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7 Quick Tips to Ease Back-to-School Anxiety

Mother taking daughter to school, getting on school bus

By Angela Beauchaine, MD

The start of school can make even a good student anxious, especially if the child will be attending a new school for the first time.

Here are a few tips that can make the transition easier:

  1. For young children, read books like “Froggy Goes to School”
  2. Ask the teacher if the child can help set up the classroom
  3. Visit the school to look around ahead of time, find classrooms and locker
  4. If your child will be riding the bus, find out if the district offers a test run where you can meet the bus and driver at your stop
  5.  If possible, pinpoint what is bothering your child and discuss ways to help: navigating the lunch room, not knowing any classmates, walking to school, etc.
  6. Plan one more favorite activity before school starts to give your child something to look forward to in late summer
  7. Start working on the school sleep routine, because everything is easier with enough sleep!

A little back-to-school anxiety is normal for a child of any age, but if you see your child worrying so much about school that it interferes with sleep or other activities, contact your child’s doctor.