Reducing The Anxiety of Returning to School

P.A.C.E. issued the following release to help parents of students returning to school:

Going to school may be stressful to some students.  Recognizing that fear and responding with early intervention can calm the student and prevent the situation from becoming a problem. 

Children often fear what they do not know. Therefore, first time students may have more questions and anxiety than returning students. 

However, if the child is changing schools, the anxiety may also increase.  If the opportunity for the student to visit the school, classroom, or teacher is offered, then the child’s anxiety level may be greatly reduced. Questions like “where is my class?”, “is my teacher nice?” “what door do I enter?”, and “do I go to the office first?” all can be answered with one visit. 

This visit would also give the child some understanding of the route to and from the school.

Start the typical school schedule for the child a week or so prior to the start of school.  Young students should have a fixed bedtime and wake-up schedule to which they are adjusted prior to the start of school. 

This practice period would also be a good time to finish school shopping and again, put a positive spin on the overall school experience for the child.  Students can get excited about the new clothes, lunch box or other school supplies which will help increase the positive feelings about the start of school.

Parents should be calm and display low anxiety about their child starting school.  Anxiety is “catching” and if the child sees the parent nervous, apprehensive, or sad, the child will assume those same attitudes. 

Parents should look for subtle signs from the child that would indicate that the child has concerns.  These signs may include attempts to avoid school or its preparation, seeking increased parental approval, clingy behavior, or flatly refusing to attend school.  Parents should allow their children to voice their concerns and to offer supportive reassurance. 

Giving a child a safe, comforting environment in which to discuss their fears and concerns opens a positive dialogue that will set the stage for an on-going supportive child-parent relationship.

Ten to fifteen percent of children have diagnosable anxiety problems. These may result from being overly attached to their parents, from having had a prior negative experience, or from an ongoing emotional or behavioral issue.  Be responsive to your child’s actions and emotions. 

Don’t dismiss the fears and concerns of young children, but instead hear them out and provide positive support.  Should you feel you child is suffering from a serious emotional or behavioral issue, contact a behavioral health professional. The sooner a problem is addressed, the sooner it can be remedied.

For further information on children’s mental health issues contact the P.A.C.E. Center at 864-583-5802 or visit our Web site.

More tips on reducing anxiety.