Hey SSP Parents! Welcome back ?  

The shoes are cleaned, the uniforms are ironed, and the lunch boxes are ready to be filled, but we all know back-to-school preparation is about more than just the practical stuff. Some big changes are coming for many students like moving to the junior or senior school, NAPLAN, new teachers, new friends and new challenges. 

Emotions run high this time of year. Maybe you’ve had a beautiful break, and now big behaviors are creeping in as nerves take hold. Or maybe your child is beyond excited to see their friends. Either way, these strategies will help make this term smoother for everyone. 

1. Acknowledge It 

Make some time and space to sit down and ask your child how they’re feeling about going back to school. If they struggle to express it, help them name it: “It feels strange going back after so long, doesn’t it?” Avoid dismissing worries with logic because anxiety doesn’t understand logic, it is our irrational best friend. Instead, just listen and validate their emotions: “That does sound scary” or “I can see why you’d feel that way.” Feeling heard helps kids feel safe enough to work through their fears. 

2. Explain Anxiety 

Anxiety is just another feeling, like happiness or frustration—it’s normal, and everyone experiences it. We need to continue to normalise anxiety. Anxiety’s job is to keep us safe, and sometimes it works a little too well. I often ask kids, “If a lion ran into your house, what would you do?” The answer is always fight, flight, or freeze because that’s how our brains are wired to protect us from danger. That is anxiety doing its job! 

The tricky part is that anxiety doesn’t know the difference between a real threat of a lion and something that just feels scary like going back to school. That’s why their heart races, their muscles tense, or their tummy hurts. Their body is getting ready to fight or run, even when there’s no actual danger. 

Reassure them: these feelings aren’t dangerous, they are temporary. The trick is teaching their brain to recognise when they’re safe. "Is this a dangerous situation that I need my anxiety for? Or is this scary safe and I need to calm my anxiety down?" 

3. Shushing the Anxiety 

Before kids can rationalise, they need to calm their bodies. Logical thinking shuts down when anxiety takes over, so simply telling them “it’s fine, relax or calm down” won’t help (it will probably make things worse, let's be honest!).  

Breathing techniques work wonders and now is the time to remind the kids about my favourite type of breathing - cooling down their hot cup of Milo (smell the milo and blow to cool it down). If they’re full of nervous energy, let them release it with jumping jacks, monkey bars, kicking a ball, or running around. Once their body is calm, shift their mind away from “what if's” by grounding them in the present: “What are five things you can see, hear, smell, touch, or taste?” 

Whilst these little strategies are awesome for shushing the anxiety, they are also great to incorporate into your daily routine. 

4. Make a Plan 

Only once they feel heard, understand their feelings, and are calm you can then make a plan. If they’re nervous about friends, practice asking someone to play. If they fear being apart from you, give them something small of yours to take to school (more on this to come!). Role-play tricky situations and focus on the things they’ll enjoy about being back. At this point you can share all the exciting things that will happen over the year for them to help focus. Speaking positively about teachers and education assistants plays a crucial role in easing school anxieties. Our kids rely on our guidance to form a safe and secure attachment with their teacher. If we express trust and confidence in those safe adults at school, it will set the tone for their perspective e.g. "If Mum and Dad loves and trusts my teacher, then I can too!" 

If we support them through their worries and get them to be brave even when they are nervous, we’re helping them build resilience and lifelong coping skills.