• Start Here
  • Work With Me
  • Parenting
  • Kids Activities
  • Working Moms
  • Productivity Tips
  • Number of items in cart: 0

    • Your cart is empty.
    • Total: $0.00
    • Checkout

Fab Working Mom Life

A Working Mom Blog: Let's thrive as working moms.

  • Blog
  • Motherhood
    • Breastfeeding
    • Parenting
    • Pregnancy
    • Kids Activities
    • Working Mom
  • Lifestyle
    • Finances
    • Food
    • Health
    • Home Life
    • Military
    • Organize
  • Resources
    • Blogging Resources
    • Working Mom Life Resources
  • About
    • About Julie
    • Disclosure Policy
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Subscribe
  • Work With Me
    • Advertise Here or Hire Me
    • Guest Post Here
    • Link and Image Policy
    • As Seen On
  • Freebies
    • Affirmations for Working Moms
    • Monthly Budget
    • Nanny Interview Questions Checklist
    • Start a Blog? email course
    • Printables
  • Shop
    • Budget Workbook Planner
    • 12 Month Habit Tracker Printable
    • Christmas Games and Planning Printables
    • Nanny Contract Template
    • My Zazzle Store
    • My Amazon Store
    • Printables Downloads
    • Etsy Store

Note: posts contain affiliate links, earning me a commission. By using this site, you agree to our use of browser cookies. Read our disclosure and privacy policies for more details.

How to Help your Child with School Anxiety

August 17, 2021 by Julie 7 Comments

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe and join fellow working moms. Thanks for visiting!

Inside: Anxiety about school? If your child is struggling with back to school anxiety, this post will help. Read 7 tips how to help a child with school anxiety.

Helping Your Child with School Anxiety

guestpost

Every stage of parenthood presents obstacles to overcome, and with time, it seems that these challenges take more work to figure out.  A school-age child often struggles with adapting to the pressures of the school environment, or more specifically the expectations to perform academically.  This anxiety is being seen in children as young as kindergarteners today and can last throughout the educational lifetime if not longer.

helping-your-child-with-school-anxiety

There are several reasons a child may feel anxious when it comes to school.  There may be separation anxiety involved with being away from a parent, and it may come out of the blue.  Our education system has also become quite daunting and tedious, even for the smallest of learners.  There is very little natural learning anymore and quite a bit more standardized requirements to be met.  Whether a child is ready for these milestones or not, it can cause anxiety to fester and grow. Short of withdrawing your child from the school system (homeschooling is always a wonderful option), the only thing you can do is to develop the tools to help your child cope with these feelings.

Children do not have the ability to hide their emotions and tend to express them through action.  Some act out aggressively, while others shut down and withdraw from activities.  As a parent, it is hard to witness the child that you know so well act in ways that you were not expecting. It is even harder when these actions take place in an environment that you are not a part of, but one you send your child to feel safe throughout the day.  It can feel defeating to hear your child crying daily and begging to not attend school.


Up to 10% of school-age children are currently taking medication to deal with school-related anxiety, and numbers are believed to be on the rise.  With over two hours of homework a night, an elementary school-aged child is feeling the pressure to perform, and many are spiraling past the point of self-help.

If you are struggling with a child who feels sick every day, begs to stay home, or has a teacher expressing concerns over behavior that is not typical of your child, anxiety may be the culprit.  There are several things you can do before resorting to medication. According to the Child Mind Institute, it is extremely important to understand that eliminating the anxiety is not the goal, but instead to provide the tools for your child to understand when an anxious moment begins and the best way to handle it.

Recommended Post:  How To Be a Happy Woman, Not Just a Mother, and Wife

7 tips to manage back to school anxiety for kids

Keeping open lines of communication.

Talking to your child as a person and not ‘down to’ will help them feel as though they can talk to you openly.  Talking about your own hard days, finding happiness in situations, and how you talk yourself through things will provide a positive example and allow for them to come to you with questions and emotional struggles.

Start the day, and end the day with a pep talk.

