Transitions can be difficult for all people.

It is easy to become overwhelmed with stress or anxiety during a transition as one adapts to a new set of expectations and routines.

The transition back to school from summer break may be particularly stressful for children, adolescents, and their families as more structured schedules and new systems are introduced.

While a certain degree of stress is expected, approaching this transition with intentionality may help to decrease back-to-school anxiety for children as well as their parents.

Below are three tips to help prepare you and your children for the upcoming transition back to school.

1. Safety/Grounding Object

Consider easing your child’s back-to-school anxiety by sending them to school with a “safety object” that reminds the child of you and your home. It can be something small that can slip into their pocket or backpack so as not to distract them from learning during the day.

Sit down with your child and have a conversation about how you will be apart during the school day and let them know you will be thinking of them.

You can tell them that this object represents your love for them and that when they feel homesick, they can hold or rub their object as a reminder that you love them and will return home at the end of the day. Having a safety object may help reduce your child’s stress and anxiety about transitioning back to school.

2. Talk to Your Child About Their Worries

Set aside time to talk to your child about their transition back to school. Your instincts to help your child solve their problems may kick in the moment they mention a struggle or worry, but it’s important to first take time to listen without trying to fix the situation.

Listening to your child’s worries and concerns without trying to fix them helps validate your child’s experience, in turn reducing their worries and anxieties.

You may use phrases such as “Is there anything about this school year that is particularly worrying to you?”, “That sounds really hard, I can see that you are feeling nervous/sad/stressed,” and “It’s OK to feel nervous/stressed/sad; this is a hard time for you.”

Showing your child you understand what they are experiencing may help them to process their emotions around the school year in a healthy manner.

3. Review Expectations and Daily Routine

Helping your child gain a sense of what to expect during their school day may help to prevent stress in the weeks leading up to school as well as reduce anxiety once school has begun.

One way to do this is to review the child’s daily school routine (or a rough estimate) with a visual prompt such as a whiteboard, calendar, or planner.

Helping your child understand what to expect from their school day may reduce unnecessary stress from uncertainty. Giving your child the option to decorate their visual prompt with personalized touches such as stickers or drawings may also help to increase their enjoyment of the process.

Using a safety item, talking to your child about their worries, and reviewing school expectations and routines are all ways you may decide to help your child feel prepared, understood, and supported as they navigate this transition.

It is important to remember that back-to-school anxiety is expected. Knowing this, engaging your child with these three strategies may help to ease their transition and decrease unpleasant emotions.

If your family implements these strategies and finds that your child still has difficulty adapting to life at school, it may be time to consider reaching out to a counselor for support.

Family Service of Chester County is a nonprofit human services agency providing counseling services since 1947.

Its mission is to provide life-changing individual and family support by removing barriers and providing access to counseling, case management, youth services, and family programs.

Today, it is one of Chester County’s most trusted providers of counseling and specialized support programs for families and individuals.