School is a completely new stage in life as a child. To minimize the problems and stress associated with it, you need to prepare for the first grade well in advance.
At what age should you start preparing for school?
Teaching your child the skills necessary for school is a very neat and gradual process. In principle, the most general and easy developmental tasks can and should be given from the age of three, very slowly increasing the complexity of the tasks. Make sure that exercises and games are appropriate not only for age, but also for the individual characteristics of your child. Perhaps at the age of 3, he will click tasks like nuts, or perhaps he will need help. Do not be afraid, help the kid and patiently select the required level of tasks. It is very important not to discourage the craving for knowledge during this difficult period! Therefore, be sure to praise him for his efforts and for a well-performed exercise.
Do not worry if you decide to start preparing for school only at the age of 5. The development of a child at this age already allows you to prepare for school at a more intense and faster pace. But, again, watch how the baby reacts to such loads. If the preparation dragged on for up to 6 years, and next year you are going to send him to school, then it is best to send him to specialized training courses. Educators and psychologists will be able to cope with this task in the shortest possible time and will give you recommendations for home teaching. Such courses exist on the basis of many schools, so when planning to send your child to school, you can ask if they teach preparatory courses there. So the kid will get used to the school environment and learn the knowledge that he will need in the first grade of this particular school.
How often should you practice?
Classes should be held daily. Of course, these should not be school loads of 5-6 hours a day, but small meaningful lessons of 15-20 minutes. Gradually increase the duration to 35-40 minutes, keeping an eye on the child's fatigue. If he no longer has the strength to do the exercise, take a break and give the task a little easier. It is useful to use an hourglass in class (or an ordinary one, if the baby already knows how to navigate in them) so that he learns to feel the time and adjust the pace of his work in accordance with it.
Be sure to have a lesson plan and try to stick to it, adjusting topics as needed. Each lesson should begin with a repetition of the previous material, exercises and games should not be the same type all the time, try to diversify them. Choose colorful stimuli to keep your child engaged.
What subjects should be included in the program?
Mathematics. It is necessary to teach the kid to count from 0 to 10 and from 10 to 0. It is desirable to bring the counting in direct order to 100. The child should be able to solve simple arithmetic problems, add and subtract numbers within 10, navigate in terms of more / less. Counting is also necessary in matters of general development: the child must know how many seasons, months, days of the week, times of the day exist.
Geometry and drawing. You need to know the names of the main geometric shapes and be able to depict them. In addition, the baby should easily navigate in space and on a piece of paper: where is left, where is right, where is the upper right corner on the sheet, etc. Graphic dictations and copying of a drawing by cells should become a mandatory part of the program in this section.
Russian language. This subject includes many of the most important aspects of development: writing, speaking and reading. By school you need to know the alphabet, distinguish between letters and sounds, distinguish between vowels and consonants, be able to highlight syllables in a word, be able to write in block letters. It is advisable at this age to compose a harmonious story from a picture and know by heart a few simple poems.
Natural science and the world around. This is a section of the most general information in which the baby should:
- Know colors and examples for them;
- Know the names of animals and plants;
- To distinguish living from non-living and their representatives from each other.;
- Know the names of the main professions, sports, musical instruments, construction tools, dishes, furniture, etc.;
- Know the dates and names of major holidays.
Logics. By the age of 6, it is necessary to navigate the signs of objects, to distinguish and compare objects by them, to find excess in a group of objects.
Motor skills. By school, the kid must own his own hands: hold a pen and pencil tightly, be able to clearly depict what he has conceived, be able to work with small objects (drawing, modeling, collecting constructors).
There are a number of general questions that a kid should definitely know when entering first grade:
- Your full name and parents;
- Your address (including country and city);
- Day and month of your birth.
Thus, having collected the necessary materials in advance and having built an individual training program, you will be able to independently prepare your baby for admission to the first grade. But training courses based on the future school will never be superfluous.
