Scared Sunbeams
The new year is a few months old and your Sunbeam is still crying for the nursery or scared of sharing time, her teacher, and the new discipline and structure. How can you help her adjust?
The secret to all of this is the teacher. If your child loves her teacher, she will begin to feel safe in her new environment. However, for many children, only seeing a teacher on Sundays isn’t quite enough to build a relationship. If your child is shy, you may need to take some steps to help your child see her teacher more often. Visit the teacher’s home or invite her to yours. Make sure you bring your child to say hello before Sacrament Meeting and at ward activities. Some children are helped by having a picture of the teacher at home, where they can look at it and keep her face in mind during the week.
Try to make the teacher a part of your life. Help your child write her an email or make her a picture. Talk about her positively, however you might feel about her yourself. Your child should feel the teacher is someone you trust and care about. When she overhears you being critical of her teacher, she may be afraid to be left in class.
Sometimes the large Primary room, with so much space and so many children, is overwhelming for Sunbeams. Try to visit the room when it’s empty, discussing the decorations, looking for the child’s seat if it’s kept up during the week, and talking about what happens in the room. The more time the child spends there, the more comfortable she’ll feel. Bring your child to the Primary room on Sundays before Primary begins, so you can take a moment to help her settle in and feel comfortable. Give the teacher an opportunity to greet her and give your child time to relax before the meeting starts. Once you’ve gotten her settled, leave quickly and trust the teacher to make her feel safe. The moment of separation is the hardest, but most children are fine once their mothers are gone and they’re certain she won’t return.
You can also take your child to visit her classroom, where she can tell you some of the things she does there. Help make these rooms feel more familiar and safe to your child, perhaps by doing something fun in them together on a weeknight, such as reading a story together.
Help the structure and discipline of Primary seem easier for your child by requiring better behavior during Sacrament Meeting, Family Home Evening, and family scripture study. When a child is able to sit quietly, she gets more from Primary and helps to make her Sunday experience more spiritual.
Follow along with the lessons by checking the church website, which has all the lesson manuals online. Every Sunday, talk to your child about what she learned. Review the finger plays, songs, and scripture stories together and express enthusiasm for what she learned there.
It is perfectly natural for your child to be homesick for nursery. Nursery was fun and familiar, and the new, more grown-up structure of Sunbeams is a huge leap for your child. She will get used to it and by the end of the year, you’ll be amazed at how grown-up she’s become about church.