About gnawed apples. The main reasons why children gnaw pencils - advice from a psychologist

Once in children's hands, school supplies sometimes find incredible uses. For some reason, children find it difficult to forget the simple infant research technique. Although some adults also sin with an unsightly habit. The question arises: how to wean a child from gnawing pencils and pens? What are the underlying reasons?

The psychological aspect of the problem

First, the thought that immediately occurs to an adult who looks at a child biting nails or other objects is that he is not sure of himself. He tries in vain to reflect or focus on:

• educational assignment;
• heard, seen information;
• the current situation.

According to child psychologists, the bad habit of gnawing pens and pencils only distracts and distracts attention even more.

Secondly, psychologists call nervousness among other symptoms of a child's condition. More often, children gnaw on objects while sitting at a desk. Schoolchildren, especially during the adaptation period in the first year of school, when changing the classroom or teacher, experience stressful discomfort. The nuances of family life are also the reason for an agitated nervous state.

Thirdly, lack of interest may be the answer to the question: why does the child chew on pencils? People who, during a boring conversation or lecture, draw on the margins of a notebook, draw geometric shapes, have a similar habit.

Fourthly, it is possible that the child began to gnaw on writing objects despite the fact that he was weaned to do the same with his nails. He changed the object of influence and chose the less harmful, in his opinion, alternative occupation.

The medical aspect of the problem

At times, the gnawing of pens and pencils that happens to a child can be caused by feelings of hunger and instinctive behavior to pull something into the mouth, even if not edible.

Doctors state that:

• microbes and helminth eggs enter the child's body through contaminated objects, causing severe disturbances in the work of the gastrointestinal tract;
• the load on the developing teeth of the child is carried out, which leads to a violation of the integrity of the tooth enamel, injury to the mucous membrane of the oral cavity and gums;
• School supplies may contain environmentally hazardous chemicals that can cause serious illness if released into the bloodstream.

Methods of dealing with a bad habit

Adults should try to treat the problem constructively, not to raise their voices, not to use comparisons and epithets in a conversation with a child. Praise and cheer for the smallest successes on the way to victory over yourself.

• Compose a story in which the protagonist chews on nails and objects. The child will have the opportunity to look at himself and his hated habit from the outside.
• Master the home game. When the moment comes when the educational accessory is in the mouth, the child should say aloud the words: "I am gnawing again!" At first it will be funny for him to notice. As a result, the game will allow the child to become aware of the obsession with an endlessly repetitive action, will not allow the habit to establish itself for life.
• Impressive children can be told that from the dirt and microbes that are on the tip of the cap, helminths start. It is recommended not only to tell, but also to show photographs, videos that can be easily found on the Internet, since ordinary words, as a rule, do not work.

It is necessary to eliminate the causes of nervousness, consult a pediatrician about the use of homeopathic sedatives. You can visit a psychologist and use effective methods of dealing with unpleasant addiction, simple relaxation techniques.

The following techniques work at home:

1. Purchase pens that will be a pity to spoil or inconvenient to gnaw because of the unusual shape of the cap, for example, in the form of a cartoon character.
2. On the advice of experienced parents, winding cotton wool (rags) on it, or applying a special varnish against nail biting, which does not wash off for 3 days, helps to wean the child from gnawing the tip of the pen, on the advice of experienced parents. The resulting discomfort in the mouth will return the student's consciousness to reality and will not provide an opportunity to revel in weak will.
3. Invite the child to change one habit for another. Instead of harmful - to acquire useful, for example, fiddling with an earlobe. There are energy points responsible for memory and attention, those types of thinking that are so necessary in learning.

Analysis of the reasons and the use of cunning methods of education will help adults wean a little person from a bad habit.

All parents know that under the age of one year, children are actively pulling everything into their mouths. Thus, little explorers learn about the world. Only moms and dads calm down, as their child begins to gnaw a pencil case, pens, pencils or other school equipment. Adults attribute this phenomenon to bad habits and begin to actively fight them.

Maybe some parents think, well, let him gnaw himself, if he so wants. In fact, there are many microbes on the pencil that are sent to the child's body. It is unlikely that your baby washes it with soap and water before chewing on a pencil. Or after disinfecting the oral cavity. There is also a risk that the pencil will be swallowed by the child. And this is very dangerous for humans.

