Dear English-speaking mates,
When you are done bickering about how each word can be translated, perhaps we could go back to that person's request.
This family is looking for a school for their FOUR-year-old child. So it's over for him the nursery. He's in kindergarten.
Organization of Maternal Education
It is aimed at children between the ages of 2 1/2 and 6 years old.
It is highly recommended and lasts three years (or a little longer if the child enters school at 2 1/2 years)
The kindergarten program focuses on:
socialization of the child: it is a matter of preparing him for life in class and in society, of teaching him to respect the rules of life in society.
a progressive approach to reading, writing and numeracy by developing one's motor skills: manual manipulations, body expression, sensory acuity. All the learnings are presented to him in the form of games (he sings, dances, listens to stories, draws, glues, cuts, does gymnastics, walks...).
the development of psycho-motor skills through different types of activities: workshops, courses, cooperative games, opposition games, etc.
Curiosity, the desire to know, autonomy, self-assertion but also respect for others are all behaviours that are constantly encouraged in school, starting in kindergarten.
The school will provide a list of things to plan for the start of classes (e.g. handkerchiefs, aprons, gym bag...).
Some schools require the child to be clean to enter school, others accept that the child is still wearing diapers.
Small Advice for Children Who Have Never Been to School:
Talking to the child about his or her return is the best preparation. It is important to explain to her the change that will take place in her life, to show her her new school, to meet her teacher, to explain that she will ask him to hang his coat in the locker room, to sit down, to lift his finger to talk, to go to the toilet...
On the other hand, going to choose the school bag with your child can be a nice first step in order to actively involve him in his entry into the classroom.
Finally, it is preferable for the child to be dressed in clothes that he can remove easily (to go to the toilet and during the gym class).
If, on the first day of school, the child cries at the time of separation, it is important to reassure him or her, but not to last. It is normal for a child to cry on the first day or the next. Most children calm down as soon as the parent is gone. Teachers are used to dealing with this kind of situation.
It is important for the child to know at what time and who picks him up from school and to tell him if he has to stay in daycare (see below) and to respect what he has been told (come on time and not later) or risk causing him to feel abandonment (a very devastating feeling).
The need for sleep
It is very important that the child has a stable pace of life: fixed hours to go to bed and get up in the morning.
Similarly, it is essential that he get enough sleep (between 12 and 2 hours a day for children from 3 years old).
Sleep must be prepared by an adequate emotional and environmental context (e.g. ensuring the presence of the 'doudou', a small lamp, a story... to reassure and soothe the child) that makes the child desire for the nap and bedtime: "the adult must help the child to love this very pleasant moment of falling asleep."
Note that throughout schooling, sleep (and therefore getting enough sleep) will remain an important element! The teenager needs to sleep just over 9 hours a night.
Fatigue can lead to learning and behavioural problems.
On this dear CyAdv,
Welcome to you and your family in Belgium,
I hope you will enjoy it.
