- April 21, 2019
- Children 1-3 years old
- Svetlana Funtova
Kindergarten is the first serious stage on a child’s path to growing up. Despite numerous debates about whether it is worth sending your child to a preschool institution, it is impossible to dispute the benefits that the child receives. Often, working parents simply have no other choice, while others, on the contrary, are confident in the importance of this stage in the life of a little person. Nevertheless, both of them have a question about what age to send their child to kindergarten.
Suitable age
At what age to send a child to kindergarten is first decided at a family council. As a rule, children are brought to preschool at 1-3 years of age, much less often at an older age. Most kindergartens have introduced an informal age limit for children up to one and a half years old. If parents have doubts about the age at which children are sent to kindergarten, they should consult with specialists and educators.
According to psychologists, the optimal age to start attending kindergarten is from 2.5 to 3 years. Children at this age speak quite well and perceive the authority of an adult. Therefore, their adaptation is faster.
At what age are children admitted to kindergarten?
The rules on the admission of children to preschool educational institutions and the work of preschool organizations are considered in the Federal Law “On Education in the Russian Federation”. According to the law, a child must be provided with a place in the kindergarten free of charge. Priority for enrollment in a preschool educational institution is given to children registered near the kindergarten, but the lack of local registration cannot become an obstacle to enrolling a child in a kindergarten (Article No. 8 of the Federal Law-273, dated December 26, 2012).
According to the law, a mother can send her baby to kindergarten from any age - for example, to a nursery at least from the age of six months - the law does not prohibit this.
But basically, the nursery group accepts babies who can already walk well on their own, without support - that is, from about 11-12 months. The main age of children in nursery groups is 1.5 – 2.5 years. Reference. The only obstacle may be a queue - that is, the lack of places in a nursery group or a group for children from three years old. In this case, you can try to place your child in another kindergarten.
Where to start preparing for the garden
If parents experience anxiety and fear about their child going to kindergarten for the first time, it is necessary to get rid of them, since they are passed on to the baby. If the baby feels that his parents are absolutely calm when he is in kindergarten and are confident in his safety, it will be easier for him to overcome the period of adaptation at a new stage of life for him.
To prevent your child from encountering additional difficulties in kindergarten, it is important to instill in him some independence skills.
It is necessary to prepare a child for kindergarten in the following areas:
- The baby must be able to walk and ask to go potty. It is necessary to wean him off diapers long before visiting kindergarten. You can bring the potty from home to make your baby feel more comfortable.
- Ability to use cutlery and eat properly. If before this the baby had to eat chopped food, whole pieces should be gradually introduced into the diet.
- Skills in putting on and taking off clothing and shoes. It is recommended to purchase wardrobe items without complex fasteners and laces.
Among other things, it is important to gradually accustom the child to the kindergarten daily routine: early rise, walks, quiet time, etc. This should be done gradually so as not to expose the little person to stress. You can take a walk from time to time to the location of the proposed kindergarten and watch how the children are having fun playing. This way the child will perceive this place as familiar, and perhaps he himself will want to take part in the kids’ games.
Psychological preparation of children and parents
When parents have decided what time to send their child to kindergarten, they need to prepare him and get ready for the upcoming changes in the family’s life.
First of all, you need to start by changing the daily routine: it should exactly correspond to the kindergarten one. You need to have breakfast, lunch and afternoon snacks at the same times as in preschool. Daytime sleep should last as long as quiet time in kindergarten. As a result, adaptation will be easier, since for the baby it will be a familiar regime, simply transferred to another territory. If parents do not know what age to send their child to kindergarten, then it is worth talking with the teacher or head. Typically, the optimal age is 3 years.
Parents need to be patient and allow the child to be independent. Even if this takes a lot of time at first, the baby must learn to take care of himself: putting on and taking off clothes and shoes, washing his hands, etc. No matter how good the kindergarten is, teachers are sometimes physically unable to pay maximum attention to each child.
Speech is of great importance. It is clear that in kindergarten classes, special attention is paid to the development of the child’s speech abilities. At the same time, he must be able to communicate with other children and tell the teacher about his needs.
In addition, parents are recommended to visit places where children gather, such as playgrounds, sports complexes, and parks, with their children as often as possible. This way, the baby will have the opportunity to communicate with peers, and he will quickly get used to being in a group.
In the first couple of months, the adaptation period is especially acute, and the child will need to be taken to kindergarten for a short period of time, and not for the full day. In some cases, the reaction to the new environment is manifested by frequent illnesses, therefore, if the mother is on maternity leave, it is recommended to send the child to kindergarten at least 2 months before the planned return to work.
How to determine whether a child is ready for kindergarten?
Most parents skip such an important stage as preparing for kindergarten, believing that there the child will be taught everything. However, this is a fundamentally wrong decision.
