Going back to school at the end of the summer holidays can mean a great big to-do list. Preparing to head back to school involves many things, from buying new school shoes to easing into an earlier bedtime before the first day back. One thing that is often overlooked, though, is the emotional side of going back to school.
Please take a look below at ways to overcome anxiety which we found on the Start Rite website.
After six weeks of sunshine and oodles of free time, it can be hard to transition back into a regular term-time routine. That’s why we’ve worked with Dr Julie Smith, a Clinical Psychologist and expert in mental health, to offer advice on how to manage the transition back to school for both children and parents.
Here we provide some helpful tips on how to spot behaviours that might show your child is anxious, but not sharing their concerns and how to help them with their feelings. We’ll also give you some top tips of our own on how to ease back to school anxiety for parents and pupils alike.
Watching your little one head through the school gates can be a nerve-wracking experience, whether it’s their very first day at high school or primary, or they’re moving up into the next year group. As a parent, you can easily get lost in all sorts of worries - will they make friends, will they do well in their classes, will they enjoy themselves? And while these worries are perfectly natural, they can get in the way of what can also be a very exciting time for both you and your child.
So how can parents reduce their back to school anxieties?
Many of the points listed above can also be very helpful in relieving children’s stress and anxiety about going back to school, or going to school for the first time if that is the case. Here, we’ve listed some tips just for helping your child adjust to the transition.