.
The period of adaptation of a child to school lasts from 2-3 weeks to six months. This depends on many factors: the individual characteristics of the child, the type of educational institution, the level of complexity of educational programs, the degree of readiness of the child for school, etc. The support of relatives is very important - mom, dad, grandparents.

• The first-grader likes school, he goes there with pleasure, and willingly talks about his successes and failures. At the same time, he understands that the main purpose of his stay at school is learning, and not excursions into nature or watching hamsters in a living corner.
• A first-grader does not get too tired: he is active, cheerful, curious, rarely catches a cold, sleeps well, and almost never complains of pain in the stomach, head, or throat.
• A first-grader is quite independent: he has no problems changing clothes for physical education (he easily ties his shoelaces, fastens buttons), confidently navigates the school building (he can buy a bun in the cafeteria, go to the toilet), and, if necessary, will be able to turn to an adult for help.
• He made friends and classmates, and you know their names.
• He likes his teacher and most of the extracurricular teachers in the class.
• To the question: “Maybe it’s better to go back to kindergarten?” he answers decisively: “No!”

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.
The year separating a six-year-old child from a seven-year-old is very important for mental development, because during this period the child develops voluntary regulation of his behavior, orientation towards social norms and requirements. At this time, a new type of mental activity is formed - “I am a schoolboy.”
As already mentioned, the initial period of education is quite difficult for all children entering school. In response to the new increased demands on the body of a first-grader in the first weeks and months of school, children may complain of fatigue, headaches, irritability, tearfulness, and sleep disturbances. Children's appetite and body weight decrease. There are also difficulties of a psychological nature, such as, for example, a feeling of fear, a negative attitude towards school, the teacher, and a misconception about one’s abilities and capabilities.
The changes described above in the body of a first-grader associated with the start of school are called by some foreign scientists “adaptation disease”, “school shock”, “school stress”.

According to the degree of adaptation, children can be divided into three groups.
First group children adapt during the first two months of training. These children relatively quickly join the team, get used to school, and make new friends. They are almost always in a good mood, they are calm, friendly, conscientious and fulfill all the teacher’s demands without visible tension. Sometimes they still have difficulties either in contacts with children or in relationships with the teacher, since it is still difficult for them to fulfill all the requirements of the rules of behavior. But by the end of October, the difficulties of these children, as a rule, are overcome, the child is completely accustomed to the new status of a student, and to the new requirements, and to the new regime.
Second group children have a longer period of adaptation; the period of non-compliance of their behavior with the requirements of the school is prolonged. Children cannot accept a new situation of learning, communication with the teacher, children. Such schoolchildren can play in class, sort things out with a friend, they do not respond to the teacher’s comments or react with tears or resentment. As a rule, these children also experience difficulties in mastering the curriculum; only by the end of the first half of the year do these children’s reactions become adequate to the requirements of the school and teacher.
Third group - children whose socio-psychological adaptation is associated with significant difficulties. They exhibit negative forms of behavior, sharp manifestations of negative emotions, and have great difficulty in mastering educational programs. It is these children that teachers most often complain about: they “disturb” their work in the classroom.

What difficulties do parents and teachers face in the first years of their children’s education, what are their main complaints?
1. Chronic failure.
In practice, there are often cases when difficulties in a child’s adaptation to school are associated with the parents’ ATTITUDE towards school life and the child’s school performance.
This, on the one hand, is the parents’ fear of school, the fear that the child will feel bad at school. This is often heard in the speech of parents: “If it were up to me, I would never send him to school.” Fears that the child will be sick or catch a cold. On the other hand, this is an expectation from the child only of very good, high achievements and an active demonstration of dissatisfaction with him the fact that he cannot cope, that he does not know how to do something. During the period of initial education, a change occurs in the attitude of adults towards children, towards their successes and failures. A “good” child is considered to be a child who studies successfully, knows a lot, easily solves problems and copes with educational tasks. Unexpected parents have a negative attitude towards the inevitable difficulties at the beginning of learning (verbally and non-verbally). Under the influence of such assessments, the child’s self-confidence decreases, anxiety increases, which leads to deterioration and disorganization of activity. And this leads to failure, failure increases anxiety, which again disorganizes his activities. The child learns new material and skills worse, and, as a result, failures are consolidated, bad grades appear, which again cause dissatisfaction with parents, and so, the further, the more, and break this vicious the circle becomes increasingly difficult. Failure becomes chronic.

