Stating that each child's learning process is different, Specialist Clinical Psychologist Özge Bilir said, “Your child may want you with him/her on the first days of school. Parents need to be able to maintain a consistent and parallel attitude. You should take a decisive and clear stance. By making an explanation, you should enable him to remove the question marks in his mind.”
Acıbadem Bodrum Hospital Specialist Clinical Psychologist Özge Bilir gave important information to parents in order to facilitate the school adaptation process of children who will start school for the first time and students who will continue their education life from where they left off. First of all, Psychologist Bilir emphasized the importance of choosing the right age range for the before and after school period, and stated that the choice of school is just as important.
Pointing out that children who will enter a period that they have not experienced before and are not used to may be anxious, Psychologist Bilir said, “Moving away from the comfort zone, changing the habitual sleeping and eating patterns, encountering new environments and many unfamiliar people can cause an increase in children's stress and anxiety levels. For this reason, your child may want you with him/her on the first days of school. Parents need to be consistent. You should take a decisive and clear stance. You should help him/her to clear his/her question marks by explaining. Knowing at what time you will pick him up from school and that he can reach you when he needs you will increase his confidence.”
“Tell him that there are new boundaries he needs to follow”
Stating that it is necessary to inform the child in a realistic and honest way in order to positively affect the school adaptation period, Psychologist Bilir said that knowing the situations they will face about the school, the new order, classmates, teachers, rules at home and at school will enable children to prepare themselves for this new situation. She said that the child should not see school as a place of authority and harsh rules; however, it is necessary to talk about the fact that the rules or flexibility they are used to at home are not valid at school and that there will be new boundaries and frameworks that they will have to follow. She added that adaptation programs that introduce the school and aim to soften the transition process will also contribute to this psychological preparation process of the child.
Psychologist Bilir said that going shopping together to increase motivation, buying school supplies by respecting the child's opinion and offering him/her options can increase the desire to go to school.
“The adaptation process is different for every child”
Stating that the adaptation process does not progress at the same time and at the same level in every child, Psychologist Bilir said, “Many factors such as age, temperament, learning level, attention deficit, behavioral and psychological disorders, upbringing, parental attitude play a role here. Course success should not be taken as a priority, attention should be paid to observing whether they can adapt or not. It is important to be in open communication with teachers and guidance counselors. Professional help should be sought if necessary.”
Stating that it is not right to make comparisons by showing examples of their friends who quickly adapt to school in this process, Bilir warned, “Making comparisons with peers and reflecting this to your child may cause a decrease in self-confidence and negative self-perception.”
Underlining the motivational effect of exhibiting a supportive and positive attitude, Psychologist Bilir stated that it will increase the motivation of the child to turn the negative perception of the child into a positive one, and added that this motivation will positively affect the later periods of education life, so parents' appreciation of their children where necessary will strengthen the development of self-confidence.
“You should be a guide in troubled situations”
Stating that during this period, the child will meet his/her own age group and social relations will begin to develop, Psychologist Bilir continued his words as follows:
“School is one of the places where the child will learn about life, learn social rules, take responsibility, learn to establish and maintain relationships, and play a major role in personality development. A child who is excluded by his/her friends and not included in games may feel inadequate and withdraw into himself/herself, refuse to go to school and project his/her anger to the outside world. In this process, you should be able to develop constructive solutions and guide him/her in situations where he/she experiences difficulties. It will be extremely important to remove him/her from unrealistic negative thoughts so that he/she can take brave steps.”
Psychologist Bilir emphasized that parents should observe the child's adaptation to school by proceeding patiently without pressure, and said, “If your anxiety level is high, this will be reflected in your child's emotional reactions and behaviors. Therefore, you should pay attention to your own stress management, and if you cannot, you should get support from a specialist.”