If you are not afraid of germs, then imagine that a child borrows a pencil from a teacher or a neighbor, and then returns it with the prints of his fangs. Moreover, the habit can remain and migrate into adulthood. Imagine a meeting where the director chews on a pencil in front of his subordinates. Not a very pleasant picture when children are gnawing pencils.

Adulthood

Increased gnawing is observed mainly in schoolchildren. The task of the parents is to look at the child and find out at what moments he chews a pencil. If he brings such copies from school, then he is nervous during lessons. For example, he is afraid to do something wrong and run into comments from a teacher or ridicule from classmates. Either she gnaws at a pencil during control or independent work, trying to concentrate this way.

If he chews on a pencil at home or at school, talk to your child and find out what worries him. Maybe he hasn't learned some topic or he has conflicts with someone at school. All this is removable, help the child, and the problem will gradually go away. He will learn to tell you his failures and less likely to stick his problems with a pencil.

In addition to confidential conversations, you can go for a trick. Today, a huge number of pencils are sold with your favorite characters or interesting tips. The schoolboy will feel sorry for gnawing them, and sometimes impossible. Another option is to buy metal pencils.

Have you chewed your nails since childhood? Or do you mechanically line up the bottles on the mother-in-law's dressing table? Don't let the wound heal, scratch it all the time? But all these habits are signals from our subconscious.

Having learned to recognize their hidden causes and meanings, one can understand how a person treats himself and those around him, what he does not want to show to the world, and even what he himself does not know about himself.

That is why we decided to find out what our bad habits are really talking about.

Nail biting or school neuroses

There is a whole galaxy of so-called "school" neuroses or neuroses of obsessive-compulsive movements, usually acquired in childhood - gnawing nails, caps, pencils, pens.

According to psychologists, the habit of biting nails indicates internal anxiety, unconscious tension. Trying to resolve the internal conflict, the “rodent” transfers it to the external, physical plane - it literally gnaws at itself.

As a rule, this habit is associated with a lack of self-love, with low self-esteem. By biting his nails and making his hands disgusting, a person unknowingly punishes himself for not being worthy of love.

From the point of view of psychoanalysis, any elongated elongated object (be it a pen or a finger) is a phallic symbol for our unconscious.

The habit of sucking, biting something like that is an unconscious way to get oral pleasure. Perhaps this indicates a significant concentration on erotic pleasures.

The habit of coping with stress through smoking

Psychologists are unanimous in the opinion that talking about physiology is nothing more than an attempt to justify the unwillingness to give up addiction. Smoking is strongly associated with rest, it gives the illusion of relaxation, plays the role of some psychological "pain relievers".

By compensating for the sucking reflex, the smoker experiences the peace and tranquility of the baby sucking the mother's breast, thereby satisfying the need for love and food.

Many people claim that they smoke in order to concentrate, believing that smoking helps to concentrate. For some, smoking makes it easier to establish social bonds - it is easier to strike up a conversation in a smoking room than in an office corridor.

Whatever the reason for emotional dependence on a cigarette, in order to quit smoking, you must get rid of it by finding other ways to concentrate, relax, or communicate with others.

The habit of uncontrolled eating - overeating

Food addictions are firmly in the first place in terms of prevalence, ahead of drug addiction and alcoholism. We eat without feeling the taste and smell of food until it becomes sick and the belt cuts into our sides.

As a result - a heavy sleep, digestive problems and gained pounds, self-loathing and - as in a vicious circle - the return of an uncontrollable desire to seize this hatred.

Most bad habits are caused by the desire for pleasure. Food is the strongest and most readily available source. By overeating, we make up for the lack of positive emotions, dull reactions to stressful situations.

Many emotional eaters defend themselves against mentally stronger people. In addition, in our subconscious there is a strong connection between food and sex: both are tied to the violation of the boundaries of our body and bring pleasure.

We often try to compensate for the lack of love with sex. And when we feel a lack of love and sex, we compensate for this with food.

The habit of biting lips and cheeks

People who have a habit of biting their lips and cheeks from the inside are well aware of the problem of stomatitis - the appearance of ulcers in the mouth. However, this problem is not the only one.

