As the summer winds down, kids often get both excited and nervous about returning to school. Many students eagerly anticipate seeing friends, sharing stories and going back-to-school shopping. But others experience growing worries as the first day approaches.
Whenever there is change, anxiety is natural. While it can be hard to see your child on edge, it’s important for parents to understand that anxiety is an inevitable part of life. In fact, if one does not feel occasional moodiness, there may be a bigger problem than situational stress, like depression.
It’s common for kids to start each semester with some apprehension. Many worry about who will be their teacher, who will be in their class and who will sit next to them. Others wonder if they are good enough to make the team, smart enough to get good grades and cool enough to be accepted. Seemingly minor things can be a big deal to an angst-ridden adolescent.
[See: 13 Tips for Getting Kids Health-Ready for Back to School.]
One of the most important things a parent can do is listen to their child’s thoughts. Mom and Dad often want to offer solutions; but, in many cases, all your son or daughter wants is to feel validated. Empathy can go a long way toward helping a student overcome beginning-of-school jitters.
The start of a new school year has also been known to make kids more moody or irritable. These elevated emotions are often the result of newly imposed academic structure. Parents should make an extra effort to ease children away from the lazy days of summer and back into academic schedules, like adjusting bedtimes so that kids get ample sleep before the bell rings.
During the first few weeks of the new academic year, it’s common for both students and parents to feel off balance. As a family, commit to staying organized. Purchase a wall calendar and hang it in a visible location. Parents should record important dates such as parent-teacher conferences, doctors’ appointments and late school starts. Students should write in big games, exam days and major assignment due dates.
Families can proactively avoid chaos when everyone is aware of their schedule. Upfront conversations about how to manage homework, school activities and free time can further minimize organizational concerns. Many kids want to do it all, causing stress as one struggles to meet classroom demands and after-school requirements. Others prefer to disengage often, resulting in an unmotivated and lethargic student.
[Read: How Parental Stress Negatively Affects Kids.]
Parents should establish realistic grade expectations and encourage their child to participate in at least one activity, while ensuring their kids aren’t overextended and seeking the right work-life balance for themselves.
Last, engage in some retail therapy to enhance your student’s mood during this stressful time of the year. Most kids enjoy buying new things, so purge the closet and head to the mall. In addition to the standard purchases of new clothes and school supplies, make sure to buy some things that will brighten up the home study area. It is the rare student that gets excited about doing math problems, but a spruced-up homework space may be just the motivation your child needs to crack the books.
In general, most kids are at least relatively ready to return to a daily schedule and improve their minds. For a minor group, however, fear and worry can exceed what is normal. If your son or daughter is overly focused on the start of school, losing sleep or is excessively irritable, contact your school counselor and ask that your child receive school support or request a referral to a qualified professional who can assist. Preemptive actions can forestall a future crisis.
[See: 12 Questions You Should Ask Your Kids at Dinner.]
The beginning of the school year is a period of adjustment for all family members. But a good start will benefit a student’s attitude, confidence and performance long after the opening bell has rung. Even if things get a bit shaky, parents need to maintain a positive attitude. Time will resolve most issues, and kids are actually more resilient than parents realize.
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What to Do About Back-to-School Anxiety originally appeared on usnews.com
