What kind of psychology do children go through when school starts?
Unfortunately, the opening of schools and the pandemic period have negatively affected children's lives in many ways. One of these negative effects is children's school life. Children's daily routines have changed, their daily routines have changed, they have not been able to be in the school and classroom environment, their relationship with their peers has been restricted, and their physical movements have decreased considerably due to being at home almost all of the day.
With the opening of schools, many families have tried to bring the school environment home so that their children can transition to the new education system and have made various changes to ensure their children's participation in online classes and increase their productivity. However, according to a study;
25 million students in Turkey have to attend online classes due to the pandemic. Even if we assume that physical conditions are equal for every child (unfortunately, we know that they are not); participating in online classes has a negative impact on children's psychology. Social isolation is not something that children can easily adapt to. During the developmental period when friendship is an important need, children may show maladaptive behaviors or become withdrawn because they are left alone.
Apart from all these, the home environment is the most natural and comfortable environment for children. In such a comfortable environment, it has been observed that there is a decrease in their academic achievement because they have difficulty in focusing and sustaining their attention. It is also observed that the psychological well-being of children who cannot show the academic performance expected of them or expected by their families also decreases. All these processes are likely to cause a wide range of disorders ranging from depression to school phobia.
How should families manage children's psychology in the run-up to the opening of schools?
With the opening of schools, we can express some of the duties of parents in order for our children to be more compatible with their schools as follows;
- First of all, the pandemic process should be explained in a way suitable for children's cognitive level.
- Children get anxious in the face of uncertainty. For this reason, it should be explained why they cannot go to school and the reasons for attending classes at home should be known by the child.
- Children's sleep and nutrition routines should be monitored and organized.
- Measures should be taken during the day and children should be taken outside to release their energy for the periods allowed by the ministry. In this way, the child will get away from his/her constant sluggish, sleepy and bored state.
- When talking to our children, we should use expressions that we understand them at every opportunity. We should emphasize how difficult the process is for them and talk about how they will be able to return to their schools and friends when everything is in order. This will reduce the anxiety experienced by children.
- We can support our children by staying away from technological devices such as television, computers, tablets, etc. and reading books or solving puzzles while they are in online classes or studying. This way, our child will not be distracted while they are studying.
How should an efficient lesson plan be made when schools open? How can parents support their children?
With the opening of schools, it is very important to make sure that your child's daily education program is spread throughout the day. With the opening of schools, attention should also be paid to children's sleep patterns and diet. During this period when children need to be at home all the time, their sleep patterns are disrupted, they may stay awake late at night and have difficulty waking up in the morning. In addition, we can see that there is a serious decrease in the time it takes to fall asleep and sleep well. The breaks between classes should include physical activities.
Recognize children's motivation and determine the content of thoughts to increase their motivation. Recognize the emotions they have and feel, work on negative emotions and aim to increase positive emotions.
