Tips for Preschool Students and Their Parents

Expert psychologists have warned the parents of students who will be starting preschool and primary school for the first time, stating, “If the child’s adaptation process to school exceeds 2 weeks, they should seek support from a specialist without wasting time.”

Before the 2024-2025 academic year begins, specialists have provided advice to parents of students who will be starting preschool and primary school. They indicated that students who are starting preschool or primary school for the first time will be quite excited and anxious. They said, “For the first time, your child will enter a new environment. They will be leaving the comfort of their home and familiar surroundings and starting the education process with their peers. Therefore, the more support families provide to their children and the less anxiety they carry, the easier the adaptation process will be for the children. While some children adapt to school more easily, we can observe that some children struggle more. These can be children who have difficulty separating from their mothers and fathers, a phenomenon we experts refer to as separation anxiety. Here, we can say that the attitude of the mother and father is very important.”

The experts stated that it is normal for parents to go to school with their children in the first few days, saying, “However, we do not expect this to last for a long time. Children should be accustomed to school within a day or two, or by the end of a week. Families should gradually reduce their roles at school and step back. If the child’s adaptation process to school exceeds 2 weeks and continues to extend, they should seek support from a psychologist without delay to prevent the process from prolonging further. However, with such a short time left until schools open, the most important thing to do is to start preparing the child for school together. This can involve shopping together and engaging in various activities related to school preparation. Visiting the school together and meeting the teacher beforehand, if possible, can be comforting for children. In other words, being somewhat familiar with the place on the first day of school, knowing the building, and having previously met the teacher can help ease the children’s anxiety. Therefore, we believe that preschool preparation is very important.”

The experts also emphasized that the process of starting school can be difficult for students who have previously attended school and are currently on a long break, noting that adapting to school again can become challenging after the comfort of a vacation. They stated, “Here, families play a significant role again. Since children know what they need to do from previous years, families can create a program for them. As the start of school approaches, if they begin to implement certain school-related necessities, such as waking up at the same time in the morning and going to bed at the same time in the evening, children will adapt to school more easily.”