What should you do if your child does not like school?

The first day in Nursery School. The first day of school arrives, you’ve prepared your child and there are no tantrums at the school bus stop ( or if he’s a walker, at the school gate). You heave a sigh of relief, you go home and your day begins.

When your child returns from school, he seems happy enough. You ask him how the day was, he says “O.K.” You have to be content with that reply- because he gets involved in playing and will not talk about school.

PROBLEM :

1)The next day, he refuses to go to school. He says that he has a stomach ache. After much cajoling, you manage to get him to school.

2) The second day, he has the same or some other excuse.

The same drama repeats itself day after day. Your child does not want to go to school. It can be frustrating, specially if you are a working mother who needs to report for work at a certain time. When you ask why he does not want to go to school, he says,” I don’t like school”

REASONS :

At face value, the excuses seem quite lame.

• For instance, your child might say every day that he has a stomach ache. In that case get him examined by the doctor to reassure yourself. If there’s nothing physically wrong with him, ask him the real reason for his not wanting to go to school.
• This is the first time that your child is being thrust into a totally new environment. He’s away from the secure surroundings of home, family and possibly the old play school.
• Usually Nursery Schools are attached to ‘ big ‘ schools; there are far more people here than he’s used to. He’s probably overwhelmed by the sheer number of people .
• Previously, in his home and play school environment, he must have played and moved around freely for most of the day. The class- room arrangement must be geared to more formal teaching methods. He probably has to sit still and concentrate for longer periods of time. His tiffin time must be later. All these restrictions must be irksome to him. He may not be ready as yet for formal learning.

All these are the usual reasons for a child not liking his new school.

SOLUTIONS:

After you have chatted with your child, it would be advisable to make an appointment with his class teacher. Explain the situation at home clearly and calmly, and ask her advice. Together with the teacher, tackle the problem. Aggression from you would only put the teacher’s back up and will not really help.

To start with, perhaps your child could take his favourite toy to show to his class mates. The teacher could make it a topic for conversation. Other children could bring their toys too in turn. So your child will begin to make friends.

This positive step from parent and teacher will give your child a sense of security and enable him to enjoy the adventure of school life.

Related Articles

Does your child have separation anxiety?
How to get your child to sit quietly in the car
Develop your baby’s right brain
Left Brain vs Right Brain
Safety tips for your toddler