2. Withdrawal from activities.
This is when a child sits in class and at the same time seems to be absent, does not hear questions, does not complete the teacher’s assignments. This is not associated with the child’s increased distractibility to foreign objects and activities. This is withdrawal into oneself, into one’s inner world, fantasies. This often happens to children who do not receive enough attention, love and care from parents and adults (often in dysfunctional families).

3. Negativist demonstrativeness.
Characteristic of children with a high need for attention from others and adults. Here there will be complaints not about poor academic performance, but about the child’s behavior. He violates general rules of discipline. Adults punish, but in a paradoxical way: those forms of treatment that adults use to punish turn out to be encouragement for the child. The true punishment is deprivation of attention.
Attention in any form is an unconditional value for a child, who is deprived of parental affection, love, understanding, and acceptance.

4. Verbalism.
Children developing according to this type are characterized by a high level of speech development and delayed thinking. Verbalism is formed in preschool age and is associated primarily with the peculiarities of the development of cognitive processes. Many parents believe that speech is an important indicator of mental development and make great efforts to ensure that the child learns to speak fluently and smoothly (poems, fairy tales, etc.). The same types of activities that make the main contribution to mental development (the development of abstract, logical, practical thinking - these are role-playing games, drawing, designing) appear in the background. Thinking, especially figurative thinking, lags behind. Brisk speech and clear answers to questions attract the attention of adults who highly value the child. Verbalism, as a rule, is associated with a child’s high self-esteem and adults’ overestimation of his abilities. When school begins, it becomes clear that the child is unable to solve problems, and some activities that require imaginative thinking cause difficulties. Not understanding what the reason is, parents are prone to double extremes: 1) blame the teacher; 2) blame the child (increase demands, force them to study more, show dissatisfaction with the child, which, in turn, causes insecurity, anxiety, activities are disorganized, fear of school and parents increases for their failure, inferiority, and then the path to chronic failure. Necessary: pay more attention to the development of imaginative thinking: drawings, design, modeling, appliqué, mosaic. Basic tactics: maintain the flow of speech and stimulate productive activity.

5. The child is lazy" - These are very common complaints.
Anything could be behind this.
1) reduced need for cognitive motives;
2) motivation to avoid failure, failure (“and I won’t do it, I won’t succeed, I don’t know how”), that is, the child refuses to do anything because he is not confident in success and knows what a bad grade is, his work They won’t praise you, but will once again accuse you of incompetence.
3) general slowness of the pace of activity associated with temperamental characteristics. The child works conscientiously, but slowly, and it seems to the parents that he is “too lazy to move,” they begin to urge him on, get irritated, show dissatisfaction, and at this time the child feels that he is not needed, that he is bad. Anxiety arises, which disorganizes activities.
4) High anxiety as a global problem of self-doubt is also sometimes regarded by parents as laziness. The child does not write a phrase, an example, because... I’m not at all sure how and what to write. He begins to shirk any action if he is not convinced that he is doing the right thing, well, because he already knows that his parents will love him if he does everything well, and if not, then he will not receive the “portion” of love he needs.
Less common is laziness in the proper sense, when a child does only what pleases him. This is spoiling.

