Perspective（12） "For a Child to Fit into Their New Environment with
Ease"| It’s already been a month since the new year started. Is your child fitting
into their new environment? Let’s think about how we can be considerate
of children when they enter their new environment. Children are sensitive of environmental changes more than we adults think. When they change class, many things change; the classroom, of course, but also the atmosphere, the shoe box, and the place where they put their bags. Not only the physical environment but also the surrounding people changes. Staff and friends are not there anymore, and there are new staff and new friends in the new class. When a child faces such a situation, they can feel reassured if they are able to ask the staff or guardian about things they are uncertain of; “Where is my classroom?”, “Where is teacher X?”, “Who is that teacher?”, or “Where is friend X?” However, they have to express themselves by their behavior if they can’t express it in words. For example: ・Going to an old classroom ・Wandering around restlessly ・Not being able to approach an old teacher ・Looking at old photo albums at home ・Making unreasonable demands to their mother ・Acting more spoilt to their mother ・Reappearance of unusually persistent or problematic behaviors ・Trouble falling asleep ・Reluctance going to the center When such behaviors occur, guardians might worry, “My child is suddenly out of sorts.” or “My child might go back to their previous tough state.” and scold their child or stop them from going to their old classroom or seeing their old teacher, because the guardian feels impatient that they should get used to the new classroom and teacher.” It is important for the guardian and staff to pay attention to the thinking behind their child's behaviors and cooperate with each other in order to solve such problems. Concretely speaking, we can check behavioral changes of a child between the home and the center, and guess the reasons for their anxiety or confusion. Then, we can try to think about ways in which to dissolve their anxiety; telling the child that they can go to their old classroom, explaining what happened to their old teacher or old friends, and in this way, having communication between both the old and new staff. If both the guardian and staff understand a child’s hidden feelings well, they will definitely calm down. We should not limit a child’s movements or repeatedly teach them to get used to a new environment. Accumulating exciting meetings and experiences, and showing greater sensitivity to their anxieties or discomforts which occur from environmental change will lead the way to a positive lifestyle lined with a sense of safety and motivation. Otherwise, it will be challenging to understand the meaning behind a child’s behavior and have a cooperative relationship between their home and the center. |
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