Criteria by which you can determine a child’s readiness to enter a preschool institution:
- self-care skills . It’s great if the future pupil knows how to wash his hands, go to the potty, eat on his own, and dress himself. Of course, no one will demand that the child perform these things flawlessly, however, the presence of the listed skills will significantly simplify life in a team;
- health . If a baby is constantly sick, he is hardly ready for kindergarten, because there he will get sick many times more often. In addition, it is mandatory that the child is vaccinated in accordance with the national vaccination schedule;
- there is psychological readiness , that is, the child can do without his parents for some time. If getting used to the garden is gradual (today they left him alone for an hour, tomorrow for two, etc.), then the parents will most likely not have any difficulties, that is, there will be no hysterics, moral trauma, etc.;
- the future student has passed the preparatory stage . This means that the mother spent time introducing the child to the kindergarten, teacher, children, etc. Typically, such preparation begins with visits to the preschool institution, that is, for familiarization. This is necessary for habituation and to facilitate future adaptation.
According to a large-scale study conducted in Russia in 2018, kindergartens were certified according to multiple criteria and received 4 types of assessment - from “excellent” to “unsatisfactory.” The results of a study of 10 thousand preschool institutions were disastrous. No one received “good” or “excellent” grades, so you shouldn’t risk your baby’s health and send him to kindergarten too early.
Adaptation
It is immediately worth noting that there are no children who do not go through an adaptation period. And it doesn’t matter how old the child is. Adaptation takes place both in the nursery group and in preschoolers. This is a completely new stage in a child’s life, which he experiences psychologically and emotionally. Starting with new food, ending with strangers to him. The baby’s immunity is faced with viruses that are new to him, which is why the incidence of illness increases until specific antibodies are formed in the body.
It is impossible to say how long the child’s adaptation will last; it all depends on him. For some, this is a couple of weeks, others may refuse to go to kindergarten until graduation.
Tearfulness, hysteria and illness
The most common psychological problems characteristic of a child who comes to the younger group are tearfulness and hysterics. There is no need to inflate the problem and classify the child as “non-kindergarten”. Only a pediatrician can prescribe sedatives, and only if they are necessary. Parents need to independently find an approach to the baby. The best tactics will be kindness and understanding. Under no circumstances should you scold or force a child, this will only worsen the situation.
As already mentioned, while at home, children are much less likely to encounter viral and infectious diseases than in kindergarten, but there is a downside. Everyone knows: there are many diseases that are best dealt with in childhood, since they can be very dangerous for adults. The immune system, overcoming pathogens that are new to it, becomes stronger. You can reduce the risk of colds, especially during the adaptation period, if you start visiting the kindergarten in the warm season.
What kind of child is “non-kindergartener”?
A child is called a non-sadikovsky when the period of his adaptation is prolonged, however, according to Dr. Komarovsky, such a concept simply should not exist. If you provide the right conditions in the group, encourage visiting the kindergarten and make it interesting, the child will be happy to go there.
It’s another matter if the child suffers from diseases that make attending preschool impossible. If parents manage to find a kindergarten where the staff has medical skills, then children with developmental disabilities may well attend it. In this case, the answer to the question of when is the best time to send your child to kindergarten should be found out from your pediatrician. Since the development of special children differs from the general mass, only a doctor can suggest nuances about the child’s readiness to visit society.
A little about expensive things - private kindergartens
By the way, even without compensation and benefits, municipal kindergartens are quite accessible to citizens, which cannot be said about private preschool educational institutions. The cost of services of such organizations is many times higher and sometimes reaches 25-30 thousand rubles. Of course, good private kindergartens are very different from public ones. The cost of their services, as a rule, includes payment for meals on an individual menu and an expanded education program for children. Enrollment in groups there occurs all year round; such kindergartens accept children under three years of age, so for parents who do not want to lose a highly paid and prestigious job, such preschool educational institutions are a good opportunity to place a child during working hours and not worry about his safety.
Tips for parents
When parents have found out what age to send their child to kindergarten and have decided on a preschool institution, they can be given the following recommendations:
- If parents are persistent and consistent in their actions, the child will realize that kindergarten is a reality that he will have to come to terms with.
- Very often, children refuse to eat kindergarten food; in such cases, you should ask the teacher not to force or force the child. Over time, babies get used to it and begin to eat themselves, albeit selectively.
- It is imperative to warn the staff about the presence of certain diseases of the child and allergies.
- Preparation for the garden begins long before the first visit.
Types of nurseries and enrollment conditions
There are two types of nurseries: private and public.
The latter are the most popular, since the cost in these institutions is much lower than in private ones. Before the actual registration of the baby, it is necessary to determine the purpose of this process. In cases where parents want to send their child to a nursery so that he develops and communicates with other children, while at the same time returning to work, they can choose a state nursery. The only disadvantage of this type of institution is the long queues. There are often situations when the family gets their turn, but their child no longer needs a nursery.
In private nurseries, the main advantage is the availability of free places and, accordingly, the ability to accept children at any time convenient for parents. However, the monthly cost may be too high for a particular family; in Moscow it reaches 30 thousand rubles. As a rule, children from one year old are taken to such nurseries. Small groups are formed so that teachers can devote enough time to each child.
An individual approach is selected for each child, which undoubtedly has another advantage.
