“Mom, when can I finally go to school?” Finally being a schoolchild and belonging to the big boys – the first day of school is something very special for every child. But just as great as the anticipation are the new challenges that await the little ABC shooters. “Get your offspring excited about school,” advises Nicole Knaack, health promotion expert at Techniker Krankenkasse, to parents of little school starters. “The more fun a child has at school, the better. Because happy children learn more easily.” School starters who trust their own abilities and who have already learned to take on small tasks independently have an especially easy time at the beginning.
The “serious side of life” begins
Starting school is a big break in life: While in kindergarten the focus was still on playing together, schoolchildren have to learn in a concentrated way. Sitting still for an entire school hour can sometimes be difficult for the lively school starters. And that’s not all: finding their way around the class community, getting used to the new daily routine and the class teacher is not easy for every child.
“If you tell your offspring about exciting books and new friends instead of immediately painting the devil on the wall, you make it much easier for them to get started,” says Knaack. Sayings such as “Now begins the seriousness of life” and “There this nonsense is already driven out to you” only make fear and paralyze any curiosity.
Secure children have it easier
Children who have confidence in themselves quickly get used to the new procedures. Strengthening his children’s self-confidence from an early age is therefore the best preparation for school. Nicole Knaack: “It’s important that parents let their children do things for themselves, such as making their own bread or setting the table. Allowing the child to do these things means believing in his abilities. And when his parents trust him, he develops confidence in himself.”
Parents should especially support their offspring’s passions and talents. Experiences of success in painting, singing or on the sports field, for example, boost self-confidence.
Changes for the child…
The little ABC shooters not only have to get used to being away from home for longer, in many respects a new independence is suddenly demanded of them. They have to manage the way to school, do their homework and subordinate their own needs – such as rattling off immediately when something is on their mind – to predetermined tasks.
Children who learn to get dressed and undressed, make phone calls and pay for small purchases on their own before they start school, for example, now have an easier time of it. Regular pocket money helps them get used to handling money. And even preschoolers can take on small chores around the house and take care of the guinea pig or family dog to practice reliability and responsibility.
… And also for the parents
But it’s not just for school starters that a new phase of life begins; things change for parents, too. With the first teacher, an important new caregiver enters the children’s lives. The key here is to be able to let go! If the little ones rave about their teacher, this is no reason to be jealous. And first graders in particular still need a lot of support from their parents. For example, they first need to learn how to do their homework.
“In the beginning, it helps children if someone is nearby when they do their homework and is open to questions,” says TK expert Knaack. “The best way to motivate is praise. Constant criticism unsettles.” Parents should also not sit by all the time or even solve tasks themselves. After all, the goal is for children to be able to manage their homework on their own by the second school year at the latest.
