School can be a haven of learning and a fun place with a sense of community for young people. However, every child or adolescent will worry about things that happen at school from time to time. For some kids, School can become challenging and a place they dread to go. Many children suffer from school anxiety and may refuse to go to school. Here's some information and advice to help parents support their children with school anxiety and how they can work with the school to make things better.
If your child is struggling at school, you must work with your child and the school to find the right support as soon as possible.
How can I help my child suffering from school anxiety?
Ask your child what’s worrying them. Listen intently and try to provide emotional support. Reassure them that you can work together to make school more enjoyable.
Talk to them about changes that could happen at school, at home or in their daily routine to help them feel less anxious.
Reach out to the school as early as you can to avoid problems getting worse. Discuss issues with their teacher and the school support team to try to improve the situation.
Speak to your child about techniques that help them to express and manage their anxiety. This could be doing their favourite things that distract them from their worries! Maybe hanging out with friends, reading a book, playing a sport or watching their favourite film.
Organise a regular morning routine to help to create a sense of security. This could include having breakfast together, getting dressed, leaving the house and arriving at school at the same time every day.
Consider using a ‘worry journal’. Your child can carry this with them and write down a worry when it comes into their head at school. A ‘worry journal’ can prevent anxious thoughts from becoming overwhelming.
For younger children, it might be helpful to create a ‘worry box’. Decorate a shoebox and designate a time of day called ‘worry time’ when your child can write down what they’re anxious about. Putting this worry in the box means the child can leave that worry behind and not think about it for the rest of the day.
For Teenagers, it might be useful for them to make themselves a soothing box. A box of their own which they can fill with all the things that help them when they’re feeling worried.
At Magical Minds, we know that talking to your child about their feelings and emotions can be a difficult task. We set about creating a product that we knew was missing from the market - a therapeutic tool that aids communication between you and your child, allowing them the safe space to share in a 'non-threatening' manner.
The simple expression of creativity through the design of your child's Dragon or Unicorn plays a huge role in all developmental areas of children's well-being. If your child is suffering from school anxiety, using a Magical Minds therapeutic tool could help to open up discussions and could play a huge role in getting your child to enjoy school again.
Visit our website today to find out more about our therapeutic tool which aids communication between you and your child or click here to read another one of our blogs.
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