Erkut Koç, Child Development Specialist at Niğde Ömer Halisdemir Training and Research Hospital, explained what needs to be done for children who have problems with school adaptation.
Erkut Koç warned families about children's television viewing and internet usage times and emphasized that children should be given certain responsibilities. Koç said, “With the opening of schools, children are entering a long road and there are things we need to do on this long road. The child should be given responsibility. For example, they should be given responsibilities such as preparing their own clothes and lunchboxes. This responsibility should not be limited to school life. They should also be allowed to help with simple tasks at home. Responsibilities such as growing a plant or feeding an animal will also be effective in developing the child's self-confidence.”
“Goodbyes should be kept short with children who have school adaptation problems”
Giving advice to parents about the adaptation problems experienced by children who have just started school life, Koç said the following: “Children starting school may experience adjustment difficulties. They may have difficulty achieving things on their own and may experience separation anxiety. When this problem is experienced, goodbyes should be kept short. Children who do not want to be separated from their mothers can be taken to school by a relative or their father. We should be very clear when the child has crying crises, but if those crises continue all day with complaints of abdominal pain, then a specialist should be sought for help.”
“Screen time in children should not exceed half an hour”
Koç added that it is not right to punish children who have problems adapting to school and compare them with other children, and emphasized the importance of chatting with children. Koç said, “We need to chat with our children for at least 15 minutes after they come home from school. We should ask questions like 'what did you do at school today', but we should never ask questions like 'what kind of mischief did you do'. Reading books should be practiced. In no way should they be compared to their peers. Cartoons are not thought to be harmful, but exposure to the screen should not be for long periods of time. Not only television, but also phones, computers, tablets, all of these should not exceed half an hour in total. Especially the mistakes made to children in the young age group may be confronted when they become adults.”
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