The start of the school year is sometimes accompanied by anxiety for schoolchildren, whether they are in primary, middle or high school. These signs can help parents reassure them and better support them.
Back to school anxiety is natural and affects many children. It can be explained by the fear of academic failure, of the unknown or the anxiety of separation from parents. Indeed, from the youngest classes, in nursery school, anxiety often occurs in pairs: “The mother or father is anxious about leaving their child alone at school. The latter in turn experiences great difficulty in moving away from the family cocoon and/or detaching himself from his parent. This anxiety thus appears as a way of coping with a foreign environment.“, explains Jean-Paul Blanc, pediatrician, specialist in problems related to schooling.
A little later, back to school in CP can also be accompanied by a fear of the unknown or of academic failure.The child may feel a performance anxietyhe puts pressure on himself and convinces himself that he will not be up to the task. Sometimes, the pressure from some parents concerning academic results can impact the child’s connection with school“, the pediatrician specifies.
Back-to-school anxiety can also occur in middle school. Generally, the child enters a new school, with new teachers and classmates, whom he does not yet know. The academic level also goes up a notch in middle school. As for CP, the fear of the unknown or academic failure can fuel this anxiety as the start of the school year approaches.
To know if your child is anxious about the start of the school year, there are certain signs that are revealing. “It is sometimes difficult to know if your child is suffering from a fear of school, especially if they do not express it clearly. And yet, certain signs can raise suspicion, such as physical manifestations of anxiety, which occur when they leave for school or the day before classes resume, for example,” adds the specialist. This can be stomach pain, vomiting, difficulty falling asleep, fatigue, crying or tantrums. These signs also allow you to better support your child and reassure him.
Also, in order to better understand the source of the child’s anxiety, parents must start a discussion and ask him what he is really afraid of. Is it a new teacher, the difficulty of lessons, homework or not finding new friends? This anxiety can also be triggered or even aggravated by a traumatic situation: the child felt humiliated in front of his classmates, he was unable to do an exercise and was the target of mockery or insults…
Parents should also adopt a calming discourse that will reassure the child. They can show their kindness, value him by telling him that they have total confidence in him and that they are convinced of his academic success. “On the first day of school, Avoid long goodbyes that could dramatize the separation. Also, depending on the age and if he feels the need, your child will be reassured to go to school with his parents. Accompany him to the gate or the school door and tell him that you will be there at the end of the classes.“, recommends the expert. Finally, there are many books that can help children overcome their fears related to school.