Your guide to school admissions for your child.

School admissions are an emotionally gruelling and stressful experience for most parents. A school is the single largest factor that influences the formative years of a child's life, and hence getting admitted into the right school is crucial for a child's healthy growth and development. Amidst the flurry of parents scrambling for admission, one must be able to hold their nerves, follow certain simple steps and leave the rest to God.

Here are some steps that can help ease the process-

Aligning your views and opinions as parents:

During the admission process, schools place a larger emphasis on the thought process and responses of the parents rather than on the child. Schools understand that at such a young age, children may not respond well to an interview set up. And as a result, it is crucial for parents to have aligned thoughts and opinions on bringing up their child. Schools also carefully observe parents interacting with each other during group discussions, to watch the manner in which they put forth their views and feelings. Schools always prefer parents that at forthright, well-mannered and rational.

Familiarizing your child with the concept of school:

An integral part of preparing your child for school admissions is familiarising your child with the concept of school. Usually, younger siblings are well aware of what 'going to school' entails, however, for the first child of the home, they may not be aware of what they are getting into. By explaining to your child, the purpose and joys of going to school, they will be more open to the idea of preparing for school interviews.

Staying on top of dates and timelines:

As a parent, the time leading up to school admissions can lead to quite a frenzy. With parents applying to multiple schools, they have to keep in mind several dates for form collections as well as submissions. The best way to handle this would be to make an excel sheet with every school name, followed by all the important dates and requirements of that school. By noting things down in an organized manner, parents will not miss out on any important deadlines and also feel more at peace knowing that they have everything written down systematically.

Making children comfortable with other adults and children:

Children are creatures of habit. Although they are very loving by nature, they may take time to open up to other adults. During school admissions, a child needs to be able to respond to the interviewing teachers. If a child is very shy, they may not be able to respond even if they are well aware of the answer. To avoid this scenario, parents should encourage their children to talk to their colleagues and friends whenever they meet them, simply to ensure that they are used to responding to adults other than their parents.

Preparing your child for the interview:

Manners: Children should be taught good manners such as greeting others with 'Good morning', 'Hi, how are you doing?', etc. A well-mannered child is always loved by teachers and fellow children.
Listening and Following: Children should be taught to listen to instructions and follow them correctly. Children mostly always understand what they are being asked to do, but at times they simply choose to not follow the instructions. This may mistakenly come off as the child being stubborn or arrogant, which could hamper their admission prospect.
Observation Skills: As a parent, one must constantly encourage the child to observe their surroundings and be able to answer questions. Good observation skills put the child at a great advantage as it leads to a higher IQ as well as EQ.
General Knowledge: By age 4, when the child is ready for the school admission process, the child should have some basic knowledge about animals, objects, letters, numbers, etc. The child should be able to talk in complete sentences and make eye contact. This involves a constant effort on the part of the parents in teaching their child on a daily basis. The grasping power of a 3–4-year-old child is said to be so immense, that they can learn up to 4 languages by the age of 6.

While one can't deny that the school admission journey is bursting with a whirlwind of emotions for the parents, one must take a moment to realize the undue pressure that this is unknowingly creating on the child. If parents start preparation early on, then this reduces the pressure on their kids vastly. Being organized and well-planned is the best and only way to deal with this process.

Wishing parents, the very best of luck for the upcoming admission season!

How to start planning for school admission for your child?

Author

Anshruta Poddar

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