Dealing With School Stress
If you think that your child is suffering from too much school stress, there are some things you can do right now to help them along, and make sure that they don’t get overwhelmed again in the future.
1. Talk Openly With Your Child
The first thing you need to do is go to the source. Chat to your child about what it is that’s worrying them, and how they’re really feeling. Now is the time to point out the signs of school stress that you might have noticed in them. Often kids don’t realise their behaviours have changed, so it’s important to let them know you’re worried about them and you want to help. Talk to them about what they think is causing their stress, and how they would like to deal with it.
2. Discuss Issues With Your Teachers & School
When school is at the centre of your child’s reason for stress, you’ll need to make key players in that environment aware of the issues. If your child is being bullied at school, you need to talk with them about taking a stand on bullying. If it’s a challenging social environment, chat with your child’s teacher about the ‘social circles’ in the playground and why they think your child is being excluded. Homework, another common cause of school stress, can also be negotiated with the school and teacher in many cases, so you need to open that line of communication.
3. Reduce Stress Where You Can
For some parents it might be a shock to find their child placing blame on them as a cause of school stress. All parents want their children to do well, but high expectations at school can be very stressful, especially as children get older and can see the rippling effect of their performance. Be honest with yourself about what you expect from your child, and understand that they don’t have to be a high-performing student to be worthwhile. Make sure that you avoid bringing unrealistic expectations into the conversation in the future as well.
4. Create A Relaxed Space
School can be a stressful environment for some children no matter what you try and do to help, but that doesn’t mean you can’t create a stress free environment in the home. With help from your child, create a space at home where they can ‘detox’ from the day. It might be somewhere they can do a calming activity like colouring or building with Lego, or somewhere they can just chill out and read or play quietly. Give them the time they need to spend in this space before getting them caught up in homework and the after-school routine, it might make all the difference.
How do you deal with school stress in your children?
Very tasty, thankyou!