The child does not want to learn: the psychologist advised how to rectify the situation

Ingrida Keliauskienė, director of the kindergarten network “Išminčiukai”, a child psychologist, emphasizes that the kindergarten is not only an institution of education and childcare, but also a place of socialization, especially necessary for children from 3 years. Therefore, it is not worth changing kindergarten or comparing it to homeschooling, it is written in a press release. But in the current situation, parents could take steps to stimulate the child’s curiosity and help him learn new things.

Don’t miss an important period

Caring parents start raising children at a very young age, even in infancy. According to the psychologist, this is not bad. But restraint should be felt everywhere: “Interest in letters and numbers can arise at a very young age. Therefore, realizing this, it is worth not lending a hand and further stimulating curiosity. After this period, the child may have to put a lot of work and effort into the future. In addition, it is very important not to squeeze the child and not constantly force him to study as soon as there is a free minute. It is much more important to stimulate the child’s curiosity, his ability to investigate and gather information, and then apply the acquired experience. “

Help you focus

Inquisitive 4- to 5-year-olds often recognize letters and numbers and can sometimes write a word or combine syllables and read. Parents of the latter often wonder: shouldn’t they start school a little earlier? Still, the interviewee emphasizes that knowledge is not a key indicator when it comes to school. For gifted children of this age, it can still be quite difficult to focus and study for 45 minutes in a lesson. The child may also be psychologically unprepared.

“If a child has difficulty concentrating, parents should help restore the child’s concentration. For example, the constant return of a child’s attention while reading might be showing a picture and talking. It is very important to choose tasks that are not too difficult, interesting and stimulating for children, that evoke good emotions. Each child is unique and unique, so it must be taken into account when evaluating children’s achievements and encouraging them, ”says the teacher.

How to explain the changes?

Preschool education has been compulsory in Lithuania for some time. So all parents, even those who have chosen not to take their children to kindergarten, have to turn their heads to explain to the child the changes that are going to occur quickly. I. Keliauskienė ensures that rhythm is necessary for preschool children, because only thanks to the established rhythm do children learn to distribute time and orient themselves in it. Therefore, even those who do not attend kindergarten should have it. Furthermore, as the director of the network of kindergartens “Išminčiukai”, she observes that children who attend kindergarten adapt quite easily in school.

“Preschoolers are extremely sensitive to emotions and their reactions to any stimulus are shown very clearly. Therefore, it is appropriate to develop a sense of rhythm with the help of games. In preschoolers, rhythm is created by alternating common group activities that require concentration and at the same time inserting independent children’s activities – games. However, it is necessary to explain the rhythm changes in a language that is easy for them to understand, based on the examples of previous events and activities that elicited positive emotions. In this way, the child will adapt more easily to the changing rhythm ”, says the specialist.

The boy protests

Still, how to behave if the offspring does not want to learn. How to incentivize it? I. Keliauskienė states that most of the time children do not want to study when they face certain difficulties. For example, learning to read is more difficult than expected: “In a situation like this, parents need to show understanding for their child and help him overcome anger or frustration. Use phrases like “yes, it is difficult, I understand why you are sad or angry.” But then it should be followed by love and encouragement: “I love you, whether you can read or not, let’s try again, cheer me on.”

However, a child psychologist believes that showing good words and understanding alone is not enough, every child needs a real experience of success both inside and outside the educational institution. “Everything that a child does well should have as many opportunities as possible to demonstrate it. Educators in an educational institution should also focus on the child’s experience of success, so the tasks should be such that the child is accompanied by success and learning is fun. Therefore, the child’s joy of learning must be nurtured, not pressured against his unwillingness to practice, which in the long run eliminates the pleasure of learning and fosters anxiety and fear of failure ” , concludes the conversation the director of the network of kindergartens “Wise Men”.