Navigating Back to School as a Family

Written by Naseem Amini

As summer comes to a close, back to school anxiety may become heightened for parents and students alike. Stress about new schedules, concerns regarding academic performance, and worries about social re-adjustment can rise to the surface and create tension within the family system. Having a plan for managing these upcoming worries as a team may create a sense of ease and connectedness between family members. Follow a few simple steps to create a collaborative back-to-school plan that works for you and your child.

Step 1. Identify the stressors:

Check in with yourself to pinpoint what feels the most distressing about the transition back to school. Once you become familiar with your own concerns, bring your child into the conversation to determine what may be bringing them anxiety. Collaborate to create a list of challenges that you can work together to tackle in order to soften the back-to-school experience.

Step 2. Plan logistics:

Once you have your list of stressors, create a plan to address each scenario that may arise. These plans could look like a locker dry-run, a walkthrough of the school to locate classrooms, communicating with teachers to solidify expectations, structured routines, and more.

Step 3. Build in coping strategies:

Sometimes having a plan in place might not stop you or your child from feeling overwhelmed or anxious. In these moments, it can be helpful to lean on personalized coping strategies to bring your emotions back to baseline before tackling the challenge at hand. Practice using breathing techniques, journaling, or mindfulness activities with your child when you are both calm in preparation for future stress.

Step 4. Practice:

Now that you have plans in place for emotional regulation and logistical hiccups, it’s time to practice! Run through your plans with your child until you both feel confident that you can handle whatever hurdle you may come across. To make practice more fun, you can try roleplaying or “what if” games to address hypotheticals.

Going back to school after a fun, relaxing summer may feel intimidating, but following this model can help you adjust quicker and more comfortably. Working with your children to battle your fears and anxieties can deepen your bond while building the individual strength needed to conquer challenges!