The mouth is the place through which we take in a huge amount of sensual pleasures associated with taste and eroticism. Unconsciously damaging this zone, a person punishes himself for excessive inner orientation towards these pleasures.

Often, such an obsessive action also means a desire for independence and autonomy from others. For example, a grown-up person can no longer psychologically live with his parents, but he has no opportunity to separate from them.

The habit of crunching your fingers

According to the observations of doctors, men are more likely to crunch their knuckles than women. Crunch-lovers claim that this habit helps them release tension, develop stiff joints, and relax their hands.

But most often this habit speaks of inner self-doubt.

Fanatical love of order

They put things in order wherever they go, no matter how appropriate. This habit speaks of a person's compulsive craving for the perfect, which makes it difficult to feel comfortable if suddenly someone put the glass out of line with the others.

If you constantly tear off labels from everywhere (from shampoo packages, jars, bottles) - this also indicates your perfectionism. A clean and smooth surface looks more perfect.

Obsession with the topic of order in psychology is called "accentuation" and even has a Freudian explanation. People who were taught to potty in childhood, resorting to tough team methods, cannot stand the slightest disturbance of order all their lives, tinder, clean and arrange everything on a ruler.

This is a character trait, not a disease. However, it is worth considering this and not repeating the mistakes of your parents when raising your own children. And also to realize that the world is not perfect, and this is normal.

The habit of scratching wounds and pimples

If you are haunted by an emerging pimple or a healing wound, there is an acute desire to pick them up, then most likely you need to take action to restore inner harmony.

This habit is akin to nail biting, and speaks of anxiety, anxiety, and dissatisfaction. According to the research of Finnish psychologists, a person with such a habit tries to punish himself in a similar way for stupid or obscene thoughts.

This can be perceived as a symbolic reprisal against their own aggressiveness. Such actions can be considered as auto-aggression (aggression directed against oneself) in order to attract attention to one's own person.

The habit of tearing paper

The habit of tearing paper expresses a person's desire to realize his own aggression, directed outward.

In the case when it is impossible to express their own anger, irritation, displeasure directly to the “culprit”, the person chooses socially acceptable options for substitutionary actions.

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Shevtsov Kirill

Reasons for the habit of gnawing a pencil. The consequences of this habit. Tips and tricks for overcoming the habit of gnawing on a pen or pencil. Purpose of the work: to find out why the child is chewing on a pen or pencil, and what the consequences may be.

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Appendix

MUNICIPAL AUTONOMOUS EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION

"GENERAL EDUCATIONAL SECONDARY (COMPLETE) SCHOOL in LYKHMA"

Project in the category "First Steps"

Project theme:

"Schoolchild's disease"

Shevtsov Kirill

Class 1

Scientific supervisor of the project:

Postnova Svetlana Yurievna

Place of work: MOSSH Lykhma village

Position: primary school teacher

Lykhma village

year 2013

Introduction …………………………………………………………………………….… .............. 3 - 4

Chapter I. The history of the creation of a pencil and a pen ………………………………………… ... 5 - 6

Chapter II. Disease or habit? .............................................. ............................................. 7

Chapter III.Factors influencing the formation and course of the habit and its consequences ... 8 - 9

3.1. The reasons for the habit of gnawing a pencil ................................................................. 8

3.2. Consequences of this habit ………………………………………………… ... 8 - 9

4.1. Tips for classmates ………………………………………………………… .10

4.2. Tips for parents ……………………………………………………………… ... 10-11

4.3. Safety pencils …………………………………………………………… 11

Conclusion …………………………………………………………………………………… 12

Literature …………………………………………………………………………………… 13

Appendix …………………………………………………………………………… ..... 14-16

INTRODUCTION

Many generations of children have paid tribute to this habit of gnawing the tip of a fountain pen in thought. There is no doubt that the Lyceum student Pushkin was biting the tip of a goose feather while composing his first verses. Likewise, both the grandfather and the father of our modern child, who make remarks to this child - “do not gnaw on a fountain pen, do not gnaw on a pencil,” each gnawed at a pen and a pencil. I wonder why? I decided to find out.

