By now the initial excitement of starting school is beginning to wear off. Your child has probably overcome the many of the small anxieties he or she might have had about the new school year. Your child is beginning to settle into the new class and to start learning.
But, for some children the small anxieties about whether or not the teacher will like them, what they are going to wear, who will be their friend, which classroom they will be in …. may not go away. In fact they may become bigger and cause your child the kind of stress that prevents them learning or even effects their daily life.
When children feel that they are in a situation that they cannot manage they can become very anxious and stressed. Examples of the kind of situation that may cause this are;
* Being targeted by a bully – or feeling that they may be targeted
* Disliking their teacher and not understanding what he or she expects them to do
* Finding the schoolwork too hard
* Not being around their friends and having difficulty making new ones
* Feeling that they cannot do things they are being asked to do
And while children may be too scared to talk about this there are often some telltale signs that your child is stressed out. You need to watch for them, do not dismiss them and if they go on for too long (more than a couple of weeks) you need to take action to help your child.
Some of the signs that your child is under stress at school are;
* Sleeping problems, including nightmares
* Complaints of minor physical issues such as headache or stomach ache
* Change in behavior, either becoming withdrawn or reverting to behaviors they have outgrown
* Tantrums – a sure sign that the stress is becoming too much for your child
You may not be able to take away the cause of the stress but you can help your child manage their stress level. Ways to do this include;
* Creating a quiet time for your child where they may feel able to discuss their fears
* Doing something active with your child, physical activity is a great stress buster
* Talk about the fact that you think your child is stressed and that everyone gets stressed at some time or other
* Remind your child of all the things he or she can do, building their confidence will help them understand that they can get through this
BUT if your child still shows one or more of these signs after all your support you need to get help. The first place to go is your family doctor. You may also want to go to your child’s school and discuss the situation with you child’s teacher as there may be something he or she can do to help.
Remember, new class nerves are something every child has at the beginning of the school year (and every teacher too! I never slept the night before school started, even after 35 years teaching). But if these fears and anxieties do not gradually disappear you need to find ways to get your child the help he or she needs.
