School comes with many stressors for kids, including the pressure to succeed in after-school activities and problems with peers in the classroom, as well as the everyday challenges of classes and homework. As a parent, it’s important to look out for any signals that your kid may be feeling stressed out from school. Some red flags may include a change in appetite, difficulty sleeping, or increased irritability. If your child is displaying any of these common signs of stress, here’s what you can do to help them cope.
Encourage Open Communication
The best thing to do to relieve your kid’s stress is to talk with them openly about the issue at hand. Kids want to feel listened to and understood by their parents, and sometimes all they need to feel better is to let out their feelings to someone they trust. It’s important that your kids know from a young age that they can come to you during stressful periods.
Let them know that you are here to talk. Try to find out what exactly is causing the stress by listening to them openly and attentively, without judgement. Use this opportunity to find a solution to the problem that’s directly causing the stress.
Make Time for Play
In today’s day and age, where kids are spending less time outdoors and more time in front of digital screens, it’s more important than ever that parents make active play a priority for their kids. It’s crucial for their physical, mental and emotional well-being, and overall development. If you haven’t already, get your kids some fun outdoor toys that encourage active play.
Get involved with these activities and use it as a chance to bond with your kids. Providing kids with opportunities to play in the great outdoors offers a healthy escape from the daily stresses of school. It allows them to feel free, have fun and forget about their problems for a while.
Re-Examine Their Schedule
Over-scheduling is a leading cause of school stress in children. Kids are often expected to do too much for their young age. Not only do they feel pressure to excel in school, but they are also expected to perform a multitude of after-school activities—all while making time for homework! That’s a lot for a young kid to handle and is bound to cause stress and burnout at some point.
It’s crucial that all children have enough downtime where they can just be kids. They need time to relax, have fun and recharge for the next day of school. If your child is feeling overwhelmed, take a look at their current schedule and see if there are any activities you can cut out completely or rearrange. Eliminating just one thing from their daily routine could make a huge difference to their mental and emotional well-being.
Create a Stricter Bedtime
Sleep is vital for everyone’s health and wellbeing, but especially so for children. Children who get a healthy amount of quality sleep each night will be better able to manage school stress.
A good night’s rest will boost a child’s mood, increase their energy levels, and reduce irritability—all of which will help improve their school performance. To ensure your kid gets a healthy amount of sleep each night, make it a rule to limit screen time at least 3 hours before bedtime, and keep any electronics out of their bedroom. Exposure to electronic screens before bedtime has been shown to negatively impact the quality of one’s sleep. And of course, make sure that you stick to a consistent sleep schedule so that your kid goes to bed and wakes up at the same time each day.
[hr]
Harper Reid
Harper is a Kiwi wordsmith. Throughout her career, she’s had the joy of expanding her portfolio from personal creative projects to collaborating with blogs and hospitality sites. She likes to spend her downtime at the beach. Check out more of Harper’s work here.