The purpose of my work:find out why the child is chewing on a pen or pencil, and what the consequences of these actions may be.

To achieve the goal in the process of research, the following were solved tasks:

1. explore the history of pencil and pen creation
2. find out if the desire to gnaw a pencil is a disease or a habit;
3. to establish the factors influencing the formation, course and consequences of this habit (disease);
4. develop guidelines and tips to overcome the urge to gnaw a pencil.

To find out how much the problem is relevant, in grade 1 we conducted a survey(Annex 1) , as a result of which we learned that 5 out of 16 students gnaw a pencil (pen)(Appendix 2).

An object research - students in grades 1 and 5, andsubject of study- a bad habit of schoolchildren.

Hypothesis: some of the bad habits inherent in elementary school students disappear with age.

In the course of the study, we used the following methods : analysis of literature and other information sources, questionnaires.

Work on the project includes the following stages:

1) Preparatory (November):

Search for information on the Internet and other sources;

2) Main (January):

- analysis of the information received;

Conducting a survey;

Preparation of a project presentation;

3) Final (February):

Presentation of the project at the school scientific and practical conference.

The intended resultwork on the project:

1. Establishment of factors influencing the formation and course of the habit of gnawing a pencil or pen.
2. Development of recommendations and advice to overcome this habit.
3. Creation of a presentation on the topic "Schoolchild's disease".

By its structure the work consists of an introduction, four chapters, a conclusion, a list of used literature, an appendix, a presentation.

CHAPTER I. The history of the creation of a pencil and a pen.

Presumably, the most distant ancestor of the pencil and pen was a firebrand from a fire - this was also used to draw cave paintings. And the first sufficiently formalized stationery was rods - wedges for writing on wet clay, they were used in ancient Assyria. The Greeks and Romans used stylos - pointed sticks.

The famous goose feather. Usually, in preparation for writing, the pen was cleaned in hot sand, cut and sharpened. Of course, goose pens had drawbacks: firstly, they creaked terribly, and secondly, from a goose wing, only 2-3 nibs are suitable for writing. Of course, there was still chalk, but you can't write on white paper with chalk.

At the end of the 18th century, a metal nib was created. The servant of the burgomaster of Aachen Jansen cared so much about his master that he made a feather from steel. True, it did not have a slot in the middle, so it splashed and wrote without pressure. Then such feathers began to be made of gold and silver.

The first description of a pencil made of graphite is found in a treatise on minerals, written in 1565. Graphite (if it was in solid pieces) was mined as ore, sawn into plates, polished and only then sawn into sticks and inserted into tubes of wood or reed.

The first real pencil. Shepherds who graze the flocks around Lake Borrowdale in Britain have long noticed that their sheep's wool turns black when they rub against the local rocks. When local scientists were informed of this, they assumed that the Borrowdalen surface was exposed to deposits of lead, or "black stone." Local residents immediately abandoned the sheep and began to make writing utensils, which they called "black stones". In Türkic: black is "kara", and stone is "dash".

In the 18th century, the French chemist Nicolas Conte suggested placing rods made of black stone (graphite) in a wooden shell - this made it possible to save, in fact, graphite. In addition, it turned out that a pencil made using this method writes even better.

Aristocrats usually used a silver pin. A very funny thing, the dark gray line from such a pin turned brown when oxidized, and it was impossible to erase this line. Da Vinci used the silver pin.

The first ballpoint pen. In fact, it was invented for the needs of military aviation (at a height, ink did not flow from such a pen), but soon the manufacturers realized that this was a real revolution. When the first batch of ballpoint pens went on sale in 1945, the authorities had to set up a cordon of several hundred police officers - there were such lines. During the day, they managed to sell 10 thousand pens, although the novelty was not cheap - this was how much an American industrial worker received in 8 hours.

A medium pencil can be sharpened seventeen times and written 45,000 words with it, or a straight line 56 km long.

Russians use about 600 million pens every year.

The first ballpoint pen went on sale in 1945. During the first day, about 10 thousand pens were sold in one outlet!

Neil Armstrong, the cosmonaut who first landed on the moon, somehow accidentally broke off the switch lever of the lunar apparatus. He would have been doomed to die if not for the ballpoint pen, which took the place of the broken switch.

