The process of opening schools can cause anxiety for many children. The school period, where there is a certain order and rule, can be challenging for children who are used to the comfort of summer vacation. Additionally, separation anxiety is very common in children who are just starting school. The feeling of being outside of one's comfort zone, in a different environment, with different people, away from caregivers, leads the child to uncertainty, and this feeling of uncertainty leads to anxiety. The expression of this anxiety may be different for each child. For example, while some may express anger, some may cry, and some children may show physiological reactions such as stomach ache and headache. There are some things that parents can do to relieve anxiety during the school adaptation process.
First of all, it is very important for parents to cope with their own anxiety during this process. It is seen that especially parents whose children are just starting school often have problems separating from their children. When parents who experience separation anxiety reflect this on their children, the child's stress increases. For this reason, the attitude of the mother and father is very important.
Being in communication with the child is another important issue. Effective communication between the mother and father with the child is very important to understand what the child is afraid and worried about. . In addition, carefully listening to the child talk about his past experiences at school will be an effective step in making the child feel important and useful at school. In this way, a good event experienced at school before can be shared and supported by parents, or parents can easily intervene in issues where the child feels uneasy.
The supportive and positive nature of caregivers plays a big role in the child's anxiety. Parents' support of the child's success increases the child's self-confidence. In addition, reminding the child of the positive things that the child will enjoy about school will play an effective role in reducing anxiety. For example, "you will make up for your longing with your best friend, you will see him/her again after a long time." ready for school
One of the other important points is to control sleep patterns. The holiday period for the student may not be as regular as the school period. Sleep patterns are especially affected during the holiday period. Children may have problems sleeping when starting school. Insomnia can increase anxiety. Therefore, as we approach the end of the holiday period, creating a sleep routine in accordance with the school routine will accelerate students' adaptation to returning to school.
The child spends most of the day at school. Especially the first week can be quite tiring for the child. It is necessary to give time for the child to relax after school and to regain his/her energy. During this time, parents can spend time with their children doing activities they enjoy together. Even just having a short conversation can be enough to relax the child.
Being in touch with the teacher is another effective way to manage the child's school process in a healthy way. It is best to understand what the child likes and what bothers him. parents can observe. Teachers and parents need to be in communication to reduce school anxiety and support adaptation to school. In this way, the child's anxiety can be minimized in the classroom environment.
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