The key to coping with and minimizing anxiety in your child is to teach them to talk their way through it.  “I am strong. I am kind. I will learn something new and smile today.” You can alter the talk to suit your child’s needs, but it is important to follow the day with a second talk.  This one should be in response to how the day went – but always taking a positive outlook and including happy things to dream about and plan for the following day.

Talk positively about school, friendships, and learning.  Modeling positive feelings can have a large impact on your child.

These wonderful affirmation cards from SunForGood can help with back-to-school anxiety for kids as well!

Get SUNcards Affirmation Cards here!

Do not ask probing questions about your child’s anxiety.

Questions such as, “Why are you feeling this way? What’s wrong? Why don’t you want to go to school” can cause more stress and will not help you help your child. Instead, stick with simple questions that can invoke positive answers.  “Are others including you? Is something happening at lunch that makes you feel bad?”

Attend the class at specific times.

Let your child know that you will be there for lunch, recess, or another specific time frame, and be sure to follow through.  Seeing you may ease the anxiety.  This may not be convenient, but it can be very important to gradually help your child adapt and feel more comfortable.

Have a security item on hand.

A worry stone to rub on, a watch with a known end time to the day, a bracelet, or another item that will remind your child you are thinking of them throughout the day. This little token can make a huge impact.  If your child is old enough to write, inform the teacher that you would like them to have the ability to write down feelings, situations, or anything else in the moment to bring home.

Recommended Post:  Side-Hustle Series: Interview with Illustrator Sarah Shore Designs

Talk to the teacher.

Work as a team to help your child feel more comfortable at school.  The teacher has the ability to be your eyes and ears when you are not present.  If you need to go above the teacher, speak with the principal.

Respect your child.

Ultimately, your child deserves your respect and support.  Figuring out how to help without breaking your child’s spirit or forcing them against their will may be the hardest obstacle you are faced with during this phase of parenthood, but you can do it.

Stay strong and confident as you take this journey.  Love your child through these struggles and be there as they need you.

 

Author Bio
Elizabeth MacDonald, a creative content writer at My Baby’s Heartbeat Bear, a brand that makes recordable stuffed animals, the best pregnancy gift, to record your baby’s ultrasound heartbeat. With wine in hand, Elizabeth tries to find the positives hidden in the messes of parenthood. There never seem to be enough hours in the day, but filling the minutes with memorable moments keeps her smiling.

 
Helping Your Child with School Anxiety

 


For my lovely readers, I made this printable for kids struggling with back to school anxiety, especially in current times. Grab and print and have your child fill out and color this sheet to help them process and identify their feelings.

School Feelings printable image

Download: School Feelings printable FWML

Join the Working Mom List

Join the Working Mom collective and get support and tools to help you thrive! Subscribers get access to my library of resources and printables.

Thank you for joining the tribe! Now check your email to confirm your subscription.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

Powered by ConvertKit

Categories: Guest Posts, Parenting, School Tags: back to school, reader freebie

the PAST
the FUTURE

Join the Working Mom List

Join the Working Mom collective and get support and tools to help you thrive! Subscribers get access to my library of resources and printables.

Thank you for joining the tribe! Now check your email to confirm your subscription.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

Powered by ConvertKit

Comments

  1. Nikki Crump says

    December 19, 2016 at 10:16 am

    I never considered doing these things but they are great suggestions

    Reply
  2. Samantha @ Momma Wants Java says

    December 14, 2016 at 2:13 pm

    This is something I’m concerned about! Since I’m a SAHM I am with my children constantly, and I’m nervous to see what will happen when my son starts school. Thanks for these great tips!

    Reply
    • Julie says

      December 14, 2016 at 2:29 pm

      It is definitely a huge transition from being home with momma all the time. When does he start school? Is he that age already?

      Reply
  3. kid can doodle says

    December 13, 2016 at 5:28 am

    I think it’s fear of the unknown…not knowing anyone, not knowing the teacher, not knowing whether they’ll like it. I sometimes feel like I want to take away that fear for them, but also know that they need to feel stuff and learn how to cope. Any challenge builds character. We can’t live in bubbles!

    Reply
    • Julie says

      December 13, 2016 at 4:05 pm

      I have a lot of trouble with change – I wish *I* could live in a bubble LOL. Yes, we all need to learn to cope, and you’re right about the building character part.

