Kindergarten and mental health

The Positive Relationship Between Kindergarten and Mental Health

Here are the positive aspects of kindergarten that affect the child’s mental health:

• Refining Social Skills

Kindergarten is a suitable place for social interaction between the child, his peers, and his teachers, as well as the staff working in the kindergarten. Although parents may occasionally take the child on trips and give him special times to play with peers, this is not sufficient since their presence makes them solve the problems and difficulties the child faces. This is different from kindergarten, where the child has to act independently, thus refining his social skills.

• Building Relationships with Adults

This is another positive aspect for the child’s mental health, especially if the child is very attached to his parents. He can build relationships with teachers and staff in the kindergarten who are adults, which gives him the ability to develop trust in others and helps him realize that he can be okay even without his parents around.

The Negative Relationship Between Kindergarten and Mental Health

Above, we mentioned a set of positive aspects that make kindergarten supportive of the child’s mental health. Below, we will explore some negative aspects of kindergartens on the child’s mental health:

• Increased Likelihood of Separation Anxiety

Some children find it difficult to separate from their parents to go to kindergarten, experiencing a state of severe anxiety known as separation anxiety when the mother must leave them to run errands. However, other children can overcome this anxiety and get used to going to kindergarten after a short period from their start.

Reducing anxiety can be helped by teaching the child how to practice meditation, as it helps the child to get rid of anxiety symptoms, making him calmer and more able to learn. Here we remind you of the importance of downloading the Tawazon app to benefit from its information about different types of meditation and to enjoy the various meditations and podcasts it offers.

It is also worth noting that some parents feel guilty when taking their children to kindergarten early in the morning, especially on days when the child refuses to go even if he used to go regularly before.

• Lack of Individual Communication Between the Child and His Teachers

Kindergartens are characterized by a group setting, where teachers deal with all the children together rather than individually with each child. This distributes the teacher’s attention among all children, which can be frustrating for the child who needs individual attention that cannot be ignored at this age.

The same applies to interactions and play with peers. At kindergarten age, a child needs individual communication with one of his peers, as this contributes to his emotional, social, and even cognitive growth.