How can I help my child adapt to school?
The most important result of such assistance is to restore the child’s positive attitude towards life, including daily school activities, towards all persons involved in the educational process (child - parents - teachers). When learning brings children joy or at least does not cause negative experiences associated with the awareness of oneself as inferior, lacking love, then school is not a problem.
A child starting school needs moral and emotional support. He should not just be praised (and scolded less, or better not scolded at all), but praised precisely when he does something. But:
1) under no circumstances compare his mediocre results with the standard, that is, with the requirements of the school curriculum, the achievements of other, more successful students. It is better to never compare your child with other children (remember your childhood).
2) You can compare a child only with himself and praise him only for one thing: improving his own results. If he made 3 mistakes in yesterday’s homework, and 2 in today’s homework, this should be noted as a real success, which should be appreciated sincerely and without irony by his parents. It should be emphasized that once he has learned to do something well, he will gradually learn everything else.
Parents must wait patiently for success, because... School work is where the vicious circle of anxiety most often closes. School should remain an area of ​​gentle assessment for a very long time. The pain in the school sphere must be reduced by any means: reduce the value of school grades, that is, show the child that he is loved not for good studies, but loved, valued, generally accepted as his own child, of course, not for something, but in spite of everything. The more we try to educate, to put pressure on, the more resistance grows, which sometimes manifests itself in sharply negative, pronounced demonstrative behavior. As already mentioned, demonstrativeness, hysteria, and capriciousness are generated by the lack of love, attention, affection, and understanding in a child’s life. Each case is best considered individually. We can only give some general recommendations. Reduce all comments to a minimum when the child is “playing tricks,” and most importantly, reduce the emotionality of your reactions to a minimum, because it is precisely emotionality that the child seeks. There is only one way to punish hysterics - deprivation of communication (calm, not demonstrative). Main award- this is kind, loving, open, trusting communication in those moments when the child is calm, balanced, and doing something. (Praise his activities, work, and not the child himself, he still won’t believe it). I like your drawing. I'm glad to see how you work with your constructor, etc.).
1. The child needs to find an area where he could realize his demonstrativeness (clubs, dancing, sports, drawing, art studios, etc.).

Medical recommendations:
For students who have reached 6.5 years of age at the start of their studies, classes are held only in the first shift, no earlier than 8 a.m., over a five-day school week, in compliance with a stepwise regime (in the first quarter - three lessons of 35 minutes each; in the second quarter - four 35 minute lesson). To create such a regime, it is recommended to place the first classes in a separate educational section. The layout of many schools does not allow this; in this case, teachers should be advised to devote the last 10 minutes of the lesson to quiet games, drawing, and watching funny cartoons. From the second half of the year no more than four lessons of 45 minutes each are allowed. After the second or third lesson, a daily dynamic lesson lasting at least 40 minutes should be organized with the organization of outdoor games under the supervision of a teacher in the open air or, in case of adverse weather conditions, in recreation.
Education should be carried out without scoring for the entire year and without homework for the first six months. On Wednesday, a lighter day should be included in the class schedule (subjects less difficult to study or with a dynamic component). An additional week's vacation is required in the middle of the third quarter.
To facilitate adaptation, first-graders’ compliance with the norms of physical activity is of great importance. To do this, the following should be organized for them at school: gymnastics before classes, physical education minutes in class, outdoor games during breaks, a dynamic break - daily, physical education lessons - at least twice a week, as well as extracurricular sports activities. Parents are advised to take their child for a walk every day after school and before bed.
Of course, to facilitate the adaptation of first-graders, it should be organized rational daily routine . Experts recommend, if possible, not to immediately send a first-grader to an extended day group for the whole day; It is highly advisable, at least in the first quarter, to arrange for the child one or two days completely or partially free from “extended school”.
First grade students can participate in sections and clubs (mainly physical education and aesthetic classes should be recommended): no more than two clubs are recommended with a total duration of classes of no more than 6 hours per week. It is recommended to start doing homework no earlier than 16:00. Children’s daily routine should include a period of quiet rest after lunch; it is possible to organize nap for children who do not attend an extended day group. The duration of nightly sleep for first-graders should be at least 9.5 hours, and playing on the computer and watching TV shows should not exceed 1 hour per day.
The first grade of school is one of the most difficult periods in a child's life. When entering school, a child is influenced by the class group, the personality of the teacher, a change in routine, an unusually long restriction of physical activity, and the emergence of new responsibilities.
Adapting to school, the child’s body mobilizes. But it should be borne in mind that the degree and pace of adaptation is individual for everyone, so each child requires help and great patience from all the adults around him.

Autumn has begun, and many children have become first-graders. It would seem that both the kids themselves and their parents had been preparing for this moment for a long time. But the transition from kindergarten to school is usually associated with many different psychological problems.

