Near East University Atatürk Faculty of Education, Guidance and Psychological Counseling Department Lecturer Assist. Prof. Dr. Yasemin Sorakın gave important advice to families to facilitate children’s adaptation to school.

Although returning to school after summer vacation may be a joy for some children, it can be an anxious start for others. Fear and anxiety are common, especially in young students who have just started school. Near East University Atatürk Faculty of Education, Guidance and Psychological Counseling Department Lecturer Assist. Prof. Dr. Yasemin Sorakın warns that failure to properly manage children’s adaptation to school may cause trauma in their educational lives. In order to manage this process correctly, parents, school administration, and teachers need to act in cooperation.

Assist. Prof. Dr. Yasemin Sorakın also drew attention to the importance of orientation in the school adaptation process and emphasized ‘school, teacher and parent communication’. Assist. Prof. Dr. Sorakın stated that families should stay calm and say “goodbye” when leaving their children at school to calm their concerns.

Create routines with your children in preparation for school!
Underlining that parents have great responsibilities in the process of adaptation to school, Assist. Prof. Dr. Yasemin Sorakın said, “First of all, it should not be forgotten that this process is a process of innovation and change.” and further stated that in order to make children love school, it is important to ‘value the child’s choices and do school shopping together’ and to include them in this process. Assist. Prof. Dr. Sorakın noted that strengthening friendship bonds by meeting the child’s classmates outside of school would be a positive step that would increase his love for school.

Yasemin Sorakın said that routines should be developed to support parents while preparing their children for school recommended; “Ask your child every day how his day was. If you go to school together, have morning conversations in the car, sing cheerful songs and good motivating words. When your child returns home from school, chat with him by asking how his day was. Spending quality time with the child after school will make the child feel loved and valued. In addition, orientation support must be provided by the school for the school adaptation process. “It is extremely important for parents to be determined and patient in this process, not to criticize the child, and to establish good communication with the child.”

The orientation process is very important in the process of getting used to school!
Near East University Atatürk Faculty of Education, Guidance and Psychological Counseling Department Lecturer Assist. Prof. Dr. Yasemin Sorakın explained that it is a very normal situation to experience anxiety and fear, especially in children who are just starting preschool and primary school. Yasemin Sorakın emphasized that school, teacher and parent communication is of great importance in order to control this situation. Sorakın also said that during this period, the child’s gradual adaptation to school can be supported through the contributions of teachers. “During the orientation process, teachers ensure that the child should be flexible about gradually separating from parents. In this way, the time the child will be away from his parents can be gradually increased so that he can feel safer.” said Sorakın. However, Assist. Prof. Dr. also stated that it is not right to stay with a child who cries on the first day of school and does not want to leave his family for a long time. Sorakın advised parents to explain the situation repeatedly and tirelessly and be sure to say ‘goodbye’ when leaving, to be determined in this. Sorakın also stated that providing social skills training to children should be one of the most important priorities of schools. Assist. Prof. Dr. Sorakın said, “The problem-solving skills of children, who can establish correct social relationships, also develop. The process of adaptation to school can also provide a good opportunity for the transfer of necessary social skills to children.”

Giving the child a favorite toy can be beneficial for the child to get used to school!
Assist. Prof. Dr. Sorakın also gave suggestions to parents for children with adaptation problems and said, “In the first days, you can pick up your child from school a little early. Giving the child a favorite toy from home will be beneficial for the child to get used to school. In order not to shake his trust in you, pick him up from school at the time you promised. Another important point is to give your child at least a month to get to know the environment, get used to it and behave calmly and harmoniously.”

What does Near East Primary School and Preschool do in the adaptation process?
Talking about the practices that should be done in schools regarding the adaptation process of children, Near East Preschool Deputy Director Beklem Rıza shared what path they followed in this process. Beklem Rıza said that they provide orientation support for children studying at the Near East Preschool, which lasts for about two weeks, to help them get used to school, and underlined that they assign assistant teachers to support teachers, especially in younger age groups.

Şerife Zihni Mert, one of the Guidance and Counseling Unit Teachers of the Near East Preschool Guidance and Counseling Unit, stated that, as the Guidance and Counseling Unit, they first invite the children to school with their parents and that they instill a sense of confidence in the children by carrying out various games and activities with the families. Jale Dinçeller Perçinci, one of the Guidance and Counseling Teachers of the Near East Preschool Guidance and Counseling Unit, stated that they constantly visit the classrooms and make observations and support the teachers and students regarding crying children, and emphasized that they are working to get through the adaptation process as quickly as possible by staying in constant communication with students, teachers, and parents.