Getting time with friends or peers before school can ease some worries, help your child practice their rusty social skills and help all the kids feel more excited about return to school. If you know any of your child’s classmates, reach out to their parents and schedule virtual or socially distanced (outdoor) playdate.Kids may enjoy scheduling a Zoom call with a family member or close friend to practice their sharing statements.Help your child with keeping their sharing time short (since the teachers may need to cut them off if it’s too long), speaking up so others can hear and looking at the camera (eye contact).For kids who feel more shy and anxious, parents can practice these brief “sharing statements” so their child feels more comfortable talking.Practice coming up with a list of things your child would like to share with their teacher and classmates (e.g., unique interests or talents, fun things they did this summer).

Strategies for parents to help reduce back to school anxiety Below we present some strategies for parents and teachers to reduce anxiety and help ease the transition from being at home to having more structured schooling, whether at home or in person at school. Some schools are opting for full-time distance (online) learning while others are considering alternate in-person days or a mixture of online and in-person. With schools trying to decide on a format that is safe and productive for students, parents likely have several concerns about how their child might handle the changes. Children have been staying home for several months now due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Helping kids with anxiety