CHAPTER II. Disease or habit?

At every age, a child has his own bad habits. Some children bite their nails, others suck their fingers. It is very common to observe how children of primary school age gnaw a pencil, fountain pen or other school supplies. Many experts call this bad habit “schoolchildren's illness ".

Other experts call this simply a bad habit that cannot always be overcome in childhood and which can take root in adulthood.

Even in kindergarten and school, teachers explain that gnawing on a pen or pencil is unhealthy, but such instructions are not always useful, as a result of which you have to see how adults fill their mouths with all sorts of stationery. When asked why you gnaw, they usually answer in the following way - to calm the nerves, suppress stress, focus on an important problem, or just relax.

To prove that this habit disappears with age, we conducted a survey of 5th grade students(Annex 1) and found that only 1 out of 20 people retained this habit, 13 people it disappeared, and 6 people never had it(Appendix 2).

CHAPTER III. Factors influencing the formation and course of the habit and its consequences

3.1. Reasons for the habit of gnawing a pencil

Let's see, what are the reasons for this habit?

To begin with, you should observe the child and establish where and when he chews on a pencil or pen. Only at school or both at school and at home. For many children, school is a source of stress. This is especially true for kids who did not go to kindergarten, closed, do not know how to behave in a team.They need to publicly answer the teacher's questions, go to the blackboard. Children are afraid to say or do something wrong, especially if it causes ridicule from classmates or comments from the teacher. Therefore, they are always nervous when they have to answer or write a test, and, imperceptibly for themselves, begin to gnaw on pencils. It turns out deThey relieve nervous tension in such an uncomplicated way.

If a student chews on pencils at home, most likely, you need to reconsider his load. Perhaps he does not have time to complete his homework or is uncomfortable at his desk. In this case, parents need to help their child with homework. You can try to tell the material covered in an accessible and interesting way, to present it in a playful way. Help your kid with the lessons, and he will feel more confident and forget about the pencil.

3.2. Consequences of this habit

It turns out that the habit of gnawing on a pencil is not so harmless.

Talking about harm of this common habit, we must point out two points:

♦ A child chewing on the tip of a fountain pen or pencil introduces additional infection into the mouth. This threatens him with diseases such as acute pharyngitis, tonsillitis, chronic tonsillitis. This child may also develop inflammatory diseases of the esophagus, stomach, intestines.

♦ A child who has a habit of chewing on the tip of a fountain pen or pencil may one day deteriorate his teeth (especially if the tip of the fountain pen is made of metal). Tooth enamel - even though it is the hardest tissue in the human body, experiencing a load for which it is not designed, it quickly collapses, and then caries develops. Numerous problems associated with it come - toothache, sleepless nights, an ugly smile, not the most pleasant trips to the dental office, difficulty in chewing food, seeding of the palatine tonsils and the gastrointestinal tract with pathogenic flora, stomach ailments, etc.

Moreover, the object that you prefer to gnaw, no matter whether it is a pen or a pencil, is not sterile, they contain a lot of microbes, so every time you want to drag this or that object into your mouth, think about how much harm it can do to your teeth. ...

4.1. Tips for classmates

As already noted, most often people gnaw a pen or pencil (and this happens involuntarily) when they are stressed, do their homework, are anxious about something, and sometimes just out of boredom. You can advise the following - try to "catch" such a moment and then think about this:

1. When you chew on a pen (pencil), you introduce an infection into the oral cavity. From this, unpleasant diseases can develop: acute pharyngitis, tonsillitis, chronic tonsillitis. Inflammatory diseases of the esophagus, stomach, intestines can also develop. And the materials from which pens and pencils are made can be poisonous!

2. Your teeth can suffer from this habit. After all, tooth enamel is not designed for such a load, and in the future you run the risk of visiting dentists very often!

If you cannot "persuade" yourself on your own, ask your parents or classmates to remind you of what you are chewing, because you yourself can not notice it. If you feel that you are starting to gnaw a pen (pencil) from stress or boredom - it's time to take a break and rest.

There is also a great way: ask your mom to buy you pens with funny figures on the tips, perhaps this will help you to break the habit!

