How to Mentally Prepare Your Kids for School After An Unusual Year

Cast away their anxiety and set them up for success.

By: Mariah Thomas

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Tips for Mental Preparation

Back-to-school season is approaching fast. As you prepare to transition back into your normal routine, ridding yourself of the stress and anxiety from the pandemic isn’t an easy feat — especially when it lingers in your kids. During the pandemic, kids adapted to virtual and hybrid learning, so preparing them for a more "normal" in-person school year is an important step before the season begins. According to Kim Henderson, a licensed psychotherapist and certified transformational life coach, young kids thrive off of routine, and getting acclimated back into the classroom can require an extra push from parents.

"It’s not a one size fits all approach for them," Henderson says. "I do anticipate that there will be some questions about safety, what that routine looks like with the teachers, and what is expected of them with their coursework."

With Henderson’s expert advice, here are tips to mentally prepare your child for the school year.

It's All About Routine

Summertime is the best time to help your kids get mentally active for back-to-school. "It's like a free for all," Henderson says. "This is especially true for younger children so that it’s not a shock to their system when they get back to school." Setting time for learning and some form of education throughout the day can help them gain a sense of routine. Parents can take breaks with their children throughout their daily or weekly activities, allowing their child to build or develop the skills they may have lost during their time away. This can include their ability to read, write, or communicate with others.

Create a Safe Space

Providing a space that is safe and validating can help children who suffer from anxiety. "My advice is to create a space that is validating all those feelings and a space that is safe for them to voice whatever it is that's causing them to have anxiety," Henderson notes. "Also develop certain coping strategies and strengthen certain coping strategies that they may have." Ways to help them cope include deep breathing exercises and teaching children how to practice mindfulness. Although mindfulness isn’t always taught to children, it’s a great way to help calm their bodies, while helping them work through any uneasiness or apprehension that troubles them.

Look Out for Signals

Sometimes kids say they're okay, but they’re not. Making sure you’re in tune with your child and their needs is important when it comes to addressing the feelings they might not express. Some negative indicators could be if they are unnaturally quiet or if their reactions don't match what’s happening — like crying during a happy viewing of a favorite movie. Says Henderson, "it would be things that are out of the norm and specific things like regressive behavior or emotional behaviors that just don't match the situation."

Address Their Feelings

"I think that it's difficult sometimes for us to validate and normalize the feelings that we're uncomfortable with even as adults," Henderson explains. "Sometimes what we end up doing is actually brushing off these feelings in children." According to Henderson, if you find your child suffering from anxiety or depression, the first step to helping them is to validate how they feel. The next step in the process would be to have an open conversation and provide a safe space where they can talk without judgment, while allowing them to express why they feel depressed or anxious. If you find the issue to be disrupting their life, seeking a mental health professional could be beneficial to their growth. Spending time with your child, or showing them how to express themselves through journaling or playing can also be helpful.

Communication is Key

Asking meaningful questions is essential when figuring out how ready your kids are for back-to-school learning. Henderson believes asking open-ended questions to solicit long responses is a better approach to stray from short answers. If you don’t know where to start, one good question to ask: What was the best or worst part of your day? "Allow them an opportunity to create safety, which is something we don't do now that we're actually coming out of the pandemic," Henderson says. "Allow them the opportunity to make some decisions as opposed to you making it for them." This can include talking to them about how they feel about wearing masks and carrying sanitary equipment, such as hand sanitizer or wipes.

Watch Out for Sensory Overload

If your child suffers from sensory overload or if you’re worried about it being a medical issue, seek professional help. "The second step would be to create an environment within your home that best can mimic the environment in which the child would be returning to so you can identify specific triggers," Henderson says. If you think they need time to themselves, save space for quiet time to help them gain a sense of calmness. Other options include letting their teacher know ahead of time about the issues they might be facing so they can be aware to let your child decompress if they feel like there’s an overload.