Is it normal for a 5 yr old that just started preschool to "regress"?

Question

She is really smart & can draw & color exceptionally well for her age. Since she has started pre-school, she draws very babyish & "scribble scrabbles" when she colors. She also has started talking "baby talk". She has "forgotten" how to get into her games on the computer & turn on the tv & change channels. I don't understand this behavior. By the way, I am her grandmother & am raising her. She is extremely close to me as I am her. Could this be separation anxiety from me. Her teacher says she talks about me constantly.

Answer 1

It does sound like separation  anxiety, but it could be something simpler like seeing that the little ones at school get more attention. Or she might be afraid that the other kids won't like her if she's smarter that they are. Have you asked her? Could she take something of yours to school in her to help her feel close to you maybe a handkerchief, or  a special necklace. Maybe you could make  special necklaces together with beads, one for you and one for her. When my daughter acts out I remind her how nice it is to have a big girl around the house and talk about what she couldn't do when she was a baby. Babies can't bake cookies with me. Babies can't eat pizza, or help me with the shopping,ect.

Answer 2

It sounds like a classic case of wanting to be centre of attention to me. Think about it - at home they're special, at school they're surrounded by kids their own age. Clinging to a slightly earlier age, kind of thing.

Answer 3

It probably is normal . When someone enters a new situation and is nervous about it , as your granddaughter will be , they sometimes regress to a time when they felt safer and more secure . The same thing can happen when new brothers and sisters are born . She hasn't forgotten how to do anything. Adults do it too e.g. mid life crises etc

Answer 4

please do not become overly worried about this situation. A very similar thing happened to me, with one of my daughters. She "forgot " how to read and spell and also draw, whereas she had always been excellent at all in the past. She also started to wet herself. what it took to solve it was an awful lot of patience. Ask if everything is ok at school..she is not being bullied, likes her teacher etc . take a trip to the docs if you think its justified and will put your mind at rest.

With my daughter it was a very simple case of wanting to be the same as her peers. she did not want to shine out or have any attention doted on her so she regressed to fit in with the other children, particularly one she liked spending time with but was not at a similar level to her.talking to her about how everyone is different and charming with their own unique characteritics and gifts helped to deal with this, also alot of time spent re-introducing and not condoning the unwanted behaviour.

you need firstly to get to the crux of the problem first though , so gentle talking and/or doctors. It may help to speak to the person at pre school to see if they have noticed a difference and why they think it has occurred.

she talks about you constantly because you are the constant in her life and she loves you.!