Does your child experience unpleasant feelings when it's time to leave for school?Do they seem to want to avoid school, perhaps requesting to stay home with vague symptoms?
While it’s natural to want to avoid situations or places that make us feel anxious or uncomfortable, it’s important to help your child work through their anxious feelings. Learning how to use coping skills will help them to feel better and to manage their feelings in healthy ways.
Your child will benefit from learning a number of different strategies to manage their anxiety because what works for one person may not work for the next. What works today may not work tomorrow. And the coping skills that work in one situation or space may not work in another. Remember, it can be difficult to learn something new when we’re upset so be sure to teach any new skills when everyone is calm. Encouraging your child to practice these skills regularly will help them to be ready when anxiety is making it hard to cope.
Here are some simple coping skills you can teach and practice with your child:
Coping skills to use in the classroom and other more structured environments: