I know you don't want to admit it, but back-to-school fever has hit again. The lovely folks at AMACOM sent me this book, OVERCOMING SCHOOL ANXIETY: How to Help Your Child Deal with Separation, Tests, Homework, Bullies, Math Phobia and Other Worries by Diane Peter Mayer, MSW, along with some helpful hints to make back-to-school less stressful for kid and parent. It's also great to start thinking about how to prepare your child for any new situation so if your kids are older, there's still great advice to be had.
Ms. Mayer suggests:
• Have your child learn a new skill. Swimming, boating, a sport, foreign language, musical instrument, art class, knitting, cooking, acting, etc. —these pursuits increase self-worth, and classes help to build socialization skills.
• Curtail TV and computer time. Get your child engaged in educational interests and physical activity as much as possible.
• Enroll your child in a yoga or martial arts class. These activities teach breath control (diaphragmatic breathing), relaxation, discipline, build physical and emotional strength and confidence, all important for conquering anxiety. Think about joining your child in these activities.
• Create a family scrapbook or album of the things you do and places you visit during the summer. Include photos, souvenirs and mementos. Have each family member write down their experiences and thoughts relating to photos. This project will help children who are struggling with reading, writing, and spelling practice throughout the summer in a fun way.
• Visit the public library often for “story time” or other events. Take out books and movies. Start a summer reading program for the whole family and add an incentive—for example, if everyone in the family reads a combined total of so many books before school starts, the prize might be a special trip to an amusement park. When a book is finished the reader tells the family about the story. This builds verbal skills and is good practice for children who are anxious about speaking out loud in class. Read to your child or take turns reading books and poetry out loud as often as possible.
• Familiarize a child entering kindergarten or going to a new school about what their day will be like. Knowing what to expect will lessen or prevent first day anxiety. Drive your child to the school, visit if it is open during summer months, show your child the school website, explain in detail what school mornings will be like (especially for soon-to-be-kindergarteners). Reassure your child that you will be waiting at the school or bus stop to greet him. Remember structure and routine feel comforting and safe.
• Arrange play dates with a student a year ahead of your child at school. This may help to lessen first day jitters. Be sure that the older child likes school and can talk about the teachers your child will have and school work in a positive way.
• Have your child help you plan meals, shop for the food, and cook. Read cookbooks together, try new foods and seasonings. Your child will have to use reading and math skills when shopping and cooking (and it’s a great way to teach a child about healthy eating). A good game to play when you both shop for food is “Which is the better buy?” Teach your child how to calculate which is cheaper, for example, a large jar of tomato sauce or two smaller jars?
• Do crossword and suduko puzzles with your child. Also, play card games such as Uno and Rummy—have your child keep score.