Today we will talk about the adaptation of a child to kindergarten, because almost all families in which children begin to attend educational institutions face this problem. Before proceeding with specific recommendations and advice to parents, you need to understand what this adaptation is and why it is needed. Adaptation is a person’s adaptation to changing external conditions, as a result of which effective ways of interacting with the new environment are formed [4, 6]. The beginning of attending kindergarten is associated with the following major changes in the world familiar to the child: firstly, for a long time nearby parents begin to be absent; secondly, the baby begins to receive less personal attention; thirdly, he has to constantly be in contact with peers and defend his personal space; fourthly, now he needs to obey an unfamiliar adult; and finally, fifthly, the place of usual pastime, food consumed and daily routine changes. Naturally, such a number of changes requires significant mental, emotional and physical costs from the child, aimed at getting used to the new environment, situation and relationships. As a result of such high physical and mental stress, the child experiences stress, helping to overcome which is one of the most important tasks of parents. The most typical signs of stress associated with starting to attend kindergarten include: tears and fears - the child whines, cries, and sometimes roars, demonstrating his reluctance to go to an educational institution, is afraid of the teacher or that they will not come for him; sleep disturbances – refusal to sleep, difficulty falling asleep, or day and night nightmares; decreased appetite or its complete absence; regression – the child loses previously used skills: stops dressing himself, does not use cutlery, does not go to the potty, and his vocabulary also becomes impoverished and “baby” words reappear in speech (for example, beep); decrease in cognitive interest - kids are not interested in new, bright and attractive toys; aggression or apathy - active children suddenly reduce activity, and previously calm kids demonstrate aggressiveness; decrease in sociability - even sociable children may withdraw into themselves and refuse to contact others; various psychosomatic reactions - sometimes for no apparent reason the body temperature rises, intestinal activity is disrupted. As can be seen from this list, the child’s behavior can change dramatically when he starts attending kindergarten, and parents should understand that these changes are not the child’s whim, but objective reactions that do not depend on his will. However, in the process of getting used to new conditions, the described difficulties disappear or are noticeably smoothed out. For each child, the adaptation process proceeds differently and has its own individual characteristics. Some children quickly get used to new conditions, while others take quite a long time to adapt. At the same time, it has been proven that children under two years of age adapt to kindergarten the most difficultly [1, 7]. This is due to their rapid pace of physical and mental development. Also, according to most psychologists, boys adapt to kindergarten worse and more difficult, which is explained by their greater attachment to their mother in early and preschool age [1, 4, 6, 8, 9]. Therefore, the recommended age for starting kindergarten for girls is from 2.5 years, and for boys - from 3-3.5 years. In addition, the process of adaptation of a child to kindergarten is influenced by the level of mental and physical development of the child, the development of his self-care skills, the state of health, the personal characteristics of the children, the level of anxiety and personal characteristics of the parents, the previous experience of the child, namely the presence or absence of training of his nervous system in adapting to changing living conditions. Also the process of child adaptation toconditions of kindergarten is closely related to the child’s need for communication. Children who have a predominant need to communicate with close adults are very worried when parting with their parents, cry a lot, and therefore it is more difficult and longer to adapt to kindergarten. For other children who have some experience communicating with a sufficient number of strangers, the adaptation period is easier and lasts shorter. And finally, in third children who feel the need for active independent actions, in communicating with adults on cognitive topics, adaptation proceeds the easiest [7]. Thus, depending on the length of the period of adaptation to kindergarten, the number of symptoms of stress, their severity, several degrees of adaptation: light, medium and severe. With easy adaptation, the baby adapts to new conditions in 2-4 weeks. After this period, the child enters the kindergarten and remains there without tears or hysterics, begins to communicate with peers and teachers, responds adequately to positive and negative comments from teachers, can ask for help and is able to independently occupy himself for a short time, has adapted to the new regime and begins to sleep in kindergarten, shows an appetite for the food offered, and also tells parents about the day spent in kindergarten. Moderate adaptation usually lasts from a month to two. With such an adaptation, a child may cry while going to kindergarten or parting with his mother, but quickly calms down after her departure, gradually comes into contact with teachers and other children, and can demonstrate both obedience and rare violations of norms and rules of behavior. During the process of such adaptation, one may begin to get sick quite often, but the disease, as a rule, does not cause any complications in adapting to kindergarten. Difficult adaptation lasts from two to six months. With such an adaptation, children categorically have a hard time parting with their parents and demonstrate a reluctance to communicate with classmates and teachers. They refuse to play, eat and go to bed during the day; when the teacher addresses