Does your child struggle with school anxiety? I know I had one that did. It is not easy. Here are a few things I did with my son that lessened the back to school stress.
- We went to the school and walked around the empty hallways before school started. We found his room and stopped by and talked with the office personnel. This gave him an exposure without lots of people around. The social environment of school was his main source of stress.
- We made an appointment to go meet his teacher before "meet the teacher" time. He could have a few minutes of 1:1 time with the teacher. I could be there to help with the meeting and leaving at the end. Transitions were really hard in these new settings. We dropped off his supplies and skipped the meet the teacher time for the rest of the students. This lowered the anxiety: his and mine!
- We went over the school routine. I tried to think of everything I could about the first day/week of school. We talked about "what will you do if .......happens." This didn't solve every potential problem but it took care of some.
- I can remember going outside when the bus took its trial run through our neighbor hood a few days before school. We waved the bus driver on and it took care of one more first he would have. He knew who his busdriver would be without having the kids there.
- Lastly, we prepared by getting on a good bedtime and getting up schedule at home. It was important that these seemed normal as the school year began.
These are some of the things that worked for my son. It's a list to help you think through what might be some good ways to prepare for the first day of school. Please, let me know of other ways that help your child/ren.
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