4.2. Tips for parents

A mother who has noticed the child's habit of biting in thought or gnawing the tip of a fountain pen or pencil should wean the child from this habit as soon as possible. The sooner a child breaks the habit of a bad habit, the less likely he is to suffer from one of the diseases we mentioned above.

The method of weaning from a habit is the simplest one: tirelessly make comments to the child, talk about the dangers of the habit, set as an example other children who do not have this habit. There is no need to scream and punish a child gnawing on pencils or pens. This will only make the situation worse. The child will do it secretly, which will only worsen his psychological state. It is necessary that an atmosphere of trust, comfort and safety be created in the house. Eliminate sources of stress and your child will chew less on pencils.

Parents come up with various tricks so that the child stops gnawing on school supplies. It comes to the point that they smear the tips of pencils with unpleasant-tasting oils, creams, etc. What advice can you give mom?

♦ To play it safe a little and not buy fountain pens for your child containing metal parts.

• If the child is doing his homework, make sure that the pencil or pen is not constantly in the child's hands: while he is thinking about solving a problem or learning a poem, discreetly take a pencil and put it side by side.
• Read the fairy tale "Bad Habit" to your child(Appendix 3).
  

4.3. Safe pencils

Many parents come up with different ways to stop their child from chewing on school supplies.

For a designer from Italy Cecilia Felli came up with the ingenious idea to create a pencil that would be not only safe, but also useful.

Without thinking twice, a 15-centimeter pencil from licorice root was born. As the author herself says, if you are tired, hungry, and it’s still a long way to lunch, didn’t get enough sleep at night, and now you fall asleep at your workplace, then by all means take this amazing stationery and chew boldly. Since the lead starts only from the middle, you can safely bite this product without worrying about anything.

Moreover, pencils can now begnaw with taste- they are made of chocolate. The set of pencils includes various varieties, varying in color and content of cocoa beans, as well as a convenient sharpener, with which you can enjoy the novelty at dignity, decorating your dessert with unusual chocolate chips. Pencil cleanings have never been more welcome than this one!

CONCLUSION

In the course of work on the project, we studied the history of the appearance of a pencil and a ballpoint pen, proved that the desire to gnaw a pen and a pencil is a habit that disappears with age. We also established the factors influencing the formation and course of this habit, found out what diseases can be a consequence of the fact that the child is chewing on a pencil. We have given recommendations and advice on how to overcome this bad habit.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. http://images.yandex.ru
2. http://images.google.ru
3. http://go.mail.ru

4. APPENDIX 2

   Diagrams

   APPENDIX 3

   Story

   Bad habit

   Petya Knizhkin lived on Sadovaya Street in the tenth building on the third floor in the eighth apartment. When he went to the fourth grade, he developed a bad habit - he began to gnaw on a pen. Although he gnawed not only a pen, but also a ruler, pencil, and even a sharpener. But most of all he loved to gnaw on the pen (at least, that was the first thing that fell under his arm and under his teeth). When Petya was doing his homework and gnawing at his pen, his parents did not notice this (they just never checked him). But at school, on the contrary, the teacher always made remarks to Petya, but everything was useless - Petya could not break the habit of his habit! When the teacher told Petya's parents about this bad habit of their son, they did not believe, but still scolded their son (just in case). Petya promised them not to gnaw the pen, but he continued to ruin the pen and teeth. And now, two months later, Petya got sores on his tongue, around his mouth. They were very sick when Petya talked to friends. But when friends noticed these sores, they stopped communicating with Petya - they were afraid to catch them from him. Petya became bored - he had no one to talk to. And most importantly, a Terrible Pain settled in his mouth. And he decided to get rid of his bad habit. But it was not so easy to do it! Petya suffered for a long time, his hand simply automatically took the pen and brought it to his mouth. After suffering for another month, Petya nevertheless got rid of his bad habit. Petya realized that the most important thing is health, and began to take care of him.

Often, a child, finding himself in an unfamiliar and unusual school environment for him, acquires new bad habits. One of the most common is chewing on the caps or tips of pens, pencils, or other objects. Parents are often worried about this fact, although many adults, during periods of meditation at work, commit such an act. If the habit takes on a stubborn character and school supplies are gnawed "to meat", perhaps the child has severe stress or even a neurosis is formed, then he needs help.

