ינהאַלט
Thanks to the creative and motor activities offered by the teacher, the child exercises his skill and broadens his range of knowledge. With the rules of good conduct imposed by the community, he learns about life in society and communication.
At 3 years old, the child becomes creative
Your child now acts with precise intentions, he is able to concentrate longer, he coordinates his actions better. With, the key, an obvious result: he does and succeeds more and more things.
In small section, manual activities constitute the main part of its program: drawing, collage, modeling… Paint, stickers, natural elements, multiple materials that stimulate his creativity are available to him. Along with these fascinating awakening activities, he also learns to master different tools.
He now has an idea in mind when he embarks on a drawing or that he is handling plasticine. He handles the pencil fairly well and, having refined his sense of observation, seeks to reproduce a house, an animal, a tree… The result is imperfect, of course, but we begin to recognize the subject.
Coloring helps them understand the concept of space. At first, it is overwhelmingly overflowing with the space at its disposal; then he manages to limit himself to the outlines. However, this activity, which requires great application and does not appeal to the imagination, does not please everyone. So at least give him the choice of colors!
The decisive era of the “tadpole man”
This guy owes his fame to the fact that he is common to all the little ones around the world, and that his evolution testifies to the good development of the child. Its nickname “tadpole” comes from the fact that its head is not separated from its trunk. It comes in the form of a more or less regular circle, embellished with features representing hair and limbs, in a still random place.
His first evolution: he becomes vertical (around 4 years old). More oval, it more or less resembles a human standing. The young scribbler decorates it with more and more elements on the body (eyes, mouth, ears, hands, etc.) or accessories (hat, coat buttons, etc.). Then, during the middle section of kindergarten (4-5 years), comes symmetry.
It is the profusion of elements which confirms the good evolution of the man. It shows that your child is becoming more and more aware of his body, knows how to observe well and feels free to express himself through drawing. The quality of the workmanship is irrelevant. The same is true of other subjects, moreover.
Around 5 years old, the man’s head separates from the trunk. It now consists of two circles placed one on top of the other. The proportion is more or less respected, and each part equips itself with the right elements. It is the end of “tadpole” … but not that of the fellows. Because the subject has not finished inspiring him.
Learning to write begins in kindergarten
Of course, learning to write properly begins in CP. But from the first year of kindergarten, the teachers prepared the ground.
In small section, the schoolboy perfects his knowledge of different paths: point, line, curve, loop. He reproduces shapes and figures. He goes over the letters of his first name to write it down little by little. He must learn to hold his pencil well, with the forceps formed by his thumb and forefinger. It requires both concentration and precision. No wonder, once home, he needs to let off steam!
During the second year, he continues with the lines that he will have to master to write the letters. He copies words and memorizes some of them.
On the program for the last year, it will be necessary to chain the gestures to attach the letters. As well as reproducing capitals and cursives and adapting the size of the letters to that of the support. At the end of the year, the pupil knows all the signs and letters of handwriting.
CP is considered the start of “serious business”. Admittedly, there is now an obligation of results, but many teachers, while demanding discipline and rigor, adopt a fun learning mode. They thus respect the limits of the little ones in concentration and assimilation. As they also take into account the age of each pupil (from 5½ to 6½ years old, at the start of CP), which influences their maturity, and therefore the speed of their learning. No impatience: a real problem will always be brought to your attention.
The child learns to move in space
Motor activities are also part of the nursery school program. They focus on the pursuit of the discovery of the body, space and the body in space. This is called the mastery of the body diagram: using your body as a benchmark, and no longer external benchmarks to orient yourself in space. This mastery and his growing ability to coordinate his movements will open up horizons for children in the field of outdoor games (skipping rope, walking on a beam, playing ball, etc.)
To find your way in space, adults use abstract notions that play on the opposition: inside / outside, up / down, above / below… And this is not easy for children under 6! Little by little, because you are going to show your child concrete examples, and that he will be able to imitate you by naming these oppositions, they will become more and more clear to him. It gets complicated when it comes to what he doesn’t have in front of him. This is why the notion of distance and duration of a trip will remain foreign to him for a long time.
Lateralization is part of the acquisition of the body diagram. The appearance of functional predominance on one side of the body over the other is called lateralization. A small child is in fact initially ambidextrous and uses either his two hands or his two feet indifferently. Rare are the people who remain it later. Around 4 years, it begins to use preferably, in an automatic way, the limbs and the eye on the same side. More solicited, more trained, the members of the preferential side thus become more skilled.
Right-handed or left-handed? Just because right-handed people are in the majority doesn’t mean left-handed people will be clumsy. At first, they may suffer a little from what almost everything in their environment is intended for right-handed people. If you have a left-handed child and both of you are right-handed, have a left-handed friend teach them some skills. Tying your shoelaces, for example.
