Heartland mom shares how she is helping her children deal with back-to-school anxiety

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (KFVS) - Summer vacation is winding down.

For some kids, going back to school can feel overwhelming, especially for those transitioning to a new school or grade.

Bells will soon be ringing again and with school bells comes anxiety for some students.

“I have anxiety for them,” said mom Erica Baker.

Parents like Erica Baker say the first day of school will be a little difficult for the children.

“Especially the one that’s going into high school this year,” she said. “I can tell she’s nervous. She’s very outgoing but when it comes to talking about going back to school.”

Baker said helping her daughter talk through her feelings is key to navigating that anxiety.

“We talk about what are the new things you can expect. So, like this year at their school, they’re starting a new schedule, so they’re doing block scheduling instead of just the seven hours a day. She’s coming from junior high where you do kind of that, they don’t go to seven different classes like they will in high school,” said Baker.

New Vision Counseling Center in Cape Girardeau helps a lot of kids process that anxiety.

“Kids about five years old and up come in with anxiety or behavioral concerns that they need to either learn better ways to manage their anxiety or to change behavior, you know, what’s appropriate for school settings and home those kinds of things,” Executive Director Shari Boxdorfer said.

She said you can help your child with a few steps: allow them to vocalize their anxiety, validate their feelings, ask them what are the things that trigger it and what are their strengths to navigate those feelings.

" Sometimes it’s things like, if you’re feeling anxious then just recognize it, take a deep breath realize that it’s an emotion and I’m going to be able to manage to work through it,” Boxdorfer explained.

Baker had a big piece of advice for parents for the upcoming school year.

“Tell your kids to be kind to each other. Kindness goes a long way to help anxiety in kids and it’s a lot to have social anxiety and if you’re just kind to them, it makes them feel so much better and it’s so much easier for them to transition into their new surroundings,” Baker said.

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