Your kid can recite every line from their favorite show, but the night before the first day of school, they suddenly can't remember how to fall asleep. Stomachaches show up out of nowhere. A simple "how was your day?" turns into tears.
If you've been searching for how to get rid of school anxiety in your child, here's the good news: you don't need a specialist appointment or a total routine overhaul to start. You need a few simple mindfulness tools your child can use anywhere, whether that's the car line, the cafeteria, or under the covers at 9pm.
Back-to-school worry can come from anywhere: FOMO from summer social media posts they weren't in, drama with a friend group, a brand new school, or just the chaos of switching gears after a loose summer schedule. Whatever is behind it, your child doesn't need a lecture about toughing it out. They need real tools they can actually use.
Here are some wonderful ways you can share mindfulness with your child as they transition back to the classroom, including spending some mindful time together.
Ease Back-to-School Anxiety with Mindful Tools and Activities
-
1
Visit the school
Familiarity goes a long way to help calm the jitters. Walk the halls and check out the classroom. Do a practice run of the first day of school, then enjoy a special treat together afterwards.
-
2
Talk about feelings
Try the R.A.I.N. acronym to invite your child to mindfully explore their feelings. Labeling the emotion engages the thinking brain and calms their system down.
R = Recognize your feeling and name it (i.e., "I'm feeling frustrated. I feel upset. I feel scared. I feel angry.").
A = Allow your feeling to be there without judging it.
I = Investigate gently with curiosity why this feeling is there.
N = Nourish yourself. What do you need give yourself or hear or do right now to make yourself feel better?
BONUS: Change the channel by popping in a positive mental state from a memory. Really feel that goodness for a breath or two to transform it from a mental state to a neural trait. Rewire your brain for more happiness and resilience. -
3
Practice deep breathing
Deep breathing calms the nervous system. Guide your child in several deep breaths; try counting to four on the in breath and exhaling for six. Encourage your child to practice at night, in the morning, in the classroom, before a test, etc.
-
4
Access mindfulness with a physical object
Focusing on an object helps to shift the mind from worrying thoughts. You and your child can go exploring and choose a stone together for this purpose. It doesn't have to be fancy; it just needs to feel nice in their palm and fit in their pocket. Anytime they feel anxious or stressed, they can reach for it, feel its texture, and focus on that physical object instead of their worries.
-
5
Focus on gratitude
This will help all year. You can't be grateful and worried at the same time. Little kids can decorate a gratitude jar; older kids can keep a gratitude journal. Write in the journal or put a note in the gratitude jar at least once a day.
-
6
Learn to meditate
Try family meditation time! You can manage your own anxiety while also sharing a healthy stress-management tool with your child.
-
7
Create a nighttime school readiness routine
Encourage your child to have everything he or she needs for school ready the night before – from the backpack and jacket to shoes and socks. This helps the whole family avoid last-minute drama in the mornings.
Mindfulness helps students (and parents!) pause and take a step back from overwhelming feelings. It gives provides a calming strategy for challenging moments, and a plan to help avoid some of them in the first place! Have a great school year.
Written by Julie Potiker for The Healthy Moms Magazine and legally licensed through the Matcha publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@getmatcha.com.
You've Got This
Mindfulness will not erase every worry about the school year, and that is okay. What it does is give your child, and you, a real way to pause, name what they are feeling, and choose their next move instead of spiraling. Practice these tools together now, even for a few minutes a day, and they will be ready the second anxiety shows up at drop-off.
FAQs About School Anxiety
How do I get rid of my child's school anxiety?
You cannot erase anxiety completely, but you can shrink it. Simple mindfulness tools like deep breathing, naming feelings out loud, and using a grounding object calm the nervous system in the moment. Practicing these together at home, before school starts, makes them second nature by the first bell.
What are signs of school anxiety in kids?
Stomachaches or headaches with no medical cause, trouble sleeping, clinginess, irritability, and sudden reluctance to talk about school are common signs. Younger kids may cry or have tantrums, while older kids might withdraw or complain of feeling sick right before school.
How can mindfulness help with back-to-school anxiety?
Mindfulness gives kids something to do with big feelings instead of just feeling stuck in them. Deep breathing calms the nervous system, naming a feeling engages the thinking brain, and a daily gratitude practice trains their focus toward what is going well.
Ready for One Less Thing to Worry About?
Mornings are already a lot during back-to-school season. A quick, real-food breakfast is one thing you can cross off the list. Check out our high-protein breakfast ideas, or stock the freezer for the whole school year.
