To the nursery, without fear! How to help him so he doesn't cry 2026

Author: José González

The questions keep coming up: Isn't it too small? How will being among strangers for so many hours affect you? Is it okay for me to go back to work and not take care of my child? No need to worry. Yes the daycare.

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Going from the caresses and attention of mom and dad to having to share time with other children has its positive side. Far from posing a threat to the child's development, it will teach him behaviors that are so valuable and necessary to live in society, such as sharing things or beginning to experience the first notions of friendship.

Relationships with other children

The daycare provides a new facet to the child by expanding their interpersonal relationships: they begin to have feelings of belonging to a group and perceive that there are rules and schedules that all the children have to follow together.

Throughout their education outside the family environment, they will realize that they are not the center of everything, although they continue to be the kings of the house. And also that there are "equal others" with whom to play, have fun and share, but also with whom to fight, from whom to protect their toys, from whom to scream...

Communication development

The little ones communicate with each other with their own language. It is not that they talk to each other without the adults realizing it, but they do use other types of registers and gestures.

If your way of acting changes when you have to talk to another child, your relationship with adults also changes. After several unsuccessful attempts, he understands that the language and communication he uses with the elderly must vary depending on the circumstances and place. Surely dad and mom will be more sensitive to your gestures of affection than educators, so if you want something, you will have to ask for it differently, wait your turn, or simply settle for not having it.

Kindergarten and family

Just because our child goes to daycare does not mean that his education is already on track and we can ignore it. It is true, at an age where we learn so much and so quickly, storage represents a significant increase in the number of stimuli from which to learn. But for this process to be completely beneficial, consistency and continuity are needed.

It is good to play with them, to facilitate the children's adaptation to daycare and alleviate the confusion and restlessness that any new situation produces.

This coherence must include all spheres of the baby's universe. For example, to have a balanced diet you have to know what you have eaten in the store. It is also important that the rules followed in daycare are continued at home. That is, if they don't let him play with electric toys there because they are not appropriate for his age, they shouldn't be able to do so at home either.

And another thing: a fluid dialogue with their "teachers" is the best way to make sure that our child is having good physical, cognitive and emotional development.

The importance of the game

On the other hand, daycare is fun in its purest form. All those toys and those adults who invent activities, dances, songs... make it a paradise for play. Although at this age, directing and imposing certain activities is an impossible mission. Therefore, it is the perfect place for them to play at their leisure and interact with other children. But it is not only fun, shared play at these ages is also an exchange that will facilitate later learning: dialogue, feelings of understanding and ownership, etc.

And all of this is supervised by qualified adults who know the child's development and who are attentive to any problem that may arise.

José González is a psychologist.