The Kids Are Alright?

The Kids are Alright?

How parents can help their kids to manage school-related stress - MisterA

Spotting the signs

Your child may show a reluctance to go to school, stomach aches, headaches, panic attacks, irritability, or may have problems sleeping.

I've got to get this done now!

The best way to ease pressure is to tackle the tasks that are of the most importance first. Developing routines and scheduling work will make the workload more manageable and ease the pressure of homework or project deadlines

Talk just talk

Talking often helps when things get difficult or you want to find a cause for anxiety. Often, one particular issue is causing problems - trepidation about looming exams and tests or worrying about meeting target grades for example.

Family and friends are important

Make sure they spend time with friends and family. Find out how their day has gone or whether anything interesting or exciting has happened. It's also a great way of assessing if they are anxious about school.

Play

School is a demanding place so it is important that they have downtime where they can relax, especially if they seem overwhelmed. Developing a schedule is a great way to focus attention on a task so why not schedule free time too. They can use that time to do some exercise, walk the dog or watch some TV for example.

But Beware!

Life is full of distractions, such as social media, gaming and the internet. Some distractions are addictive and may take up more and more of their time. This makes it difficult to complete any work they need to do. It's best that you schedule these activities so that they can make use of the time available to them.

Time for bed

It is well established that a good night's sleep is important, even more so if you are stressed. Good routines can help manage stress. Make sure that there is a definite time when work stops. This means that there is a period, before going to bed, to relax and unwind ready for that 8 to 10 hours of quality sleep.