How to prepare your child for school

Even if the child is only 3-4-5 years old, it’s time to think about preparing for school. This is especially true for those children who were raised without attending kindergarten or who were not visited by governesses or nannies. Not only must a modern first-grader have a certain amount of knowledge, the child must be ready for school psychologically. So, the topic of the article is how to prepare your child for school.

What time should I send my child to school?

This question haunts the minds of mothers. And the legion of parents split into two parts on this issue. So at what age, 6 or 7, is it better to send a child to an educational institution?

Some believe that 6 years is the optimal age. The parents themselves went to school at the age of 6, they liked everything and the baby will also be happy with this choice.  The opposite side believes that not earlier than 7 years. Like, don’t cut short your child’s childhood.

Psychologists say that it is after the age of 7 that children experience a personality crisis and a change in the dominant hemisphere of the brain. After which the child becomes ready for school. There is also a theory that it is by the age of 7 that a child becomes aware of the word “must”. A 6-year-old child does only what he wants, exploring the world more through play.

Child under 7 years old doesn't know how to obey, that is, an attempt to follow school rules early can result in a serious psychological problem. For example, a child will not want to go to the municipal educational institution, invent illnesses for himself and believe in them.

A 6-year-old child is not assiduous. Sitting calmly in one place for 45 minutes is a difficult, and sometimes impossible, task for him. Thus, we see that an attempt to introduce a child to school early is more like violence against the individual. It’s clear that every parent wants to raise a genius and child prodigy. But no one tries to bring a child into the world ahead of schedule because they want to.   Everything is good in due time, if the child has all the necessary skills and wants to go to school at the age of 6, then, of course, give it.

What a child should know for school

In addition to the standard set of knowledge - read, count, write letters, The child must be prepared psychologically. But more on that a little later. So, a first grader must:

• know numbers from 1 to 10, in forward and reverse order;
• be able to solve simple examples, such as name the missing number;
• understand the phrases “more”, “less”, “equally”;
• know what simple geometric shapes look and are called and make applications with them;
• distinguish between vowels and consonants;
• be able to read and comprehend what you read;
• capable of playing “Words”;
• hold a pen/pencil correctly;
• know the alphabet and a few words in a foreign language;
• be able to trace in cells, repeat the contours of a figure, and hatch;

It is very easy to teach a child all these skills; the main thing is to correctly organize the learning process in game. You can start learning as early as 3 years old. The main thing is to believe in your child’s success and be patient.

How to prepare your child for school

First of all, you need to teach your child order, schedule, and perseverance. Create a clear schedule on what day of the week your child will study what. Of course, Saturday and Sunday are official days off. It is not recommended to do home exercises longer than 20 minutes, but it is better to start with 10-15.

Spelling lessons should be based on knowledge of the alphabet. It is best to teach your child to write in block letters. This will contribute to the acquisition of reading skills.

It is better to learn mathematics starting with counting. With your child, count the number of family members, sweets in the vase, etc. Be sure to set aside 5 minutes to review what you have already covered. All acquired skills can be consolidated in drawing or modeling lessons from plasticine.

Be sure to teach your child a foreign language, at least one that you know yourself. Point to an object and say its name in 2 languages.

The more your child knows and can do, the more confident he will feel in class and among his peers. You can download a textbook for first grade and begin to carefully master the program, introducing similar tasks in a playful way.