      Reply
  4. Savannah says

    December 13, 2016 at 12:48 am

    Really being there to help calm your child’s anxiety, and teaching them that they WILL be okay and you WILL be there to hear all about their day is so so important. Support can go such a long way for someone suffering an anxious point in their life. Thanks for these awesome pointers! <3

    Reply
    • Julie says

      December 13, 2016 at 4:06 pm

      Really good point about support. Feeling like you’re not alone in this takes a huge amount of stress off.

      Reply

Comments are held for moderation. Links are no follow.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Comments are held for moderation.

About Julie

Julie of Fab Working Mom Life Welcome! My name is Julie :) I am a Texan living in Hawaii (military life). I'm a mom, a blogger, and also work full-time in environmental compliance. I write about being a working mom to help myself and other working moms in our journey to find a balance between our family, responsibilities, and hobbies. I do this because we moms need a support network to thrive both at home and at work.

Follow us

  • mail
  • instagram
  • instagram
  • tiktok
  • twitter
  • pinterest
  • facebook
  • linkedin
  • youtube
  • bloglovin

Note: posts contain affiliate links, earning me a small commission at no additional charge to you. This site uses browser cookies to store information on your computer: some are essential to make this site work, others improve your user experience, and track behavior and user patterns (for advertising purposes). By using this site, you agree to our use of cookies. Read our disclosure and privacy policies for more details.

Join fellow Working Moms

Grab these Affirmations for Working Moms when you Join!

Join the Working Mom List

Join the Working Mom collective and get support and tools to help you thrive! Subscribers get access to my library of resources and printables.

Thank you for joining the tribe! Now check your email to confirm your subscription.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

Powered by ConvertKit

Pin with me!


Follow my Pinterest blog board

Most Popular

How to Stop Toddler Whining: The ULTIMATE Guide to Your Sanity

How to Stop Whining, a Guide for Moms

If you're searching for quick and easy toddler recipes and toddler meals for picky eaters you've got to check out this post! This roundup contains healthy toddler meal ideas as well as finger foods for toddlers and 1 year old meal ideas. Keep reading for your toddler meal plan for quick dinner ideas for toddlers! | Fab Working Mom Life #toddler #dinner #feedinglittles #feedingtoddlers #familydinner #workingmom #workingmomlife #parenting

Toddler meals for Picky Eaters: 30+ quick and easy toddler recipes 

Lactation Oatmeal Recipe

Lactation Oatmeal Recipe: How to make Overnight Oatmeal with Lactation Goodness

Featured Posts

  • Fabulous Productivity Tips for Working Moms to Run Your Schedule Like a Boss!
  • Toddler Breakfast Ideas (before daycare or preschool)
  • Tips for Battling Momnesia or How to Deal with the Mental Load of Motherhood
  • How to practice Mindfulness as a Busy Mom
  • Tips to Help your Toddler Develop Language Skills
Christmas gifts guide

Join the Working Mom List

Join the Working Mom collective and get support and tools to help you thrive! Subscribers get access to my library of resources and printables.

Thank you for joining the tribe! Now check your email to confirm your subscription.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

Powered by ConvertKit

Fab Working Mom Life Hot Topics

productivity tips for working moms
5-things-you-need-to-know-to-breastfeed-baby-sliderthings-to-do-to-prepare-for-baby-for-first-time-moms-slider

Link to Fab Working Mom Life

Membership


Memberships page.

Join the Working Mom List

Join the Working Mom collective and get support and tools to help you thrive! Subscribers get access to my library of resources and printables.

Thank you for joining the tribe! Now check your email to confirm your subscription.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

Powered by ConvertKit
  • Start Here
  • Work With Me
  • Guest Post Here
  • Disclosure Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Link and Image Policy

Note: Posts contain affiliate links. Should you choose to purchase a product, I will receive a small commission for the sale at no additional cost to you. Fab Working Mom Life is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Protected by Copyscape
DMCA.com Protection Status
DMCA.com Protection Status

Copyright © 2022 · Fab Working Mom Life· Hello You Designs

Copyright © 2022 · Sweets Blog on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT