Most children, and parents, are either extremely excited or are dreading a new school year depending on expectations. Was last year a good year? Have friendships, schools, teachers, or even physical characteristics changed?

While it is difficult to remember your own first days of school, it is easy to remember your first day at your most recent job or to think how you would feel if you had to start a new job tomorrow. The nervousness and anxiety that you go through is very similar to what it’s like for your child. New faces, new expectations, new friends, it can be overwhelming.

How do you help to ease your child’s anxiety?
1. Relax

Your moods directly affect your children’s moods, reactions, and responses to events. This means that it is important to stay as calm and positive as you can about the upcoming change. If possible, make sure to set aside time to relax and spend time with your family.

2. Don’t add any new things to your schedule
Back to school time is not the time to move, get a new puppy or undergo any major home renovations. If at all possible, wait for any new changes until after the new school year routine has been established and your children have fallen into a groove. This helps them cope with one major change at a time.

3. Reduce the surprises
One of the biggest sources of anxiety is the unknown. Who is the teacher? What do they look like? Where is my classroom? Do I have any friends in my class? The list of unknowns goes on and on. Reduce the surprises by taking advantage of back to school events. If that isn’t an option, consider just taking your child to the school and walking around it a day or two before school is scheduled to begin.

4. Back-to-school party?!
Consider inviting your child’s friends over to your home for a back-to-school party. This gives children the opportunity to reconnect and eliminate some of the social anxiety connected with returning to school. Additionally, it will enable them to figure some things out before they get to school. Things like where the classrooms are, who is in the class, and so on. It even allows them to commiserate about their anxieties and, thus, help each other to feel better about beginning school again.

5. Don’t Dismiss
While it is important to remain calm about the beginning of school and not show your own anxieties about their success, it is also more important to not be dismissive about your child’s anxieties. Your child’s fears are real and legitimate. Listen to his worries and don’t minimize, dismiss, or try to talk him out of them.

Easing your child’s anxiety is more than listening to him and being there for him. One of the best ways to ease anxiety about beginning school is to let your child know what to expect and that starts before his first day.

Wait To School Shop

The new school year will be here before you know it. You’re probably already thinking about the money you’ll have to spend on new clothes, school supplies, and miscellaneous fees. Some people start shopping as soon as the last day of the previous year. Others choose to wait to school shop. Which is the better choice? Read the rest of this entry

Do you remember when you were in school? You could hardly wait for the school year to end and summer vacation to begin. The closer a new school year came, the more you had back to school anxiety. Your children probably feel the same way as the new school year is drawing near. Read the rest of this entry

With the start of school getting closer, parents will be taking their children to purchase school clothes and supplies. Many parents want shopping with kids to be made easier and less stressful. The following tips may help accomplish this yearly task. They can also be helpful when going shopping with your children at other times. Read the rest of this entry