It feels like it should be a relief for things to begin getting back to normal after restrictions and lockdowns, but from a child’s perspective, change can be unsettling and may be a source of anxiety. Making sure your child has the appropriate tools to help them cope with the changes involved in going back to school can ease the transition and make it less stressful.

Talk it over 
Encourage resilience in your child by keeping lines of communication open and normalising any worries they may have. After all, they are not alone – there can’t be many people who have faced a global pandemic without some level of anxiety. Create opportunities for them to open up to you about how they are feeling, whether that’s around the table, when you are in the car, or doing something fun together. Make sure your kids know that you take their worries seriously – don’t just brush over them as unimportant. It is also crucial not to put your expectations on to them by saying “won’t it be fantastic to get back to school?” as this may not be how they are feeling about it. One thing that can be reassuring for children to know is that the majority of children on the planet have had to ensure a similar break from normal school, and that most of them will also be feeling anxiety or at least a few wobbles in the run up to returning.

Strategies to help anxious children 
If you are concerned that your child will find the transition back to in-person school especially challenging, talk to the teachers and school leaders so they are aware and can offer extra support. Meanwhile you can arm your child with some tools to help them cope if they feel overwhelmed. One of the best ways to stem an anxiety attack is to ground yourself in the present and focus on only the things that are around you in that moment. So practise with your child how to achieve this. Notice and put into words five things you can see, four things you can touch, three things you can hear, two things you can smell and one that you can taste. Breathing exercises can be effective at bringing the focus back to the body and into the present. Taking a break to do some physical exercise can help disperse anxiety, but obviously the school staff would need to facilitate this as appropriate.

Practise school skills
Your child hasn’t been socialising as much as usual, so where possible it’s a good idea to arrange for them to spend time with friends before school reopens. This will remind them of certain skills that might be rusty after staying apart for so long, and will increase the sense of familiarity on the first day. After so much screen based learning, practical school skills such as writing and concentrating for extended periods may not be fresh. Perhaps build a little bit of fun practise (writing and carrying out quizzes, treasure hunts etc) into the week prior to returning to school just to flex those muscles ready for the return.

Good luck!

Written by Martha Thurstan