This includes the inability to sit for a long time without moving, a change in routine, which causes irritability, nervousness, and increased moodiness. The period of adjustment can last quite a long time, especially if the parents not only do not help the child, but also constantly increase their demands, scold them for every mistake, and force them to rewrite their homework many times. If you do not come to the child’s aid at this moment, this may cause a persistent dislike for school activities, which will accompany the child throughout the entire period of schooling.

How to help a first-grader adapt to school more quickly, read the advice from psychologists collected for you by the website portal

First-grader knowledge

TO first-grader knowledge Lately the demands have been too high. If previously children who could read before school were considered the smartest and could immediately take leading positions in academic performance, now the ability to read, know the entire alphabet, write and count have become a requirement when entering first grade. In addition, many schools began to conduct exams before entering school.

At such exams, the child must demonstrate his knowledge of logic, fluent reading skills, in which the child is simply obliged to read a certain number of characters per minute, and solve fairly complex mathematical examples and problems. If a child cannot cope, he may well not be accepted or his parents may be required to pay for education at this school. All this creates an extremely tense environment, both for children and for parents of future first graders.

Adaptation of first-graders to school

The speed of adaptation of first-graders to school. Parents must clearly understand the rule: no matter how strictly the teacher treats the child, at home the child should have the opportunity to relax and unwind. There should be constant goodwill and support here. Even if you know that the child is wrong, that he did not cope with some of the teacher’s requirements, at home he will always have the opportunity to be listened to and understood. In any case, this rule should apply during the first year of study. At this stage, his attitude towards school in principle is formed. Whether he will love the learning process or whether going to school will be accompanied by a desire to go to the nearest park - this directly depends on the current behavior of the parents and the formation of a positive attitude towards school in the child.

Adaptation program for first-graders

Adaptation program for first-graders can be divided into physiological, psychological and social. As for the physiological part of adaptation, it is unthinkable without a fairly clear daily routine, which should be as close as possible to the usual. You should not cancel daytime sleep if your baby is used to it. But even if he has not slept during the day for a long time, during this period, especially in the first two to three months of training, it is worth introducing at least short-term daytime rest. Try not to leave your baby in an extended group; he needs to relax in his usual home environment.

Walk with him longer, breathe in the fresh autumn air. The assigned homework should not be done immediately after returning home, but it should not be left until late in the evening. It is optimal to finish all lessons before the whole family gathers at home. First, you should help your child complete tasks. But as he gets used to it, try to leave him more time and space for independent studies, bringing everything only to the final check.

It is best to devote evening time to free time, games, and communication with household members. Before going to bed, teach your child to pack his briefcase for tomorrow and prepare his clothes. Your child should be put to bed early, even if this is not customary in your family. Adequate sleep helps to quickly restore the nervous system, cope with stress, and avoid the occurrence of diseases that are so characteristic of this period.

Psychological adaptation of first-graders

An indicator of psychological adaptation is the fact that a child goes to school with joy, prepares his homework with pleasure, and willingly talks about all the events that happen to him at school. The reverse reaction shows that the baby has not yet adapted and needs help.

Try to delve into all the problems that your child tells you about. You shouldn’t make fun of him, shame him, and even more so, cite him as an example of those children who cope better with the learning process. As practice shows, this only leads to irritation, reluctance to share their experiences with parents and hidden hatred of more successful classmates.

Try to praise your child more often, even the smallest and most insignificant successes. Remember that constant criticism convinces the child that he is a loser, that striving for success is useless, anyway, they are always unhappy with him. You shouldn’t look up to someone else, because everyone has their own abilities, talents, and character. Those parents and teachers who are trying to bring the entire children's team to the same level are wrong. Celebrate only your child's obvious successes. Praise that he learned something he didn’t know before, read better, wrote better.

Help him if he can’t cope with something, teach and show him, but don’t do everything for him, develop independent work skills.

Social adaptation of first-graders

Perhaps this is the most difficult stage, especially for those children who did not attend preschool. How to teach a child to get along with classmates, find friends, and avoid conflicts? After all, at school, unfortunately, the teacher mainly pays attention to the educational process, and only the most talented teachers pay attention to the atmosphere in the children's group.

