30/8/2024–|Last update: 8/30/202404:17 PM (Makkah Time)
While some children experience excitement as school approaches, and some are faced with fears about the first day or the new semester, others experience real anxiety, a mixture of feelings of tension, fear and insecurity as they think about returning to school. So how do you know if your child’s fears are normal? And how can you help him or her deal with school anxiety?
Track these signs
As the start of school approaches, children may feel a variety of anxiety. For younger children, this anxiety may be related to separation from family members, while older children may face concerns about making friends and academic problems. Although these stresses are generally considered normal and tolerable, some children may experience them to a degree that is beyond their ability to cope, requiring intervention to help them.
Signs of anxiety in children vary according to the age group and the nature of each child, but the most common symptoms are:
- Increased physical complaints of stomach pain or vomiting.
- Change in eating or sleeping patterns.
- Loss of interest in some of his favorite activities.
- Difficulty concentrating, temper tantrums.
Some symptoms are more obvious, such as the child stating that he does not want to go to school, or actually doing so, or having a rapid heartbeat, tremors, or diarrhea as school approaches, and these symptoms disappear if you decide to let the child stay home that day.
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This is how you help him
Today’s children are experiencing increasing levels of anxiety, as Psycho Central points out. Between 2003 and 2016, anxiety among children aged 6 to 17 rose from 5.5% to 7.1%. Although the school environment is an important factor in a child’s likelihood of developing anxiety, the likelihood of a child experiencing school anxiety increases with overall anxiety levels, which requires parental support in ways including:
One of the best ways to help him is to listen to him, validate his feelings, and create a comfortable environment for him to express his feelings, according to the Parents website. Sometimes this is what the child really needs, expressing his feelings and having someone understand them. Supporting the child with your presence and phrases such as “I know you feel scared, but I trust you to do a great job” or “I know you can do it” is sometimes enough for the child to overcome his fears.
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Find out what’s bothering him.
There are different reasons behind the anxiety, such as bullying, problems with some teachers, tests, peer relationships, and academic difficulties. Discovering the reason helps a lot in solving the problem, according to the website “The Conversation”.
It’s okay to be scared sometimes.
This can be an opportunity for your child to learn that we all experience fear for different reasons and that it is an opportunity to work together to overcome this problem. Reassuring them that they are not alone and that you are there to help them greatly reduces anxiety. It is important for your child to trust that you will support and help them when they return to school. You and your child will feel stronger if you work together to overcome this challenge.
Prepare and plan
This can be alleviated with some advance planning. If what worries the child is communicating with peers he has not seen for months, you can arrange for them to meet up to play, reconnect, and strengthen their bonds, making it easier for him to meet them on the first day of school, which will reduce stress and anxiety.
You can take the child on a tour of the school (especially if it is a new school) and learn with him the rules he needs to know, which will reduce stress and anxiety.
If it is a matter of academic difficulties, you can support him to prepare further by reviewing or studying.
Before the start of the year, you can try the school routine starting with the morning, breakfast, preparing the bag, etc., and talk to the child about what can make it easier to perform these tasks every day.
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Focus on sleep
Getting enough sleep is important for academic achievement, and getting used to sleeping at the appropriate times for school days before they start solves a large part of the problem of not adapting to the first days. Exercising during the day and reducing screen time will help in deeper sleep at night.
According to the Parents website, depending on the child’s age, he can be encouraged to do breathing exercises and meditation or instructed to write to relieve stress. Stress can also be relieved by spending time outdoors.
Are you worried too?
Be careful if you are transmitting a feeling of anxiety to your child, according to The Conversation website. Negative talk about the return to school or the morning routine may be one of the reasons, so try to talk about the matter in a positive way.
