why does my five year old cry when soomething new is being taught in class?

It could be a number of things. Many times at that age and for certain kids, anything new is out of their comfort zone–does your child exhibit any shyness? I know, from experience that sometimes shy kids have a hard time adjusting to something that they know they have never done.

Are there any major changes going on in your life i.e. you just moved, have a new baby? Your child might just need some extra one-on-one time with you.

Another thing–if they are on a strict routine at home (which isn’t a bad thing nessecarliy) many kids can go a little bonkers if something is out of routine for them–if this is the case, try doing some spontanious fun stuff at home, let the child stay up just a little later one night to watch an episode of Dora with you or something. Take them out on the spur of the moment to the park or McD’s. This way, maybe that will help him/her to see that new things that are not in their everyday schedule can be good things.

I also have known some especially bright kids who do this–I believe it is because they deep down inside want people to know that they are indeed smart, and are afraid to try something in front of others in case of failure. If this is the case, maybe try doing some activities, again at home that are not the usuall–maybe something that you know is above their current level that they can make mistakes on–but just in front of you. Encourage by reminding them how much they can learn by making those mistakes “now that you know this way doesn’t work, you can try something different–and maybe it will work better–making mistakes are how we learn to do things better–good job, now you know what doesn’t work” etc. etc. This way, they can break from the ‘perfection habit.’

One other thought, check out their hearing, sight, if you haven’t done so already–it might just be something as minor as that that is holding them back–it also could be a minor learning disability–which I know many parents choose not to believe it about their child–but most of these are easily taken care of, if identified early on–this is most likely not the case here, but it might be wise just to keep it in the back of your mind–and not rule it out if things don’t blow over in a few weeks.

Whatever you do, don’t get angry–it will make things worse–belive me. It’s ok to be firm and continue to inforce that they at least try new things–let them know how proud you are when they can show you all the new things they have learned–maybe set aside a time after school, maybe over snacks so it is really casual, each day to talk about what new things were learned today–be sure to ask specific questions, “which letter did you learn to write today” “did you like the story that you read today–tell me which part was your favorite.” vs. “what did you do at school today”

If nothing else a little bribery every now and then doesn’t hurt, as long as it is in minimal doses. It might be that a certain small toy they have had their eye on at ToysRUs can be just the encouragement they need–Try setting it on the kitchen counter, or somewhere in plain view, and tell your child that if they have two good weeks of no crying at school, they will earn it. Again, don’t get mad if they don’t automatically earn it the first time attemped, but just start over again–I tried this with my daughter in a similar experience,(she cried when they were learning to write their letters everyday) and all of the sudden one morning, she got up and started writing her name and other easy words in her coloring book as though it were second nature. It worked like a charm.

Work something out with your child’s teacher–teachers love to know that parents are working with their child at home as well as school and would more than likely be willing to talk with you or send home written reports of what went on durring the day and so on. Teachers are prob. your best resource.

Good luck to you–I know it is trying, but they will eventualy grow out of it I’m sure.

He may be afraid that he will not be able to learn it perfectly. Some kids get very upset if they make mistakes and that makes them afraid to try new things. In some cases it’s because they have had negative experiences if they didn’t succeed, in some cases they are just born that way. In any case, he needs to hear from you that all you want him to do is try, not everyone does things right the first time, and that5 it’s OK to make mistakes. It might help to find out from the teacher what comes next and let him know how exciting it will be.

Maybe he/she is just anxious. You should talk to your child and see what is going on. Maybe it doesn’t even have anything to do with new material being taught… Perhaps it could be due to the fact that he’s in a room with a bunch of other kids, or maybe he’s afraid the teacher might call on him [although I doubt that would happen at such a young age] …so basically just talk to him.

Your child is anxious about learning new things. Reassure them that learning is good. Let him/her know that we’re all always learning and learning is fun. The key, reassure, reassure, and reassure them. Let them know that it’s ok to feel a bit pressured to learn new stuff, we can all feel overwhelmed. Give your child confidence at home by asking everyday questions about running of the house, times you leave to go to school, etc. and praise them. Praise is really important for a chlid’s self esteem. Reassure, praise. Your child will be fine and I’m sure will grow out of it.

trouble with changes… ask his teacher to provide you with her lesson plans for the upcoming week. every night before your child goes to bed, you can discuss what will be happening in school the next day. this way he will be prepared for new activities. if you have it a week in advance, you can help your child draw a calendar over the weekend and write what will be done at school during the week… then go over it each night so that your child knows what to expect.

Anxiety.

Anxiety, and maybe he/she is not yet ready for a school setting.

You may want to consider taking him/her out for a year, and letting him/her try again later when he/she is better able to handle it.

What??? Are you sure it’s that? If it is, maybe he is just stressed out from learning. ( though i can’t think of anything that tough in kindergarten)