Posted January 3, 2025 by Word_Capsule
Author suggests families can make the settling in period easier as she releases activity book drawing on familiar themes from holidays
With school absenteeism acknowledged as a pressing universal problem, research published in the US School Mental Health journal recently (1) shows that when a child's anxiety, depression or inability to adjust socially in school worsens, their attendance over time is most likely to suffer. Whilst these problems are acknowledged, and the groundwork for access to mental health support in schools is being laid to help address them, (2), author Coral Lindt, who released her new book at this time, says families can help children form simple habits and relevant play to help children adjust.
“I was heartbroken in the past to see highly intelligent children struggling in Kindergarten, not because they couldn't do the work, but because they hadn't adjusted to what was required of them in class”, she said, noting that odd-man-out or naughty-child cycles can set in early and skew a child's relationships with their teachers and peers. “There are so many excellent suggestions and guides from schools and childcare centres”, said Lindt, “but there are definitely things children can learn within their family playtime and routines”, she said.
Lindt says that early classroom setbacks include the lagging of children who lack the pencil grip skills to complete school tasks with a lesson time frame. “Draw, colour, make, build, construct, do puzzles, work those small muscles in the hands! Writing is extremely tiring and frustrating for kids without a good pencil grip and the less you frustrate the child, the easier they can learn. This early experience of success builds more success”, she said.
This kind of play, along with home routines that include the aligning of toileting and hand washing before mealtimes, (Kindergartners waste countless class hours going to the toilet at the wrong times, says Lindt), as well as habits of turn taking, and self discipline in waiting to speak to an adult (for example when a parent is talking to others or on the phone) helps to prepare children for the comparatively regimented world of 'big school'. Here, students are expected to eat and toilet in their breaks and to put up their hand when they want to speak to their teacher.
Taylor's Holiday Wardrobe: Help Taylor choose the right clothes by Coral Lindt and Ale Tadeo Studio is perfect for children developing their fine motor skills with colouring and drawing, as we follow our character on her playdates around the world. The book also encourages counting and dressing for the season. It is available from $2.51 on outlets including kobo.com, lulu.com, and amazon.com in ebook. It is not associated with musical star Taylor Swift. (In paperback later in 2025).
REFERENCES
(1) Rogers, M.A., Klan. A., Oram, R., Krause, A., Whitley, J., Smith, D.J., McBrearty, N. School Absenteeism and Child Mental Health: A Mixed-Methods Study of Internalising and Externalising Symptoms. In School Mental Health (2024) 16: 331-342
(2) Raise the Bar: Mental Health and Wellbeing | U.S. Department of Education
(3) Parents_Guide_to_Starting_School.pdf , Helping Children Adjust to the Beginning Years of Public School , For Families | NAEYC
Image 80342428 courtesy of 123rf.com
Contact Email | [email protected] |
Issued By | Coralie Vernon |
Phone | 61427265550 |
Country | Australia |
Categories | Apparel , Arts , Blogging |
Tags | school refusal , settling in to kindergarten , starting school , good habits for starting school |
Last Updated | January 3, 2025 |