How to Deal with Your Child's Back-to-School Anxiety

Use these tips to help your student adjust to the new school year.

It's back-to-school season again, and with it comes excitement, busy schedules – and for some kids, a lot of anxiety. Even children who usually love school sometimes get nervous at the beginning of a new school year. This agitation can show itself in a variety of ways, including nightmares, irritability, tantrums, trouble sleeping, loss of appetite, and other disturbances. Helping kids through this seasonal transition can help make for a successful year ahead. That’s why we've put together this list of strategies to effectively deal with back-to-school anxiety when it happens:

1. Set a routine
2. Visit the school
3. Stock up on learning tools
4. Encourage plenty of rest
5. Address your child’s specific worries

Continue reading to learn more about each of these tips for easing your child’s concerns about the new school year.

1. Set a routine

A couple of weeks before school starts, begin moving your household's routine toward earlier bedtimes and wake-up times and more regular meals like they'll have during the school year. Getting kids in the habit of selecting the next day's clothes can also help. Adjusting to the school year schedule in advance gives them a chance to get used to the new rhythm ahead of time, rather than jumping them in cold turkey the day before school starts. 

2. Visit the school

Before the school year begins, visit your child’s school and go through the motions with your kids – from drop off to pick up, including a quick rehearsal of any after-school activities they'll have. Knowing what to expect makes everything feel a little less overwhelming and can give your kids an opportunity to voice specific fears or apprehensions they have about the process.

3. Stock up on learning tools

Equipping your kids with school supplies and learning tools they need for success will also help relieve their stress and get them excited about learning. If your child struggles with reading, speech, or comprehension, add fun and kid-friendly tools, like the Toobaloo and Eye Lighter to your supply list.

4. Encourage plenty of rest

One of the biggest triggers for anxiety (in kids or adults) is exhaustion. Make sure your kids are getting plenty of sleep. Even if they don't like an earlier bedtime, they might need it to give their bodies and minds time to recover from the activities of each day. Plenty of rest can go a long way toward giving your kids a greater sense of well-being, order, and peace. 

5. Address your child’s specific worries

Like adults, kids' worries are often deeply rooted and complex, and are usually not assuaged by offhand remarks like "Don't worry about it," "You'll do great," or "You'll love it, you'll see." Instead, take time to talk to your kids about their back-to-school anxiety and work through it with your child – one worry at a time.  

For more back-to-school strategies, tips, and advice, check out our blog. To learn more about our educational reading and speech tools for kids, shop our collection online today or call customer service at (877) 819-2541.

For first-timers, check out this article on how to prepare your child for kindergarten.