ROCKLAND COUNTY, NY — The transition from summer to the structure of the school year can often trigger anxiety in children. Whether it’s anticipation of new teachers, buildings, or social dynamics, the start of school can create stress in many young minds.
“Every year children receive a new boss — that’s their teacher. Sometimes they’re excited because they didn’t like their teacher last year, sometimes they’re not because they did,” Tara Brock, a counselor and coordinator with the Rockland Behavioral Health Response Team, told Patch.
Children don’t always know why they are feeling a certain way, she said. “So the more you communicate, the better. Don’t dismiss their concerns, ask open-ended questions.”
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For example, she said, “How was your day?” is a better question than “What did you learn in school today?”
“The answer to the latter is always ‘nothing,'” she said. “Chances are anyway they are going to say ‘fine’ but you showed an interest. Over the course of the evening, the week, they’ll share because they know you want to know. It also shows them how to have conversations. Soon they might ask, ‘How was your day, Mommy?'”
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Parents to be cognizant that the COVID pandemic hampered a lot of children from practicing how to talk to other people easily. “That could cause anxiety for a kid who was already a little shy,” she said.
Brock said she counsels older children and teens who had almost no interaction with peers for a couple of years except for video games and who don’t know how to talk to other people at lunch. “We role-play,” she said.
Her top advice to adults? “Don’t assume. Communicate,” Brock said. “Identify the times when they are chattier and create more of those opportunities. Go for family walks. Sometimes you need to have private conversations.”
She offered five tips to help adults help kids ease into the school year:
Parents might have anxiety about children going back to school as well, Brock noted. Remember to speak with your spouse or friends about your own concerns and participate in activities that help encourage your own healthy mindset. Many of the strategies outlined above work well for adults too.
Bullying is one of those problems that worry children and the adults who care for them.
“Social media can be awful,” Brock said. The number one way to deal with that is to look at what your kids are doing online. “It may be the child’s device but it’s yours,” she said. “If they don’t want their guardian to see it, it shouldn’t be on there, would be my rule of thumb.”
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