Back-to-school anxiety in kids: What to watch out for

Kids show anxiety in different ways at different ages. The signs can look like other things (or nothing in particular), so it can be confusing. Signs of anxiety can be physical, emotional, or behavioral. 

Here are some examples:

• Refuses to eat snacks or lunch at school

• Won’t use bathrooms away from home

• Worries about things far in the future

• Can’t handle any criticism, even constructive criticism

• Says “I can’t do it” without any reason

• Starts withdrawing from activities

Learn about other signs of anxiety:

• Signs of anxiety in young kids

• Signs of anxiety in tweens and teens

Most kids feel anxious from time to time. Typical anxiety is a response to a stressful situation. It’s temporary and doesn’t interfere with other areas of life.

An anxiety problem is when the feelings are intense and don’t go away. That can happen when kids face ongoing stress. The anxiety spreads and kids feel anxious most of the time. At this point, anxiety may be diagnosed as a medical condition.

Discover the differences between typical anxiety and an anxiety problem.

If your child feels anxious about going back to school, you may not know what to do. It’s especially hard if you feel anxious, too.

Let your child know that lots of people are anxious about going back to work and school. That includes teachers and other kids at school. Say it’s OK to feel that way, and that you’re there to talk and listen.

Keep track of signs of anxiety you’re seeing, and when you notice them. This can help you identify patterns in your child’s behavior. 

And connect with your child’s teacher as early as possible. Let the teacher know about your child’s concerns about returning to school and any signs of anxiety you’ve seen. 

More tips:

• Topics to go over with teachers early in the year

• How to help kids cope with back-to-school anxiety

Anxiety may be easy to spot in some of your students. With others, it may not be so clear what’s behind difficult behavior — especially when you’re new to your students and they’re new to you.

Teaching with empathy can help you understand and connect with students who are struggling. It allows you to focus on what’s behind the behavior, instead of how that behavior is affecting the class. 

This doesn’t mean lowering expectations. In fact, when you connect with students, you show them you believe in their abilities and are supportive. That can give them confidence to tackle more challenging work. 

Get tips on how to teach with empathy. And encourage parents to fill out this back-to-school update and share it with you.