them, they react with tears or fear. Some children with this type of adaptation demonstrate aggression and conflict behavior, while others completely withdraw into themselves. In addition, during the period of adaptation to new conditions, children may experience worsening appetite, sleep and urination disturbances, and various tics and neurotic disorders may appear, for which the child is recommended to consult a psychologist. In case of a longer period of adaptation, it is necessary to contact specialists and consider the option of changing a preschool educational institution. The end of adaptation is considered to be the time when the child’s negative behavioral reactions and negative emotions disappear when attending kindergarten. Thus, an adapted child does not cry when parting, interacts with teachers and other children, follows a routine, freely navigates space and has favorite activities and toys [2] Parents of a child going to kindergarten can help their child adapt faster and more successfully to a preschool institution, following a number of recommendations. Address your own emotions associated with your child’s visit to kindergarten. If you have a bad attitude towards the kindergarten or feel guilty about taking your child there, your child will feel the same and will have an extremely difficult time adapting to the new conditions. If, on the contrary, you think that kindergarten is a natural and new stage in your child’s life and he will feel good there, these feelings will be passed on to the baby. Teach your child the necessary self-care skills even before starting kindergarten. The ability to eat, wash, dress and undress independently, as well as use the potty, greatly simplifies the process of adaptation to a preschool educational institution. For convenience and ease of dressing and undressing, you can buy comfortable and practical clothes and shoes without unnecessary fasteners and zippers, for example, with rivets and Velcro. you alsoYou can teach your child how to fasten and unfasten zippers, as well as tie and untie shoelaces, using various toys. Tell your child about the upcoming visit to kindergarten and have a positive attitude. Explain to your child that he is already big enough and will soon go to kindergarten. Inform your child about what kind of institution this is and what he will do there. Read books about kindergarten and look at pictures, play kindergarten, and walk on or near the kindergarten grounds so that your child can see other children having fun there. And finally, share with your child your positive story of visiting kindergarten, tell us how you liked it there, and you can even look at your kindergarten photographs with your child. Teach your child in advance to a clear daily routine, as close as possible to what he will have in kindergarten. To make it easier for your child to wake up in the morning, put him to bed no later than nine in the evening. And do not change your routine on weekends, when the child will not attend kindergarten. In the evenings after kindergarten, share your impressions of the day with your child. Ask him how his day went, what he did, with whom and what he played in the garden, what he liked most. Tell your child about your day and your positive emotions. Listen carefully to the child’s complaints and show sympathy. If your child is unhappy, talk to teachers and parents of other children, observe the child in the group and adequately assess the situation. By collaborating with the teacher, in most cases you will be able to eliminate the cause of your baby’s complaints; in cases where something worries you, you can always transfer your child to another kindergarten. Tell your child when you will take him home (before or after lunch, nap , walks, etc.) and always keep your promises. This instills confidence in the child and dulls the fear of parting with his mother. During the period of adaptation of the child to kindergarten, do not wean the child from bad habits, such as sucking a pacifier, thumb, twirling hair on a finger, etc., as this increases psychological and emotional stress and additionally burdens his nervous system and can lead to breakdowns and neurotic reactions. Surround the child with a calm and warm atmosphere. Kiss and hug your baby more often, say gentle words to him, praise him and, of course, play with him and read books to him, because during the period of adaptation to kindergarten he needs your attention and support more. Morning farewells between a parent and a child in kindergarten are not should be long and difficult, since long goodbyes and the worried, sad face of the mother instill additional fear and anxiety in the child. It's great if you come up with your own short farewell ritual and stick to it every day. In cases where it is extremely difficult for a child to part with his mother, it is advisable that his father or grandparents take him to kindergarten for the first few weeks. In addition, if you bring your child to kindergarten a little earlier or later than other children, this will allow him not to watch other people’s tears and cry “for company.” Allow your child to take toys or his favorite toy to kindergarten, this will calm him down a little. Remember that in During the first time in kindergarten, the child’s behavior may deteriorate somewhat. The whims of the child in this case are a manifestation of overload of the nervous system. Be tolerant of such manifestations and spend time together with your child more often. However, if you observe strong deviations in the child’s normal behavior, it is advisable to contact a child psychologist. Accustom your child to kindergarten smoothly and gradually. At first, it will be enough to leave him in kindergarten for one and a half to two hours, lengthening his stay there over time. However, do not drag out this process over months or six months. So, for example, two to three weeks after the start of visiting an educational institution, you can try to leave the child there until lunch, and after a month for a daytime nap, etc. At the first sign.