From the author: Published on the author’s page [/url]Summer flies by so quickly! Yesterday I sadly noticed that yellowness was already showing through in the grass, dry birch leaves appeared on the ground, and the evening air was saturated with an autumn, earthy, damp aroma. For us, mothers, the arrival of autumn is, first of all, the beginning of the school year. You need to try on school shirts, trousers or skirts, buy a new school uniform, backpack, notebooks, pens and other school supplies. But this is not the most difficult difficulty of autumn. For the most part, shopping for our children is a pleasant experience. But the first months of school are really not easy. And for us, parents and, even more so, for the children. Moreover, it is difficult for them at all ages. Both first-graders and graduates. It’s certainly more difficult for kids - a lot of things have changed in their lives now, but they are fueled by the effect of novelty. But the kids going to second, third and other grades already know what awaits them and are not always happy about it. And they are right! From September 1, a lot of unpleasant things await them - a loud and untimely (if only they could get some sleep) ringing alarm clock, a long and tiring sitting at a desk, a heavy briefcase and its packing and unpacking, new classmates, and even old ones are not always a joy, homework and tests, diaries and school rules of behavior... And they still haven’t finished their walk, haven’t rested, haven’t gotten enough sleep. It is to us, adults, that by the end of August it seems that, as long as we can sit back and sleep, it’s time to get down to business. And for them to ride their bikes and have breakfast for lunch is just the thing. I’m watching my son, and I wonder how he will be on time for school if he eats porridge for forty minutes in the morning - smoothly, leisurely, with a stretch? We go with him in the car for dacha, I decided so simply, to pass the time, to ask how much seven eight would be. I shouldn’t have asked, I spoiled everyone’s mood. I forgot three times three! And in May I wrote an excellent test on the multiplication table. It’s annoyingly terrible. I forgot the multiplication tables, my reading became clearly worse, with examples, as it turned out, also not very cheerfully - because of this the guy became sad, his self-esteem was sharply shaken. Just like riding a bike, you’re in the lead; watching TV, he easily sits through three episodes of Tom Sawyer, and with a book in his hands, he yawns on the first page. He and I were depressed, but not for long. Little by little we began to remember mathematics, read books more often, talk about school, about classmates, about favorite subjects... The first weeks of the school year are the most difficult time for schoolchildren. Until about mid-October, they adapt to school, to its orders and requirements, to the new daily routine and workload. There is a so-called “recruit disease.” It is typical for both first-graders and schoolchildren who return to school after a long break. To understand this “disease,” you can remember yourself after a well-spent vacation. How boring it is to spend the first days at work, the memory keeps returning to those glorious vacation days, the office chair is too uncomfortable, it’s difficult to gather your thoughts, concentrate, you want to wander the corridors or on the Internet, work tasks seem overly difficult or far-fetched, you want to go home early ...What does this mean? That the vacation went well, that you managed to switch gears, get distracted, and give your head, soul and body rest. All that remains is to survive the transition from one state to another, from the role of a vacationer to the role of an employee. The same is true for children, only their vacations are usually longer than ours and, therefore, the transition period should be longer. This period from vacation to study is especially acute. experienced by sensitive children and those who spent the summer intimately with their mother or grandmother. Guys sometimes start developing colds and sick stomachs at the beginning of autumn. This is how their somatics, their body, reacts to stress. And it’s not that they didn’t have enough sea, sun or vitamins. They have a hard time adjusting their time, energy, and state. What signs can help us recognize difficulties in adapting to school? · sleep disturbance - difficulty going to bed and moreit’s more difficult to get up; · loss of appetite - I love this, but I won’t do it for anything, school food is always not to my taste, I don’t want to have breakfast...; · inappropriate reactions – whims out of the blue, resentment over “trifles”, excessive anxiety of bad people grades, the fact that “you won’t make friends”, fear of new teachers... ;· complaints of fatigue, headache, nausea, etc.; · fears, obsessive movements (twitching of eyelids, facial muscles, neck, coughing, nail biting, pencils and pens, etc.); · violation of the tempo of speech (stammering). If you happen to observe something from this approximate list in your child, pay close attention to such details. Experience shows that if you correctly introduce your child to the new school year and help him fit into everyday work life in time, then the end of the first quarter will show good results. And if left to chance, then some children will still have adaptation difficulties by the New Year, to which current school events and experiences will be added. For the children who come to me for sand therapy in early autumn, I clearly observe a trend that I call for yourself “finishing the holidays.” It is expressed in the fact that children often create pictures that tell about their summer vacation, new joys and impressions, friendships and disappointments... These pictures are very necessary for the schoolchild, as creative elements that help smooth out the transition period from a wide, sweeping summer to a regulated and busy school year. It is especially important that the child makes his own way into school everyday life and draws the curtain behind the freedom of summer days. In addition, I observe with what pleasure the children play in the sand, play with figures in their hands, and make up stories. It seems to me that for them in these moments, carelessness and lightness, freedom and the possibility of creativity without a given theme return. They really play, childishly, naively and spontaneously, they are with the sand in a way that they would not be able to be at school. And it is very important to give them time and the opportunity to finish their summer, dream, indulge and finish. By this we teach them to COMPLETE one stage and begin another. The skill of completion is very necessary and important in everyone’s life, this applies not only to the end of periods, but to the end of relationships. Another significant point that I think is important to note is that playing with sand and writing stories serve as a litmus test, which often reflects adaptation difficulties schoolchild. This can manifest itself in the construction of redundant and frequently used defensive fortifications, in the dispositions of the heroes, in the choice of the “main” character and his actions... Or vice versa - a quiet harbor is being built, a peaceful piece of the world where you want to escape and hide. Observations of pictures, clarification helps to see the experiences with which the child lives inside his soul, to feel his emotional state. School psychologists and teachers note that in September-October children’s attention and ability to concentrate decrease by 20%. And also, the main problem is the difficulty of retelling and answering at the board. How can sand therapy help in this case? Many. For example, a simple detail - a child talks about his sand painting as he works. This is almost a retelling of a story or memory born in the mind. This story, as a rule, turns out to be voluminous, detailed, logical and consistent, so as to be understandable and interesting to the author and listener. As the story progresses, I can ask clarifying questions about the characters, their personalities, which allows the child to remember and select more words, images, comparisons. This also helps to maintain and move the focus of attention from the story itself to the characters and their twists and turns. The importance of handling with care with sand and fragile figures, allows the child to practice self-control, which is very desirable in the classroom. Teachers have a hard time putting up with impatient “know-it-alls” who shout from their seats or jump like balls with their hands raised to the ceiling. This is for us,.