Starting Kindergarten

Most favorable age for children to start kindergarten is between 3 and 5 years.

Prepare a child for the thought of kindergarten beforehand, of necessity to attend it. The first thing you should do, - is staying with a child less, than you usually do (about a month before he starts kindergarten).

Secondly, tell him about kindergarten in details, go there with him, so that he would have his own idea about it. Tell a baby you’re very proud of him – you know, he’s so big already and can go to a kindergarten by himself. But don’t make a problem of this situation, don’t speak about coming change in his life every day. Prepare a baby to communication with other children and adults: visit children parks and squares, teach him to playing in playpits, on swing. Go to holidays, friends’ birthdays with him, watch his behavior: whether he is shy, retires from other children, conflicts, fights or, to the contrary, gets on well with his coevals, is open for communication and relaxed.

When you choose a kindergarten, the main its criterion are teachers and children, not comfortable and beautiful interior. Come to a kindergarten and observe children: whether they are happy and like this place. A good kindergarten is a very noisy place. If you don’t hear hue-and-cry for a 30 minutes, and also bursts of laughter, search another kindergarten for your baby. Meet teachers beforehand, tell them about your baby’s peculiarities, his likes and dislikes, which help he needs, determine methods of encouragement and punishment, appropriate for your baby.

Since the very beginning help your baby to enter kindergarten easily. You know, he’s leaving home for the first time in his life, moves away from you, although only for several hours. During first days after starting kindergarten don’t leave a baby alone at once, it’s better for him to let you go. And, when you part, don’t forget to assure him you will come back for him surely.

When you leave – part with a baby easily and quickly. Of course, you are worrying for his stay at kindergarten, but long leave-takings with worried face will cause anxiety in a baby, as he will understand something can happen to him here and he won’t let you go for a long. If a baby feels difficulties while parting his mom, then father should lead him to kindergarten during first several weeks.

Give a baby his favorite toy with him, try to persuade him leaving it in a kindergarten for a night and meet with it in the morning again. If a baby does not agree, allow him taking his toy with him every day and introduce it to other children, ask a baby about things happening with a toy in a kindergarten, who made friends with it, who offended, whether it felt sad. Thus, you will learn a lot about the way your baby manages to get used to a kindergarten.

During first days some children get tired very much in a kindergarten because of new impressions, new friends, activity, big quantity of people. If a baby comes home exhausted and nervous, this does not mean he cannot get used to a kindergarten. Probably, you need to take such baby from a kindergarten earlier, or leave him at home 1-2 times a week. Play with a baby using home toys, imitate kindergarten, each toy will be a child. Observe what this or that toy does, says, help it finding friends with your baby, solve your baby’s problems through it, orienting game on positive results.

It happens that a baby does not accept a teacher: “I won’t go to her, she cries, she’s angry” etc. if this repeats every day, then you just should send your baby to other group. Protect him from suffering and communication with unpleasant people. Your baby’s “second mom” should resemble you as for her educative methods, have an ability to consider and understand originality and individuality of each child. Don’t hurry to choose a kindergarten for your baby, be observant and prudent. It’s bad if you have to change kindergartens too often. It’s better for a baby to attend the same kindergarten. It’s not so awful to change it once, but 6 or 7 times – it’s already harmful.

Don’t send your baby to a kindergarten only because you gave birth to another one, even if this will lighten your life. Your elder son or daughter will feel that an uninvited guest appeared in a house and treat your decision as his/her banishment, making a conclusion that you prefer a newborn one to him/her. So, if you, expecting a baby, still decide to send an elder one to a kindergarten, do this beforehand, before baby birth.

The main purpose of a kindergarten is to give a child a possibility to communicate and play with coevals. And no matter how good a kindergarten is, don’t make an irreparable mistake – don’t think it can replace a family.

source from http://www.baby-health.net