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Why is the child passive in class?

, medical expert
Last reviewed: 06.07.2025
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Other children constantly raise their hands and volunteer to answer one after another, but this one always remains on the sidelines... All the children are playing and running around the street, but this one just wants to be left alone. A schoolchild's passivity creates a lot of problems for him, because it does not allow him to properly express himself and be successful among his peers. What are the reasons for a child's passivity?

Problems of a quiet schoolboy

If a schoolchild does not show interest in his studies, he is rated much lower than other children. When the schoolchild grows up, his passivity does not allow him to properly express himself among his peers and give him the opportunity to show his own “I”.

The problem is that adults would do something if the child was aggressive and capricious. But if it doesn’t interfere, it’s good and we won’t touch him. This is harmful to the child, because he can hide such negative emotions that neither parents nor teachers even suspect. But they need to be solved. Otherwise, later, in adulthood, unresolved problems will turn into a mass of complexes and failures. True, you need to act towards such a child not immediately, not rashly, not aggressively, but patiently and gradually, so as not to harm the fragile psyche of the schoolchild…

Psychological characteristics of a quiet schoolboy

Russian psychologist L. Slavina very carefully studied the problems of children who behave passively. And she formed the characteristics of their behavior. There are three of these characteristics:

  1. The child does not have sufficient intellectual skills and abilities
  2. The child does not like intellectual work
  3. The child is not interested in learning about the world around him

Let's look at each of these characteristics to better understand the quiet schoolchild.

Insufficient intellectual skills are gaps in the child's upbringing and development. This means that he was not taught enough, little was explained to him, and he was not interested in learning new things. Simply put, the child was not instilled with curiosity. Such a student simply does not know how to experience joy from gaining knowledge. This interest needs to be developed. When a student learns to look for useful information for himself and answers well in class, he will develop a habit of learning more. After all, this makes him successful.

Rejection of intellectual work. This factor is the result of the first point. If a schoolchild cannot boast of his abilities and skills in intellectual activity, then he does not like to do intellectual work. After all, he does not show brilliant results in it. So, why try? A schoolchild likes to do what he is praised for. Therefore, even small achievements of a child in intellectual activity should be encouraged, developing his interest in it.

The schoolchild is not interested in the world around him. Loss of interest in the environment happens when the child is presented with excessive demands that he cannot fulfill due to his psychological or physiological characteristics. And the child reacts by losing interest. He has no practice of intellectual activities that are encouraged and make his work productive and successful. Therefore, it is necessary to give children simple tasks that he can easily cope with, and praise them for every success. In this way, a quiet schoolchild can be made into a giant of thought.

Reasons for passivity in the classroom

Problems with excessive passivity of a schoolchild in class and games, relationships with peers can be caused by biological features of the structure of the nervous system.

Another reason is heredity. If a child's parents or grandparents preferred to sit quietly in a corner, the child may consider such behavior normal and inherit it.

Another reason for a child's passivity may be a microtrauma to the brain received during pregnancy or childbirth. This is a psychological deviation that does not threaten the life of a schoolchild, but leaves an imprint on his behavior. There are quite a lot of such children around the world - up to 10%.

A student's passivity in class can also be caused by upbringing, in which too many prohibitions were imposed on the child. This is not allowed, this is not allowed, and this is not allowed at all. As a result, the child has become accustomed to living within the framework since childhood and, in order to protect himself from his own desires, becomes indifferent to all types of activity, including intellectual.

A child may be passive at school due to a bad psychological climate in the family. Reacting sharply to scandals at home, he may close himself off in his shell, isolating himself from the world, and show himself as little as possible. With this behavior, he seems to say: "I am upset, don't touch me!"

How to overcome a student's passivity?

Just not with aggression or orders. The child will become even more withdrawn or will follow your orders, but without any enthusiasm. You need to help the child come out of his shell, express himself, and so that this becomes a habit for him.

It is very important that the child can talk about what he feels and what his desires are. An adult needs to spend time on this, be patient and tactful in order to achieve results. Moreover, it is necessary to start as early as possible, as soon as the child has learned to speak.

As soon as adults managed to find an object in which the child has a real, living interest, they almost conquered the student’s passivity.

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