Here’s How You Can Help Your Child Ease Back to School After The Covid-19 Break

As COVID-19 lockdown measures are gradually giving way to more relaxed protocols, some children may find it difficult to limp back to the old lifestyle as they may face social anxiety. Just the thought of going back to school may seem a little uncomfortable to them. Feelings of embarrassment or expectation may impact the most confident or full-of-beans child ever.

Children suffering from anxiety may find their hearts racing, a shot of adrenalin getting released into the bloodstream as the flow of oxygen gets into the blood and brain, and in some cases may also impact the digestion process. The feeling of anxiety may feel they look silly or being judged or being laughed at. They somehow abhor the prospect of being in the middle of the spotlight.

Deal With The Physical Symptoms

Most kids may be physically stressed but they may not realize it. Therefore, make them use certain calming strategies such as mindfulness or breathing exercises. Starting with slowing down their breath as it can help reduce the symptoms of anxiety, the sudden spurt of anger, and confusion. There are also apps that can help them in this regard such as Breathing Bubbles (Android only) and Smiling Mind (iOS and Android).

They May Face The Social Anxieties

Some children have a hard time dealing with anxiety issues, however, it is necessary to face the anxiety.  Some techniques that prove that they have anxiety issues are averting eye contact, avoiding getting up to answer a question. Avoidance is not the right to deal with social anxiety, the right way to deal with it is to face it. Allow your child to enjoy social success in small ways. They can start giving their opinion to one person, and may start having conversations with an acquaintance; this is one of the ways to get used to certain social situations.

While anxiety may be normal for some people and help you respond to different situations differently. For some children, it may turn out to be too difficult to overcome the anxious situation. So remember while exposing the children to different social experiences may be a good idea, suddenly exposing them to overwhelming situations may make them all the more anxious; the trick is to find a balance. So, start with something small and gradually build courage from there.

Start Practicing

While most kids have been pretty used to staying at home and getting used to living a new way of life, you as a parent can help them nudge back to their old routine. Simple things such as waking up at the same time as they used to go when they were in school. Just following the old routine can set the tone for the days to come. A well-rounded routine is one of the best ways to make them get ready for school again! Getting up on time, eating on time, and just following the exact same routine as they did when they were attending regular school can make them feel less anxious.

Take a Positive Step Forward

One way to bust that stress about starting school is to tell your kids about what makes the school such a great place to go back to. Apart from learning new things and indulging in fun activities, there are a lot of positive things about school. Ask your kids to make a list of all the good things that they remember of school, it may be the time spent at school, spending time with friends, playing on the field, art class, gym class, or visit to the library.

Assure Them That They Aren’t Alone

It is always good to remind your kids that they’re not alone in feeling afraid or nervous about going back to school. Remind them that fellow students may be as anxious as they are about resuming school activities. Reassure them too, that the teacher knows that kids are nervous, and will probably spend more time with them to make the students find their groove as they get back to settling down in their classroom.

If your child is worried about reconnecting with old friends they haven’t seen in months, you can think of arranging for them to meet in a more casual setting. It will not only reduce the anxious thoughts and stress but also help your child return back to their school with a calmer mind and happiness in their hearts. Meeting up with friends can drastically cut down their worries and even help them look forward to a new session at school.