Back-to-school can be both an exciting and daunting time for kids and parents alike. Between buying school supplies, arranging before and after school care, meeting new teachers, and learning new schools/routines, there is little time for processing all the coming changes for you and your child. This can often lead to your child developing fears and anxieties surrounding returning to school which can manifest as bad dreams, regressions in behavior, increased clinginess and emotional outbursts, to name a few. Don’t worry! There are a few ways you can help your kid readjust:
- Starting 2 weeks prior to school, have your child go back to their school-year bedtime and wake-up time. This eliminates the power struggle when tensions are at their highest and gives their bodies time to readjust their circadian rhythms.
- Carve out 10 minutes/day to spend intentional time with your child doing whatever they want to do together. Spending just 10 minutes of intentional time together can sometimes be all a child needs to reset their brains and feel reconnected, seen, and heard.
- Familiarize yourself and child with the school/classroom/teacher, etc. We fear what we don’t know. It’s just survival. The more your child knows about the impending changes, the less anxious they will feel.
- Involve your child in preparations – buying school supplies, packing their lunch box, etc. to give them a sense of control and autonomy.
- Validate their concerns and strategize ways to cope with their big feelings. Deep breathing, journaling, and drawing pictures of their fears and feelings can be good places to start.
Remember, there’s no perfect recipe for soothing fears, preventing meltdowns, or making your child’s first day of school a success, but with the right preparation and consistent choices over time, fears and associated behaviors can be mitigated. And when all else fails, lean on both your parental instincts and your knowledge of your child. You’re already more equipped than you think.
