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Three words that scare me. Is anyone else nervous about going back to school?
Going back to school means saying goodbye to the relaxing feeling of summer and welcoming homework and a rigid schedule.
As a child, I would get very nervous when I went back to school. My stomach would turn at the sight of school supplies and the smell of freshly sharpened pencils. Worries would consume my mind and I would start to wonder, “Will my teacher like me? Will I be able to find the bathroom? Will I have friends to play with at recess?” Blah, blah, blah. I would worry so much that my third grade teacher told my mother at parent-teacher conference that she was worried about my stomach. She told me to relax and stop worrying so much!
So what do you do if your child is feeling nervous about going back to school?
Back-to-school jitters are perfectly normal. Anxiety in small doses is natural and part of our biological makeup. But we can alleviate stress by talking to our kids about their fears before school starts, and I have a fun way to do that.
It’s called the “worry monster.” These monsters (friendly ones, of course) love to eat worries written on pieces of paper and put them in their mouths. The point of this is NOT to get your child to throw away the feelings of fear, but to acknowledge them and practice eliminating the thoughts that consume them all the time and can increase anxiety. Scroll to the end for more tips on how to address these feelings.
You will need:
A box of tissues, glue, scissors, paint, and pretty much anything you have around the house that you can use to decorate. After I was done, I started thinking that some brightly colored feathers might be fun. So, really, anything goes.
Side note: I like to use thinner tissue boxes, but you can use any box, shape or size.
We used acrylic paint but I think spray paint would work great too.
The kids first went straight for the googly eyes, but if you don’t have any, you can draw them on or use egg cartons.
Oh, and I forgot to mention that we chose to cut the plastic out of the opening so we could add teeth, but you can leave it if you want.
Then we used those triangular cosmetic sponges and cut them in half to make the teeth.
My kids got creative and had fun thinking about what they wanted their monsters to look like! And voila! Aren’t they fun?
Next, ask your child to write down his or her worries or fears about school or anything else on a piece of paper.
Then, they can give it to the “Worry Monster” to eat or hold.
Some additional tips on back-to-school concerns:
-Talk about what it feels like to be afraid so your child can identify how they know when they are afraid. You can ask questions like, “Where in your body do you feel worried?” or “How do you know you are afraid?”
-Avoid judging their feelings as good or bad.
-Avoid saying things like, “You don’t feel that way” or “Don’t be afraid.” That’s a great way to downplay what they’re feeling and shut them up.
-Take time to simply listen.
-Use reflective statements like, “You are afraid…” to help them identify their fears.
-Try going to the classroom and meeting with your teacher ahead of time or starting a visual countdown.
-Find children’s books that address the topic of fear- (I’ll talk more about this in an upcoming post).
It’ll be here before you know it. Dare I say it?
SCHOOL!!
So start talking about this upcoming transition now. And then enjoy the rest of your summer!
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