Nursery garden at an early age
Some kids tolerate separation from family members much easier than older children. At the same time, psychologists say that it is at an early age that a connection with parents is formed and premature movement to a new environment may not have the best effect on family relationships.
Close emotional contact with mother is one of the main needs of a baby up to 3 years of age. The formation of trust in the world around us in the future depends on it. Starting from the age of one and a half years, children’s anxiety about separation from their parents weakens, so attending kindergarten before this age can cause the deepest stress for the baby.
In addition, before the age of one and a half years, the immune system is not ready for the aggressive environment that it will have to face. What can we say about a new daily routine, unusual food, an unfamiliar place and people - all this can cause frequent and long-term illnesses in a child. Therefore, when deciding whether to send the baby to a nursery, it is important to think about the appropriateness of the action and the possible difficulties that will have to be encountered.
Age limits for visiting a nursery
At the legislative level, there is no clearly defined age at which children are accepted into nurseries.
Today there are fewer government institutions, which is why the number of private organizations that can accept a baby from 8 months has increased, if parents pay monthly fees. There are a number of municipal nurseries that accept children from 9 months. However, the most popular age is 1.5 years, since until this time mothers are paid maternity benefits. Regardless of age, the child must meet a number of requirements, which will be discussed below.
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Federal Law of December 29, 2012 N 273-FZ “On Education in the Russian Federation”
What to pay attention to if a 2-2.5 year old child goes to kindergarten
Sometimes even an outwardly calm child can deeply experience new changes in his life. Here it is important to observe his behavior after starting to visit the younger group. If he sleeps worse and takes longer to fall asleep, becomes whiny, gets sick often, and this reaction continues for more than one month, it means the child is not ready yet and the parents are in a hurry to send him to kindergarten.
Until 2.5-3 years old, children are still attached to their parents and are not particularly interested in communicating and interacting with other children. Therefore, if the family has the opportunity, it is advisable to postpone attending kindergarten for several months.
Should I send my child to kindergarten?
In the modern world, mothers are in a hurry to return to work early from maternity leave. If there are no adults in the family who could look after the child, then kindergarten for children becomes a necessity.
Moms and dads can be divided into two camps. For example, mom is sure that kindergarten brings only negativity, and dad is convinced that kindergarten is necessary for the socialization and preparation of the child for school. Let's figure out whose position is correct and consider all the pros and cons of visiting a kindergarten.
Why you shouldn’t give up your child before 3 years of age
By the age of 3, the child is psychologically ready to distance himself somewhat from the family. He becomes more independent, it is easier for him to remain without parents, and he develops an interest in communicating with other children and learning about the world around him. When parents ask what age to send their child to kindergarten, psychologists focus on this age. Experts advise starting to attend kindergarten in a gentle manner, for a few hours. This way the child will get to know children and, perhaps, make friends with whom he will want to communicate.
A stronger immune system is more resistant to viral attacks. The child becomes emotionally and psychologically prepared to communicate in a new team. Separation from parents is less painful.
Minuses
Frequent illnesses
Many parents, when sending their child to kindergarten, are faced with the fact that the baby begins to get sick much more often; often the days spent in kindergarten turn out to be almost less than those when the baby was unwell and stayed at home. This is what the reaction of children's immunity to a large number of new stimuli looks like; some time must pass for the adaptation period to pass and children's health to improve. If possible, start attending kindergarten in the summer, since the maximum risk of getting sick occurs from October to April.
Stress
For a child, it is a considerable shock to be separated from his mother for the whole day, to be in a new environment, with people unfamiliar at first - teachers and group mates. The baby may become more nervous and capricious, cry more often and sleep worse. For some children, the stressful state goes away quite quickly, others adapt to new conditions over a longer period of time, but, in any case, the child needs parental support and help even more than before.
Eating problems
The kindergarten menu often differs from the child’s usual diet. Even familiar dishes can be prepared differently and the baby may not like it; he loses his appetite and refuses to eat. In addition, if your child is not yet very good at feeding himself, he may have difficulty during meals in kindergarten, eat too slowly and not have time to satisfy his hunger while time passes, for example, breakfast or lunch.
Incompetence of teachers
Unfortunately, it is still not so rare for educators to be far from professionalism and the ability to competently solve various situations when communicating with children. Also more common than we would like are teachers’ impatience and temper, their overly authoritarian or, conversely, too gentle behavior. Get to know the teachers in advance, look for reviews about the kindergarten you want to send your child to in order to minimize the risk of your child having an unpleasant experience.
Changing behavior for the worse
The baby has been going to kindergarten for some time, and gradually you stop recognizing your own child - he becomes more aggressive or whiny, more uptight than before, stops listening to you and uses words that you would not want to hear from a small child in your own home . This may be the influence of both stress and communication with other children in the group.
Your task in this difficult time is to closely monitor the child’s physical and psycho-emotional state, solve emerging problems, and help with adaptation. If the disadvantages outweigh the advantages, then you may one day decide to take your baby out of kindergarten altogether, and in some cases this will be absolutely correct, since the child’s psychological comfort should always be a priority.
