10 Tips to Help You and Your Child Feel Less Anxious About Starting School
Can it really be time to head back to school for kids who are in Pre-K through 12th grade? The answer is a resounding YES. In Georgia, most public schools begin their new school year in early August with most private schools beginning just a couple of weeks later.
While many parents are ready (and in some cases, anxiously awaiting the restart of the school year!), there are lots of parents of younger children who may be feeling a little apprehensive about sending their babies off to school or may have children who are nervous and worried.
All of these emotions — excitement, anxiety, fear, happiness, worry — are felt by your children and you are completely normal. And you may even experience them all through the course of a day – or even in an hour -- as you are preparing for your child’s first day. We have some tips to help you and your little ones adjust to these big emotions and to handle school and separation anxiety.
Advice to help your child (and you) prepare for the back-to-school jitters and address separation anxiety:
Are you nervous about the school year? If so, your child is noticing and probably taking their cues from you. Try talking to a trusted friend or your partner about your worries, meditating, or journaling to help you destress. You can guide your child to do some of the same activities to help them lighten their load as well.
Children who are experiencing stress or worry often just need their feelings validated. Be a good, active listener and then provide an understanding response such as “I know how hard it can be to meet new teachers and friends.”
Do you know your child’s specific worries? If so, talk about each one and make a plan on how your child should handle their concerns. Then practice how they will implement the plan.
Begin easing into a school year routine three to seven days before your child’s first day. This means dialing back their bedtime to 8 p.m. instead of 10 p.m., waking them up around the time they will need to get up on school days, and reducing their screen time.
If your child’s school is having an Open House, Meet the Teacher, or Orientation before school starts – GO. If you must miss the pre-start activities, call the school to see if you can bring your child in at a separate time for a quick tour and to meet the staff.
Planning to carpool with friends or meeting a friend at school before walking in may help your child feel more excited about the first day and less nervous since they are experiencing it with a familiar friend.
Allow your child to take a comfort item such as one of your scarves, a photo, or a stuffed animal that can stay in their bookbag and be pulled out when they need to be reminded of you.
Be sure to tell your child’s teacher before the first day that your child is having anxiety about the new year so that the teacher can prepare a plan for your departure, such as immediately involving your child in an activity to keep them engaged.
Schedule a first-day dry run – wake up, get dressed, eat breakfast, drive to school – so that the real first day won’t have extra stressors like being late or getting lost.
When you drop your child off on their first day of school, say goodbye then leave. Lingering only makes the situation harder and delays the departure. It also can signal to your child that you may have doubts about the situation too. So, make sure they know what is happening at the end of the day (who is picking them up, if they are riding a bus, or going to afterschool), then give them a kiss, and say goodbye.
Need more tips? Check out these resources:
Child Mind Institute: Back to School Anxiety
John Hopkins Medicine: 5 Tips to Ease Back-to-School Anxiety
Today: The 21 best back-to-school books for kids to calm first day jitters