Therefore, here, too, parents should come to the rescue. Listen carefully to all the complaints and requests of the child; perhaps this period is the most important in the formation of subsequent trust and the emergence of friendship between children and parents. Try not only to feel sorry for your child, but also try to find fair ways out of conflict situations. If necessary, meet with the parents of those children with whom your child communicates, draw the teacher’s attention to some points that worry or worry your child.

Always remember that only you can protect and protect your child, but also only you can teach him to respect and protect others.

Time frame for first-graders to adapt to school

Typically, the time it takes for first-graders to adapt to school ranges from three months to a year. Some people get used to school very quickly, others need more time. It all depends on the situation in the family, on the support of parents, on the atmosphere that will surround school activities.

If the child is praised, if he manages to do what is required, then the adaptation process will be much shorter and smoother. Do not regret the time and effort spent, because it is during this period that you lay down and form stereotypes associated with the learning process, which will affect the entire future life of your child.

Watch and listen to a psychologist’s opinion on how first-graders are adapting to school:

And here’s another story about how best to help your baby adapt quickly:

How to help hyperactive children go through the adaptation period faster:

Primary general education

Primary school of the XXI century

UMK Steps to school

Steps to school

Tips for an elementary school teacher: how to help a first-grader adapt to new conditions

What should teachers do to ensure that learning becomes not a burden, but a joy for children?

According to recent studies, 90% of children do not want to go to school. For comparison: in the 1970–1971 school year, the statistics were diametrically opposite - 90% of children really wanted to study in first grade.

What is the reason for such a drastic change? What should teachers do to ensure that learning becomes not a burden, but a joy for children?

Leading experts in the field of preschool and primary education answer these and other important questions. Maryana Bezrukikh, director of the Institute of Developmental Physiology of the Russian Academy of Education, academician, Doctor of Biological Sciences, professor, laureate of the Presidential Prize in the field of education, and corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Education, laureate of the Presidential Prize of the Russian Federation in the field of education Natalia Vinogradova.

It is important to note that Maryana Bezrukikh is the author of the program for preschoolers “Steps to School”, and Natalya Vinogradova is the author of the teaching materials “Primary School of the 21st Century”, published by the joint publishing group “Drofa” - “Ventana-Graf”. They also wrote a number of books dedicated to preparing children for school.

What qualities and competencies should a primary school teacher have? What techniques should be in his arsenal in order to help a first-grader adapt to new conditions?

Maryana Bezrukikh:

“A modern school needs a competent, qualified teacher who can take into account the individual characteristics of children (and today the number of children experiencing developmental problems is growing). For example, we have approximately 25% of slow children who cannot keep up with the general pace of activity. And the teacher expects an immediate answer, and if the child does not live up to his expectations, the teacher often stops asking him, puts him in the back desk, and the student turns into an outcast. This situation threatens to end in neurosis for the child. To prevent this from happening, we must teach the teacher to work in small groups, each of which is offered different tasks. In primary school it is necessary to abandon frontal teaching methods.

There are no special techniques to help a first-grader adapt to school, but there are certain tactics for interacting and working with children that help relieve stress and tension in the first weeks of classes.

The adaptation process is quite long: psychological adaptation takes about 4 weeks, but physiological adaptation takes longer - 6–8 weeks. It should be taken into account that children need to get used not only to the new regime and new activity, but also to the teacher: to the tempo and timbre of his speech, to the requirements, to the expression of emotions, etc.

Children are very responsive to any manifestations of attention and support, they need this attention and experience real pain and suffering if they are not paid attention to, failures are emphasized, and they are shamed in front of everyone.

In the first weeks of training, children are especially acutely aware of their ineptitude, awkwardness, and failures, so the teacher should under no circumstances emphasize this or demonstrate his disapproval. Of course, it is important what the teacher says, but the look, facial expressions, and intonation can be no less eloquent. Children are very sensitive to these manifestations.

The first weeks of training are a period of very high physical and psychological stress on the body.. Children are very tired, overwhelmed with impressions, and sometimes they return home completely exhausted. They can be fussy and whiny, restless and anxious; it is also difficult for them to concentrate on all lessons and control their activities.

