Children’s feelings are different when they return back to school, some of them seem very excited to meet with their friends, attend different classes, and play games, while others feel fear and anxiety about the start of the new school year.
Parents play a major role in dealing with their children’s fears and reducing their feelings of anxiety, resulting from the transition from a period of relaxation and comfort to seriousness and diligence to complete their school lessons to the fullest.
Begin with yourself first
It’s a very crucial thing to do as you can do is remember to take care of yourself. If you don’t do this, you will not be able to take care of your child. We have resources to help you. Try our online mental health and psychosocial support platform. You will find information about stress and how it affects us, as well as exercises you can try to relieve this stress. It also contains contact information for mental health professionals in your country. Talking will help, and these people will be here to help you.
Here are some tips on how to help your child better cope with the stressful transition of back to school in the context of COVID-19.
- Explain to them what is happening.
- Give them new ways to think about how they feel so they don’t feel overwhelmed or scared.
- Let them feel confident that they are safe.
- Listen to their voices, comfort them, give them care, assure them that they are safe, and praise them often.
- Play and read with them to help them relax.
- Stick to their daily activities, especially before going to bed, because children will find comfort in their daily activities.
Explain to them that they need to do simple things to protect themselves and others, such as:
1- Stay at home when sick, stay at school when healthy.
2- Wash or disinfect their hands more frequently.
3- Cough or sneeze into a bent elbow or tissue and dispose of the tissue immediately.
4- Keep a distance of at least 1 meter from others.
5- Wear a mask when mandatory or unable to maintain physical distance.
6- Greet people by waving, nodding, or putting their hands on their hearts.
7- Don’t stigmatize other people who may have been in contact with COVID-19.
8- Welcome, respect, tolerate and support everyone.
How to choose the right type of lunch box for your child?
Children’s lunch box or lunch box is usually chosen, according to several factors while getting back to school.
baby’s appetite
In the event that the child is eating slowly and just wants to play, it is advised to choose a type of suitable size.
But if the child eats a large amount, a lunch box should be chosen in a suitable size for his nutritional needs, so that he does not go hungry.
Food textures
Some children prefer to eat wet or liquid foods such as yogurt, in this case, a premium quality lunch box is the best solution to avoid leakage.
food temperature
If the child loves hot meals, it is preferable to use an insulated lunch box, as it maintains the temperature of the food.
How can I help my child get rid of normal separation anxiety?
Here are the most important tips to relieve children’s anxiety about getting back to school.
- Leaving the child in the classroom for a short time at first, with the possibility of leaving for a longer period gradually.
- Schedule class periods, preferably after the children have eaten their meals.
- Develop simple and reassuring farewell rituals, by waving through the window or kissing goodbye in the air.
- Leave the child without a fuss by telling him you will leave and come back then go and don’t stop or make it bigger.