Care.com 2011 | Proprietary & Confidential 1July 2011

End Back-to-school Anxiety:12 Tips to Prep the Whole Family

Care.com 2011 | Proprietary & Confidential 2July 2011

1) Spot the signs of anxiety

• Some children are simply more apprehensive than others.

• No matter the age, children might– have nightmares, – a change in their sleeping and eating patterns – develop new fears– talk about a friend who is nervous about school (yep,

it's really them!)– isolate themselves

• But a drastic change that interferes with your child's normal activities (like not sleeping or eating) should be brought to a doctor's attention.

Care.com 2011 | Proprietary & Confidential 3July 2011

2) Chill out

• Kids sense when parents are nervous and this can exacerbate a child's anxiety -- or create one -- about school

• Often parents are more anxious to prep for September (finding after-school help, planning carpooling logistics, and all the mom-social-drama) but you can't make it your child's problem.

Care.com 2011 | Proprietary & Confidential 4July 2011

3) Reroute the routine

• Don't cut summer short but do prep kids to get their bodies ready for a school schedule by:– Phasing in earlier bedtimes (TV is all re-runs anyway)– Wake up times (squeeze in more outdoor activities

while the weather is nice). • Face it: Children are not going to be happy about this,

but they will fare much better when the alarm clock goes off at 6 a.m. come September.

Care.com 2011 | Proprietary & Confidential 5July 2011

4) Respect their feelings

• When your child talks about being anxious, let them vent.

• Allow them to feel anxious and then remind her it's okay to have these feelings.

• She's not necessarily looking for you to fix everything, she just wants you to listen. – Remind her that many of her classmates feel uneasy

about returning to school, too, so everyone is in the same boat.

Care.com 2011 | Proprietary & Confidential 6July 2011

5) Get psyched

• Now that you've talked about your son's middle school angst, find out what he's excited about. – New school supplies?– New clothes?– A new locker to decorate?– Science club?– Gym class?– Running for school president?

• It's important to help guide your child to think about the positive.

Care.com 2011 | Proprietary & Confidential 7July 2011

Learn More

• Read the rest of the 12 tips to End Back-to-school Anxiety

• http://www.care.com/child-care-end-back-to-school-anxiety-12-tips-to-prep-the-whole-family-p1017-q7404764.html

• Want to learn more about child care and families? Go here:

• http://www.care.com/child-care-articles-resources-p1019.html