The teacher must be ready to take into account all these features and rebuild the methodology and technology of organizing classes. The main thing is not to rush or rush in the first months of training, since it is during this period that the formation of writing, reading and counting skills begins; what is not learned and consolidated at the initial stages is sometimes not compensated for throughout all the years of training.”

Teaching and learning complex “Steps to school”
14 bright workbooks and a book for teachers, educators and parents will help prepare 5-6 year old children for school, and will also be useful in working with first graders. Competent speech, mathematical concepts, spatial thinking, artistic skills - the manuals are aimed at developing these necessary skills in older preschoolers. The educational complex makes it possible to diagnose problematic aspects and create an individual lesson plan for each child in preparation for first grade.

Natalya Vinogradova:

“A teacher should not have any special qualities in order for children to successfully adapt to school life. Any teacher in accordance with his professional duties should know that:

• The adaptation period is not some negative moment in a child’s life, but an objective reality: having found himself in new conditions, a person must get used to them and adapt. What is “bad” is not the adaptation process itself, but its negative manifestations, that is, maladaptation;


• this happens if the teacher does not understand that during the adaptation period (it lasts 2–3 months - according to the law of psychology! - and much longer if the conditions for adaptation are violated) the child has not yet become a schoolchild; indicators of a preschooler. This means that a first-grader does not know how to accept the demands of an adult and cannot set himself the simplest educational tasks (voluntary activity is not fully formed). This means that the child is still on his own, at best in the “student-teacher” system, but the first grader is not yet a member of the class team and does not understand that he is a member of the educational community. This means that the child behaves like a capricious granddaughter, a quarrelsome son, an overly talkative grandson, who does not yet want to consider that he is not alone and all whims and bad moods must be left at home. And all this should not irritate either the teacher or the parents!

Based on this, a good teacher:

• will not immediately overwhelm children with learning tasks, but will offer games in which the learning task is “hidden”. He will pay special attention to the hour of rest from lessons prescribed by the regime and think through their mobile game structure. During the adaptation period, there will be no “combined” lessons, when children write (read, count, talk, etc.) for all 35 minutes of the lesson. The lesson, as a rule, is “fractional”: 10 minutes of reading, 10 minutes of writing, 10 minutes of listening, etc. This rule applies to the entire first grade, but must be especially followed in the first three months of training;


• will not make comments over trifles (“you’re sitting wrong, why are you looking out the window, don’t look into your neighbor’s notebook, listen carefully, look carefully...”). All requirements are introduced gradually, carefully, persistently repeated in a friendly tone and always end with a colon - the teacher every time calmly explains why this should be done.

Line UMK N. F. Vinogradova. Literary reading (1-4)
Textbooks introduce younger schoolchildren to the genres of folklore and fiction, include tasks for analyzing text and practicing reading techniques, help develop speech, and become familiar with the basics of bibliography. Education in 1st grade begins with basic language competencies, then children learn to perceive texts of different genres and directions.

It is very dangerous to emotionally push children away from you during the adaptation period. An authoritarian teacher does not allow people to cuddle up to him, look into his eyes, God forbid, hug him... Emotionally positive contact is very important during this period. A good teacher knows that you can make a hundred thousand comments to a restless child and he will still continue to carry out his plans, but if you approach him, calmly, a little casually and casually put your hand on his shoulder (while continuing to communicate with the class), and the “violator” calm down... The teacher must be able to “take away” the children’s bad mood for themselves.

Contact between teachers and parents is also very important. During this period, the teacher’s advice is especially important that there should be a calm environment in the family, increased time for walks, and for many children - for sleep after coming from school. No classes that repeat tasks at school are allowed during this period. And also no negative assessments of school life!

There is no need to burden yourself with additional classes in various clubs and sections in the first year of study. All this can be done after the child has gotten used to school.”

Olga DASHKOVSKAYA

*Since May 2017, the united publishing group "DROFA-VENTANA" has been part of the Russian Textbook corporation. The corporation also includes the Astrel publishing house and the LECTA digital educational platform. Alexander Brychkin, a graduate of the Financial Academy under the Government of the Russian Federation, Candidate of Economic Sciences, head of innovative projects of the DROFA publishing house in the field of digital education, was appointed General Director.