While many children look forward to going back to school after the school holidays, some will dread the idea. I recently experienced this with one of my children after the summer holidays. So what can we do to support our children in going back to school?
Be calm and Supportive
Listen to your child and reassure. Hold them close to you and show them that you will support them and help them to handle the current situation.
Seeing your child struggling or scared can trigger parent’s anxiety too. So be mindful about your own anxieties.
Allow your child as much control as possible.
While children may not get to choose whether or not they go to school, anxiety can be eased by
allowing them some control. For me, I
allowed my child to choose whether he would like me to stay with him at school
for a bit or not. Staying with him for 5-10 minutes in a private room enabled him
to get his thoughts and feelings together.
Help your child develop calming techniques
Help your child to learn ways to self-soothe that they can use anywhere. Things like breathing exercises, drawing, coloring in or talking to a friend may help. There are also great online resources aimed at children. A resource I find useful when working with children is Go Zen. Go Zen is an online social and emotional program aimed at 5-15 year old’s.
