It’s your baby’s first big social experience. Firsts always loaded with problems and challenges that some parents see as a crushing burden; leading them to imagine that their baby has some kind of a psychological disorder. Or sometimes the nursery isn’t good enough and other weird scenarios we don’t blame them for. Education specialists reassure you that you are not alone in this. Hence, a set of problems takes place during every child’s first year of nursery ; but the good news is that these challenges are commonplace. Moreover, you can properly address by cooperation between parents and the nursery.
5 Challenges You May Encounter in Your Child’s First Year at Nursery
The First Problem: Separation Anxiety
It is quite predictable that separation anxiety tops the list as the most common problem. This perfectly natural feeling can be overcome by preparing your child for this new phase- talk to him or her about all the nice things they’ll do there, get them excited about making new friends and spending fun times playing with them.
Aware of this, at Little Academy, we spend a great deal of time and exert much effort to soothe your child’s anxieties; to settle well into the new environment of the nursery. We embrace their fears especially in the first year of nursery and turn them into something productive by getting them involved in creative arts activities for stress relief.
The Second Problem: Refusing to go to the Toilet
Refusing to go to the toilet comes second. Your child’s ‘No’ doesn’t come from nowhere, it might emerge from feelings of embarrassment or fear of having the teacher accompany him or her to the toilet because they are used to their parents doing everything for them. You can solve this problem at home by getting them used to use the toilet alone and convincing them that the teacher is like a mother who cares for their cleanliness and hygiene. That should be enough to convert their embarrassment into gratitude.
The Third Problem: Refusing Food at Nursery
It might look like a real challenge. Many children during their first time in the nursery refuse to have any food at the nursery. Parents can seek help from friends or family members to take their children out for lunch without them. This would help them recognize it is a natural thing to eat alone, without their parents, and outside home. At Little Academy, we make sure children have their meals at the same time to encourage them and let them have fun eating together.
The Fourth Problem: Be More Aggressive
A lot of parents notice that their children display changed patterns of behaviors as they tend to get more aggressive or more introverted. You first need to make sure your child hasn’t been a victim of violence or bullying at the nursery. But more often than not, these changes can be a natural reaction to getting exposed to a different environment. You can overcome this challenge by having stress release activities with your child such as drawing, dancing, and drama performances, which is something we take good care of at Little Academy Nursery. We also make sure the children understand the importance of participating in these activities.
The Fifth Problem: The Only child or Spoiled one
The fifth problem usually faces parents of the only child or the really spoiled one. This child punishes his or her parents for sending them to the nursery out of a belief that they are being denied their right to stay with them. The child doesn’t understand why you would want to separate him from you. Feeling undesired, they would stop being intimate with their parents or even show signs of violence towards them.
The solution is in your hands:
1. Explain to your child that each person should spend some time in a certain place for purposes of work, studying or even entertainment.
2. Also, children need to understand that sending them to the nursery does not mean get rid of them.
3. Tell them that you always miss them more when they are not around.
4. Seeing your child at the end of the day, be evidently warm.
5. Receive them also with warm hugs and kisses to help them believe you love and miss them, too.