Tips to relieve anxiety in children before they return to school

Liz Mould • March 4, 2021

On Monday, all children will return to school. While there are many children who are keen to get back to the classroom and reconnect with their friends and teachers; there are also many children who are feeling anxious at the prospect of returning to school. In this blog we have put together several suggestions and strategies that parents and carers can utilise to help prepare their children for their transition back to school.


School can represent safety and stability for children, however it is important to remember that not all children feel this way. There are a lot of children who have found refuge in being at home during lockdown, they have felt safe and secure at home with their family. The prospect of leaving the home and returning to school can result in a lot of anxiety for children. Therefore, finding strategies and self-care tips that children can easily access to help manage their stress and promote good mental health is essential.


Here are our tips to support children to navigate through the upcoming transition:


Speak to your child’s school to express any concerns that you and your child may have

School staff want to support you. Many children are feeling anxious, it is important to normalise this. Your child is by no means the only child who is feeling this way. In fact, one primary school teacher told us that a lot of the children who have remained at school during lockdown are in fact anxious: “They have enjoyed the smaller groups in school. They don’t want things to change”.


Encourage your child to connect with others

Making time each day to connect to another person, is absolutely vital. This can be done via telephone, text message, or video call. If your child is able to connect with some of their classmates before returning to school, this can really help to alleviate some of their fears.


Ensure that your child is getting adequate sleep

It sounds obvious, but both you and your child will feel so much better equipped to handle emotions after a good night’s sleep. It’s a good idea to encourage your children to stick to a regular bedtime routine if you can. This is especially important as many children have become used to later bedtimes and get ups during their time away from school.


Get outside and exercise

Whilst it can be difficult to summon up the energy to exercise or go outside, we always feel better for doing so. Exercise and time outdoors really does give us a physical and mental boost. There are also a lot of great workout videos that your child can do at home. Cosmic Yoga is great for younger children. The NHS also has a number of free online fitness videos available, including this La Bomba dance workout . 


Learn some breathing exercises to help reduce anxiety and calm stress 

One of the simplest and most effective breathing techniques to reduce stress is: breathe in through the nose for 2 counts, breathe out through the mouth for 4 counts. When you breathe deeply, it sends a message to your brain to calm down and relax. 

Obviously every child is different, and will experience varying degrees of anxiety. Indeed there are children who may not be feeling anxious at all. If you're lucky enough to have a child who loves school and is keen to return back, it can be a good idea not to over complicate the situation with too much discussion. Letting your child know that you are there if they want to talk about their feelings or concerns may be all that they need right now.


It can be reassuring to know that there are lots of wonderful support services available - so if you need further support, please don’t hesitate to ask for it. If your child is currently or waiting to use our mentoring services, then please contact our staff team on 01904 628449 and a member of the team will do their utmost to support you. If we are unable to help, then we can signpost you to other organisations who can.


Please do not be afraid to ask for help for yourself or a family member. These are exceptionally difficult times and there is absolutely no shame in seeking help. 


What to do if I’m worried about a child or young person in my care


If their life is in immediate danger, call 999.


If not, we recommend talking to someone who can help you understand what they might be going through and refer you to support in your area. This could be your GP, local children’s mental health services or a helpline. 


Did you know that we're looking to recruit more volunteer mentors once our services reopen in early April? Mentoring a child is a great way to help raise the confidence, self-esteem and resilience levels of a local child in need. If you are interested in volunteering with us then click here.

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