A little delay in lateralization may signal another dysfunction. If it is acquired at 5 years old, so much the better: it will promote the more complex learning that punctuates the year of CP (that is to say writing and reading). From 6 years old, you must consult. It is generally the uncertain use of the hands that alerts. As fine manual activities are very frequent in the last section of kindergarten, the teacher warns the parents if he notices a problem.
At school and at home he perfects his language
At 3 years old, the child makes sentences, still imperfect but understandable… especially by you! At school, we will invite him to express himself in front of others, so as to be understood by all. If this intimidates some at first, it is a real engine to better structure and articulate his words.
He tends to monopolize the conversation. Among themselves, children do not take offense at not listening or letting others speak. They share this same mode of non-communication. But no one can stand such behavior from an adult. The transition from soliloquy to conversation does not take place without education. And it takes time! Start teaching him the basics right now: don’t interrupt, don’t yell in your ear when you’re on the phone, etc. He will come to understand, little by little, that apart from the constraints that this implies, conversing is a shared pleasure.
If he sees himself as the center of the world, he must know that he is not. You listen to him when he speaks and you answer him wisely to prove it to him. But he must understand that others, including you, have other interests and also the desire to express themselves. Thus you will help him to come out of his egocentricity, a natural turn of mind until at least 7 years old, but which would make him an infrequent individual if she persisted.
He draws his vocabulary from multiple sources. family is one of them. Do not hesitate to use the right words, even with him. He can grasp the meaning of unfamiliar words thanks to the context in which they are placed. Either way, if he doesn’t understand, trust him, he will ask you questions. Finally, make the effort to finish your sentences. Even if he guesses your intentions, you have to give him this good habit.
He loves to repeat bad words, in particular the indestructible “caca-boudin”! Many parents see it as the influence of school, but don’t you miss a few swear words too? However, we must distinguish these from insults. We can tolerate colorful expressions spoken without malice, but not profanity that violates the dignity of others, including friends. For now, your child does not understand the meaning of sexual abuse, but it is enough for him to know that it is simply prohibited.
It also mimics your turns of phrase and intonations. He will be inspired by your syntax to improve his. As with the accent, your influence predominates on the regional environment: a child of Parisians raised in the South generally adopts a “northern” language. On the other hand, don’t think you have to adopt the tics of language he uses with friends his age, it might even annoy him. Respect his secret garden.
Rather than take it back, just repeat what it just said by using the correct phrase while its syntax is uncertain. Without commenting. Mimicry works much better than rebuke!
He’s still small, you have to be patient!
Autonomous, but not completely. More than ever, your child is asking to carry out daily actions alone. At the table, it is perfect, even if you have to cut your meat until about 6 years old. To wash, to brush the teeth, he knows how to do it. He began to dress around 4 years old, with clothes and shoes that were easy to put on. But efficiency and speed are not yet at the rendezvous. It is often necessary to go behind or readjust. Do it discreetly so as not to discourage his good will!
Cleanliness and its failures. Up to 5 years, as long as they remain punctual, nocturnal pees should not worry. If they become regular or systematic, and if they persist beyond that, we must react. If your child has never been clean at night, consult to check that he does not have functional immaturity of the urinary system. If he was and he “relapsed”, look for the cause: move, birth, tensions within your relationship … Do not pretend to ignore the problem. Because for your child, it is very uncomfortable to wake up wet, he does not dare to go to sleep with others and feels guilty for causing you trouble. And for you, the nights are hectic and your sleep disturbed. It is necessary to discuss it, together, with your doctor, or even with a psychologist.
Notion of time still approximate. Your child will first understand the notion of time thanks to regular references: point out the familiar acts that punctuate the day, and the transformations and events that punctuate the course of the year. His sense of chronology will first be exercised over a short period. He begins to be able to anticipate the near future, but you should not consider telling him about the past. So, if he thinks you were born in the days of the knights, don’t be offended!
Sometimes hesitant pronunciation. You can suggest to your child, from 5 years old, to repeat sentences which will test his articulation, on the model of the famous “The socks of the Archduchess are they dry, archi-dry”. Your own difficulties in pronouncing them will decomplex it immediately! And it doesn’t matter if their meaning is obscure. To be tested, for example: “Six wise men hide under a charred cypress”; “I prefer tender apple pie to peeled tomato pie” etc.
ווען צו זאָרג From 3 years old if he has not yet pronounced his first words or if his failing articulation does not allow him to be understood and around 6 years old if he persists in stumbling over more than one or two consonants. In the event of stuttering, it is necessary to react as soon as the disorder appears.