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Quest
Facing a new world
Renu Malaviya
Lady Irwin College, New Delhi
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The transition from a baby to a school-going child is often very difficult. But with the right environment, the children can be made to adapt easily.
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The contemporary educationist emphatically emphasises that children should be allowed to learn without being burdened.
Hence, it goes without saying that if learning is made interesting from the point of view of the child, the child understands and is able to retain the information.
In order to learn better, the basic needs of the child have to be understood by the adults.
Stated below are some facts applicable for a nursery school child (4-7 years of age) :
A child is not a "miniature adult".
0-6 years are the formative years for the development of the child.
Children in this age group need about 10 to12 hours of sleep a day.
Muscle co-ordination is not well developed so they are not ready to hold a pencil and write.
On an average, girls are slightly more advanced in their bone development and socio-emotional, language and cognitive development.
Nursery school children often have physical muscular pains generally referred to as "growing up pains".
There should be no comparison between children.
Emotions of a young child vary, from that of an adult and so too the intensity.
The nursery school child is more prone to respiratory illnesses when he/ she starts to go to the larger formal school.
The attention span of a nursery school child is limited and they learn better when activities are presented using multi-sensory approach.
Children who are encouraged to explore, reason and express themselves freely develop their potential better.
As a parent of a nursery school child or a child who is just about to go to formal school, one is faced with a lot of apprehensions. I have tried to focus upon some fundamental needs of the child in this age group and how parents and teachers can make life a little easier for the child. This child who is in the proces of transition from being a "a baby" to school going child needs an understanding environment.
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