Back to School Stress
With the extension of the school holidays thanks to COVID-19, many parents are eagerly waiting to send their kids off to school. But how do children and teens feel about heading back to school after two months?
While my own youngest is keen to start back, my middle child is a little nervous about the transition to high school. As parents and caregivers, it’s important to be able to identify signs that a child might be worried about starting back at school. Rod Finney, Principal of Moranbah East State School, has provided some advice on how to ease the transition back to school.
“There are many reasons why children might feel anxious about returning to school,” says Principal Finney. “For younger children, they might be worried about being separated from their family. For older children, concerns about their school workload and assessments can be a concern. For all children and teens, worries about friendships and fitting in, or wanting their caregivers to be proud of them can cause stress.”
Caregivers should be alert to the signs that a child might be anxious about school.
Not wanting to talk about school, or suddenly developing headaches, stomach aches, or sleep disturbances are common signs of anxiety in children. Nervous behaviours such as jiggling or fidgeting are also tell-tale symptoms, and children may become unusually clingy.
So, what can we do to help?
It’s important for parents to talk openly about why their child might be anxious about school instead of brushing off concerns and simply telling a child they’ll be fine. Principal Finney says that by parents showing confidence in their child’s teaching team, they can create confidence in their child that their teachers will support them at school.
“If your child continues to feel anxious about school past the first few days or weeks, or anxiety suddenly appears during the school year, it’s important for caregivers to ask why. Talking to your child about their concerns is a great first step, but caregivers may need to approach the teachers, principal, or school Guidance Officer depending on the reasons for the child’s anxiety,” says Principal Finney. “
If a child’s anxiety around school doesn’t resolve, further help may be warranted.
“Ongoing anxiety can cause children to become distracted at school, and this can disrupt their learning, their friendships, and interactions with teachers,” Principal Finney says.
An appointment with the family doctor can be useful to identify strategies to help children deal with their anxiety and advise if further support is needed to improve a child’s mental wellbeing. Should your GP recommend counselling for your child or teen, Isaac Navicare can connect you with a child or adolescent psychologist who can work with your child to reduce stress, increase resilience, and develop strategies to improve their mental wellness. If the costs of counselling are a concern, we have options to connect you with counselling services that provide bulk-billing for psychology.
For assistance in accessing counselling and psychology services, or if you would like to use the Navicare Telehealth room for your appointment, call Kelly at the Navicare office on 0477 869 847, or (07) 4941 9784.