Returning to School

Most children will be very excited to return to school in the next few weeks to see all their friends and teachers. A certain degree of worry and fear about returning to school, especially following this time away from face-to-face learning, and in the current pandemic, is normal for children and young people. However, most students find that these worrying feelings decrease over time once back at school and following the school routine. It will be most helpful for children and young people to return to school at the same time as their peers and as outlined by their school. 

Anxiety is a natural, and usually short lived, reaction to a stressful situation. It’s an emotion associated with feelings of worry, nervousness or apprehension.

 Parents can help their child or young person who feels worried about returning to school by: 

• Helping your child or young person to identify their emotions
• Talking about returning to school and helping them prepare for the transition
• If bedtimes have drifted later, shift the family schedule during the week or two before school returns to get back in the habit of going to bed and waking up earlier.
• Developing a calm morning routine (organise and pack the night before) for predictability and reducing anxiety. Find school shoes and socks and make sure there are no missing parts of the uniform. Have lunch box, library bag and drink bottle ready to go the day before.
• Plan lunch box together- ask what they would like and make sure there are some healthy snacks and fruit and veg.
• Developing and following a goodbye routine (for children)
• Building confidence in them “I know it feels hard, but you can do it”
• Helping them understand that delaying the return to school is likely to make things harder in the future
• Contacting the school and/or GP if your child or young person’s anxious feelings persist and remain consistently intense.