Understanding the child psychology at the school beginning
level is very important. Evaluating the necessity for the parents to understand
their children by not assuming that school beginning is a perpetual problem. An
initiative for parents to take it as an independent take exclusively for their
child had to be emphasized. Taking all these factors a proposal was drafted.
The Proposal
Purview of concern
“Children are like wet cement. Whatever falls on them makes
an impression,”as quoted by Dr. Haim Ginott. When children begin with their
formal schooling it is similar to an ex situ experience. They have been pulled
out from the comforts of their family and home into a larger unfamiliar world
aimed at their development. It is upon the parents, the institution and the
society at large to make the child feel comfortable and good about joining
school. Eventually the child begins to encounter myriad emotions. There are
many occasions when the child throws tantrums or expresses its unwillingness to
go to school. He or she may even resort to wetting and soiling in school in
spite of being toilet trained. It is not because the child does not want to
study or is lazy, there are other psychological aspects which get manifested in
such a way. As adults we are aware of the word stress and use it on a day to
day basis. They also feel a stress but are unable to speak out clearly. If
these problems are not addressed at the initial level, the child may grow up
being aggressive or shy or a poor performer.
Problem Analysis and Deduction
Just as the child grows physically, it also grows
emotionally and psychologically. The love and care of the parents provide sense
of security on which various learning experiences of childhood are built. Any deviant
behavior in the child may be traced to the growth of new emotions and faculties
in it as in the case of nightmares or it may be due to various tensions as in
the case of bed-wetting. A proper understanding of the child and the various
stress it is passing through will enable the parents to handle judiciously any
behavioral disturbance which appears.
Adequate explanation of various tension-causing phenomena in
the daily life of the child may help his understanding of life and enable him
to master the conflicts that arise. As a visual communication designer I would
like to bridge the gap between the child and the parents in being aware of and
understanding these concerns. I want to contribute in terms of comprehending
what the child undergoes at the threshold of joining school and while attending
it. Also working on enumerating the problems and mapping out solutions and how
the parents can take the responsibility of effectively building and instilling
values and a sound character in their children.
Suggestive Proposition
A publication or a booklet which could be circulated amongst
parents and institutions to propel the awareness and how to act on it.
An interactive media where the child and the parents can
come together and do something jointly.
The project was apportioned in three stages.
Stage one: Information collection,
analysis and synthesis. Research on study of child, parent and institutional
behavior.
Stage two: Content development and
further research.
Stage three: Exploring alternatives
along with doing user study after which there is final execution.
