Although physical and mental development differ, each child needs to socialize with their peers and explore their individuality, interests, and abilities. By 36 months in general, the child is ready to go to kindergarten.
He/she may not want to leave his/her mother or the person who cares for him/her before this age. So it is better not to force the child before the age of 3. If your child has sufficient language development, fine motor movements and body coordination to hold the pen or fork, and can listen and follow the instructions, he/she can now go to a nursery around the age of 3. If he/she starts kindergarten without fully completing his/her development, he/she may lose his/her self-confidence, he/she may think that the school is a method of punishment by his/her family, he/she may be very aggressive or vice versa. In short, his personality can be negatively affected in every sense. In fact, going to kindergarten for a long time can become a phobia.
Time to Socialize
The 3-year-old child, who feels safe under the wings of his mother at home, also learns how peer communication should be in the classroom where he/she will feel peaceful and comfortable under the direction of the teacher. The egocentric child who was shivering at home is now a member of a class. Although he/she is in the same environment as his/her peer before the age of 3, the child who does not know how to play together learns to play together in the kindergarten and share his/her toy. Underlining that mothers’ attitudes are also important for the period of acclimation to preschool education, where families often experience difficulties, Child Development Specialist Özge Selçuk Bozkurt, who is part of the Canbebe Expert Team, said: “Families as well as children should be ready for preschool education. If the mother is experiencing stress and anxiety, the child feels it. Even if the mother has anxiety, she should never reflect this to the child. Briefly explain to your child that the school you choose is a good school. The word teacher is a new concept for your child. Explain that he/she can trust his/her teacher, ask for water, ask permission when he/she comes to the toilet and go together if necessary. Gradually familiarize your child with the school during the orientation days, known as the first period of schooling. Spend less time at school. You choose the school and register, but you do not have the opportunity to choose the teacher in advance. The person who will be in a one-on-one relationship with your child is the teacher. If possible, meet the teacher before sending your child to school and always strive to be in good communication. Cooperation with the school always reflects positively on your child. Never criticize your child’s teacher or the educational institution he/she goes to. Sometimes starting 1 week after the school opens also helps your child get used to it easily because the child who cries a lot in the environment in the first days and the anxious parents around can increase the excitement of the child even more. The anxiety experienced by the child when starting school can affect all future education life. A child with school phobia may experience crying attacks, insomnia or loss of appetite. In this case, the family should definitely wait for a while, should not take an approach such as going back after school, and should find and solve the main source of the problem with the educators at the school. As schooling is postponed after the age of 3, the child’s adaptation process becomes more difficult. ”
What Preschool Education Gains
After the age of 2, your child, who becomes a little individualized with the small responsibilities you give at home and learns to take responsibility, learns to follow the rules, wait his/her turn, share, and division of labor in a common group with his/her friends from different families with preschool education. Self-confidence develops. He begins to recognize beings, the environment, and different human behaviors. Speaking and listening skills increase. A well-chosen preschool education institution helps the child to adapt easily to primary school in the future and to be academically successful. Child Development Specialist Özge Selçuk Bozkurt, one of the Canbebe Specialists, said, “Kindergarten life is very important in shaping the child. In the development of self-confidence, it is important that the child is doing his/her self-care skills on his/her own. The child who does not want to brush his/her teeth at home, who has difficulty going to the toilet alone, learns to do them himself/herself with trainings such as dental health at school and getting to know my body. Your child, who has difficulty in eating at home and discovering different tastes, learns table manners thanks to school. ” .
The main material in the education of children in preschool education institutions is play. Many concepts such as numbers, letters, colors, animals, fruits and vegetables are always taught through games. Knows how to use the child’s body with the dance and sports activities in the game. The child who discovers himself/herself by playing develops the ability to express his/her emotions. He knows himself and sees what he can and cannot do, his self-confidence increases.