Playschool Diaries

Not every child adjusts to playschool smoothly. Here are the key troubling signs to look out for.

- Rajashree Balaram

YOUR CHILD’S FIRST few days at playschool can be a heart wrenching period for you and him. Those few hours away from home can be baffling for your toddler. While some kids take to playschool like fish to water, many have a hard time adjusting to the new environment, one that is governed by a unique set of disciplinary framework and activities that they are unaccustomed to.

The whole experience can be fraught with even more tension when you notice other children settling into playschool within weeks, while your child is not coming to terms with it even after a few months. At such time, it is more important to find out why she is taking longer to make that adjustment, and motivate her gently through the transition. Here are the signs that indicate she needs help and support.

not interested to learn

If your child is not keen to discuss about the activities at school, it is evident he is not invested in his learning yet. Sometimes, this may surface as defiance against the teacher’s instructions and a tendency to cause disruption— shouting over the teacher’s voice or distracting other kids. In other cases, it could be an intense preoccupation with his inner world. “A child may have a learning or language disorder that may go unidentified,” says Divya Mehta, teacher and founder of Ahmedabad-based playschool Eloquence Play. If the trouble is not spotted early enough and the child continues to face difficulty, he may give up trying due to sheer frustration. So, it is important for you to get a regular update on his performance without getting excessively obsessive about ‘scores’.