First of all, parents think that the reason for the fact that the child bites nails or pens, pencils is stress and lack of confidence in himself, his strengths in a new environment for him. He tries to focus on the main thing, to let go of the problem, withdraw into himself and thus "seizes" stress. Often, episodes of a bad habit arise when thinking about new tasks, comprehending the information seen and heard, as well as making decisions in the current situation. But, according to psychologists and educators, the habits of biting objects or nails do not help, but interfere with comprehension, distracting the brain and scattering attention.

Elementary boredom and lack of interest in the subject of study can lead to such actions. Many adults do the same in this situation, or they preoccupy themselves with drawing, drawing circles, shapes, or abstraction. Therefore, if you have a similar habit, it is worth offering the child the same option, instead of nibbling pens and pencils, use them for their intended purpose.

Pathological causes: neurosis or anxiety

A child who is physically and psychologically not ready for schooling may acquire neurosis at the very beginning of classes, which will manifest itself with various symptoms. Some children sniff or blink, repeat stereotypical movements, and some chew on pens and pencils. The peculiarities of the psyche and the functioning of the nervous system of children are such that they cannot sit for a long time without movement, this forms in them the phenomena of neurosis. Strong emotions, rejection by the team, change of teacher or class, problems in the family and difficulties in learning can become an impetus for the development of neurosis or neurotic states. Often, neurosis has deep and complex roots, and bad habits and stereotyped movements are only the very tip of the iceberg. In this case, the help of a psychologist and experienced teachers will help.

Such bad habits are not only a loss to the family budget due to the rapid damage to office supplies, but also serious medical consequences. The simplest explanation that doctors put forward in connection with the occurrence of episodes of biting pens and pencils is a feeling of head or thirst, so parents should give their child snacks and water to school, or take care of food in the school cafeteria. In addition, it can be a manifestation of stress associated with mental or physical overload, as well as one of the symptoms of digestive tract pathologies. Methodically chewing and nibbling on pencils can relieve abdominal pain or cramps.

It is no less harmful for the child's teeth and gums, they are injured, enamel chips and cracks occur, and the risk of caries is high. Long-term habits can even threaten with bite problems.

Some materials from which pens and pencils are made can be hazardous to health and their systematic ingestion can provoke serious pathologies.

Habit Management Techniques: Eliminate Stress

First of all, parents need to find out where their child's stress comes from, what he is so concerned about and what causes him anxiety. In this case, games, conversations and various techniques come to the rescue, as well as increased attention to the child's concerns. If in conversation he does not talk about the problem, you can try games at school so that the child simulates the situation and clarifies the details of the situation leading to stress. Maybe this is the strictness of the teacher or the comments of the children, worries about academic failure. Often, eliminating the causes of stress leads to the elimination of the habit.

It is important not to scold the child for mistakes and praise for the slightest success, to conduct conversations constructively and to the point, without shouting and raising his voice, on an equal footing. Psychologists suggest telling a story about a child chewing on hands so that your son or daughter has the opportunity to evaluate themselves from the outside. It is also worth mastering the game - "I gnaw", this phrase will need to be pronounced every time an object is pulled into the mouth. It will seem funny at first, but then the child realizes the obsession of this action.

You can tell and show educational videos from the Internet about microbes and viruses that live on the surface of pens and pencils that are placed in the mouth and their harmful effects on health. This usually impresses children greatly, and they think about safety before chewing on the pen. If the experience is serious, it makes sense to talk with your doctor about taking light sedatives and sedatives in the form of decoctions, teas or tablets.

There are also simple tricks that can help you break the habit in many cases. So, this is the use of caps or tips, large or uncomfortable in shape, with sharp edges, or a favorite hero who is a pity to spoil.

Some parents suggest replacing one habit with another, instead of nibbling on pens, scratching your nose or fiddling with your earlobe, which is safer. So, irritation of the earlobes activates memory and attention, thinking, which is more useful for the student.

Some parents dip the pen in salt or pepper so that the unpleasant taste discourages the desire to nibble on it. But this often does not help, and sometimes it can also harm the child, leading to allergies or burns of the mucous membrane.