Tips for parents of children with school stress.
Kids at St. David’s Center focus on age-appropriate activities to reduce stress.
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Photo courtesy of James schwartz
Parents aren’t the only ones who stress out. School-related stress is common among kids, yet it’s often tricky to handle. To help, Susan Berdahl and the St. David’s Center’s School-Linked Mental Health team gathered these tips for parents of young kids with school anxieties.
- A healthy balance of sleep, good nutrition and physical activity is crucial. A predictable schedule that includes all of these can help reduce stress. Create a regular practice of asking your child about aspects of his/her day. This allows you to establish a relational pattern that can allow more difficult conversations to happen when needed. Try to ask about specific parts of his/her day rather than the day as a whole.
- Minimize the number of things that need to be done in the morning before heading out the door. If picking out clothes can lead to conflict, make an effort to decide on them together the night before. Don’t forget a breakfast that has protein and complex carbs to give your kids enough energy for the day.
- Recognize that children in school are required to be much more on task than when you were growing up. Consciously try to balance downtime at home—including low lighting, soothing music and quiet interactions—with the time they’re expected to be focusing on schoolwork.
For more tips and information about your child’s mental health, visit stdavidscenter.org.
