Warm-up on raising a child in Finland at age 16: Visit to Waldorf Kindergarten

In August 2013, when our child was two years old and nine months old, we chose Waldorf Kindergarten as his first step into group life. In the blink of an eye, the child has spent his first year in kindergarten. Let me first recall and share some moments when he first entered kindergarten.

In August 2013, when our child was two years old and nine months old, we chose Waldorf Kindergarten as his first step into group life. In the blink of an eye, the child has spent his first year in kindergarten. Let me first recall and share some moments when he first entered kindergarten.

Choosing Waldorf is not deliberately choosing "outside the system" education. The main activity in all kindergartens in Finland is play. I believe that no matter which one you go to, you can have fun. At first, it was just because the public kindergarten was not open for visits before applying for admission. Waldorf is a private kindergarten and can be visited by appointment. Plus, I was interested in Waldorf’s educational philosophy, so I went to take a look out of curiosity. . Unexpectedly, as soon as he visited the kindergarten, he was attracted by the overall environment of the kindergarten. It felt very "home", so he decided to let him try it.

In the first half of the first year, I sent him off at seven or eight in the morning and picked him up around two o'clock after his nap. The kindergarten teacher suggested that we use a gentle and gradual approach to allow the children to adapt slowly. Therefore, as soon as the kindergarten opened in early August, we took the children to see the teacher, wanting to discuss it in detail and to "warm up" the children's entry into the kindergarten. As soon as he arrived at the kindergarten, the teacher invited A Lei to go into the room with the other children, but he held on to his father's hand tightly. Unexpectedly, the one who broke his "defense" was another little boy - Adu.

Let the children be little helpers

Adu was three years older than Alley. As soon as he saw Alley, he said: "Do you want to follow him? Let’s go inside and play together?” Alei said no, and Adu said, “Then do you want to stay in the yard all day and into the evening?” We all laughed after hearing this. Unconsciously, the two little boys ran to play in the courtyard together!

The teacher was also very flexible. Originally, she wanted to ask Adu to go into the room, but when she saw Adu, she successfully pulled him Playing with Alei, he let Adu play the role of little brother, accompanying Alei on the slide, riding the rocking horse, and picking berries. Several different berry bushes were planted in the garden for the children to pick freely. While they were playing, we chatted with the teacher to learn more about the situation in the kindergarten.

A conversation with the teacher

"How should we help him adapt to kindergarten life?" My husband asked.

"We recommend that all newly admitted children be accompanied by their parents and stay for an hour and a half at first. Gradually, parents can leave for half an hour or an hour, and then the children can join The most important thing is to give children a positive and happy experience. Some parents send their children directly to kindergarten for seven hours a day, which is really hard for such a young child at first. It will be easier to get used to it if you go to school for half a day before you even have time to think about mother coming home."

"Ale is less than three years old and is the youngest child in the kindergarten. Will there be any difficulties?"

"No, although we accept children between the ages of three and six, at the beginning of the new semester every autumn, there will be several children under the age of three. From our long-term observation, we have found that After turning three years old, he will suddenly make a big leap in social life. If he is interested in finding playmates, he is here at the right time! We will pay special attention to children under three years old and let them go in first and take off their clothes and shoes to avoid being caught by older children. Even if the children push each other, they will be seated first during meals."

"How many teachers are there per day here?"

"We have a total of twenty. There are five children and four teachers. At the same time, an intern who is about to graduate will work for ten months starting in the fall, and there will also be two short-term interns to ensure that there are enough adults to take care of the children."

Me. After doing some mental calculations, four teachers plus three intern teachers, seven adults, and twenty-five children should be able to cover it.

"If a teacher happens to be sick, will we hire a substitute teacher?"

"We will hire a substitute teacher when we really need it, but in most cases, we don't want to hire a substitute teacher." , because they are not familiar with the child, it is not necessarily good.

In fact, according to Finnish law, one teacher can take care of up to seven children for children over three years old, and one teacher can take care of up to four children for children under three years old. Legally speaking, we can enroll twenty-eight children, but we The school is voluntary and does not fill up, only accepting twenty-five students to ensure that teachers are not overburdened and children can receive the care they need. "

"Next, will Alei come every day, or two or three days a week?" I asked.

"It mainly depends on the adaptability of parents and children. You can come every day or every two days. It is also good to make the children "miss" the kindergarten a little bit."

" At this rate of slow adaptation, when can he stay until two o'clock without my company?"

"Every child is different. Based on past experience, if he uses this method in August, After adapting in this way, he will be independent in about September."

So we decided to take him to the kindergarten three days a week at first, staying for an hour and a half at a time. Quit and slowly extend his time in kindergarten. "In this way, you can see how we take care of the children, and you will also feel reassured, knowing that this is a safe and warm environment. If you have any questions in the future, be sure to tell us at any time!" the teacher reminded.

It feels like the teachers here seem to value and respect parents’ ideas, and emphasize communication with parents.

A kindergarten that feels like "home"

Originally I was interested in the educational philosophy of Waldorf, but after visiting, what really made me decide to send my children here is It's its "home-like atmosphere."

The kindergarten itself is a wooden house. In accordance with the Waldorf educational philosophy, all toys are made of natural materials. Wooden toys and musical instruments can be seen everywhere. The teacher also makes good use of the materials readily available in the garden. material, made into decoration. Both indoors and outdoors are like a home. The ground of the courtyard is made of different materials, including soil, stone, sand and grass. There is actually a piece of wood in the middle of the sandpit. On the amusement facilities, in addition to swings and slides, there are also game cabins and a genuine mini log cabin made of large logs!

"That cabin is from a Finnish log cabin. The display supplies from the house company are donated to our kindergarten after they are no longer used, and we often play games in them!" the teacher said.

"Your child is going to kindergarten, which is also a change for you. How do you feel?" the teacher asked us.

"I don't know if he can adapt well!" I said.

"Children are very adaptable. In fact, it is usually the parents who need to adapt more!" The teacher smiled and patted me on the shoulder.

Isn’t it? At the beginning, when I thought that the time I spend with my children day and night would come to an end, I would feel a little worried and reluctant. Fortunately, a friend who works in a kindergarten reminded me. Me: "Usually if the parents are ready, the children will adapt quickly. If the parents are reluctant to leave, the children will also have difficulty adapting." After listening to her words, I immediately changed my mind and let go of my reluctance and worry. I decided to be my child’s backing and give him a happy and stable start in kindergarten life.

Seeing Adu and Ale having fun, the teacher said: "Adu is a sunny boy! Every time there are new children coming to the kindergarten, he greets them enthusiastically! He just returned from summer vacation When he arrived at the kindergarten, he gave every classmate a big hug! Maybe because he is the only child in the family, he likes to get along with his peers in the kindergarten. "Adu is really a good helper!" I said from the bottom of my heart. Thanks to him, the teachers said in unison: "Indeed! Children are usually the best helpers!"

It was lunch time in the kindergarten. Adu entered the door with the teacher, and my Alei was still there. The berry bush refused to leave, and the teacher said: "It doesn't matter, you can stay until you want to leave, and we will go in to eat first!"

Finally, Ale held a bunch of freshly picked berries in his hand. of fresh blackcurrants, the family left the kindergarten happily. I told my husband that every time I come here, I am truly "convinced" that this is a good place. It was the warmth of the teachers and the atmosphere of home that started to spread from the courtyard. Now I have a super friendly brother to take care of my boy. Ale's new life in kindergarten has just begun.

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