It is that time of the year where we are busy getting our last-minute school shopping to make sure that our children’s first school day runs smooth with no complications.
While we may prepare in advance for a good first day of school, children may experience anxiety, leaving us as parents concerned. Anxiety is not necessarily age related as children in primary, and high school also suffer from it.
For younger children who might be going to school for the first-time child, psychiatrist and director of the Pediatric Stress and Anxiety Disorders Clinic at the University of Illinois, Sucheta Connolly, M.D, suggests taking your child on a school tour prior to the schools opening, shares expert parenting information hub Parent.
Susan suggests having an open and exciting conversation with your child about the new routine just to gauge what their fears might be concerning the soon to be new norm.
For children older and at more advance grades parent advisory information hub that often offers expert advice Understood, suggests you go through the class schedule together. This will make your child feel like she/he has things in control.
You can also:
- Remind your child that you’re there to help – offering to help or to come up with a solution can help your child squash the fears of not understanding school work shared Understood.
- Identify what’s scary – get your child comfortable to explain what scares them about school. In cases where they are unable to express where their fear stems from, the above-mentioned information hub suggest you intervene with questions like: “You had a hard time finding a group of kids you liked last year. Is that something you’re worried about this year?”
- Boost your child’s confidence – be sure to praise your child’s where praise is due as that is important for their confidence and self-esteem. This will help them when things get tough at school.
