Ready to start school?
Stress, excitement, anticipation, anxiety: the feelings surrounding starting school can be very different. But the time is emotional in almost every case - for children and parents. A few tips and thoughts from the doctor. His three children have already survived school, so he knows quite well what he's talking about :-).
The most important thing first: It's good for parents to realise or think about what their child's school days were like before they start school. Are there still fears? Are there any negative memories? Then it would be a good idea to try to push these aside or at least not project them onto the child. You often hear in conversations that parents transfer their own school experiences onto their child, sometimes causing unnecessary worries and fears.
It is also very important, as is so often the case in education, to tell the child that you believe that it will somehow work. In practice, we often have conversations with worried parents because the child is not doing well in Year 1, 2 or 3. And a few years later, these children come back, e.g. for the youth work safety examination, have found their way, have an apprenticeship that they enjoy or something else that they are passionate about.
So the impulse is: try to keep the ball as low as possible at the beginning. Support the child where they need help. But very importantly, homework and learning at home should be organised from the outset in such a way that it doesn't put too much strain on the parent-child relationship. And so that it doesn't take up the whole afternoon. You often get the feeling that after half a year at school, 90 per cent of conversations at home revolve around school, homework, learning and so on. Good, positive communication is in danger of falling by the wayside. And it's not worth it.
For parents of first-graders, this means: reflect, remain optimistic, support your child. And if there really are problems at some point, then of course the paediatrician will also be happy to help.
Further interesting tips
Headache
Today, this is a topic that very often needs to be discussed with parents in paediatrics. And it is also a very, very complex topic. It's about headaches in children. Don't worry: in most cases, it doesn't have to be a headache.
Devil's circle of movement
"Bird flies, fish swims, man runs" Emil Zatopek, the legendary Czech long-distance runner, once said. And the man was right! Running, racing and exercise are part of our basic genetic make-up. But they should also do it - especially children.
Addicted parents
If a mother or father suffers from an addiction problem, this is not only a burden for them, but also for their children. There is also a high risk that the children will later suffer from an addiction problem themselves. There is a model project in Baden-Württemberg to deal with this issue: "SALTO".