Preparing for the Return to School: Helping Children Face School Anxiety with Confidence
Summer is often a welcome break from the demands of the school year, but for children and teens with school anxiety, it can present an unexpected challenge. Anxiety decreases when children have regular opportunities to face feared situations; however, during the summer, children are naturally removed from the school environment and the routines, social interactions, and academic demands that provide those opportunities for practice. While this break may temporarily reduce anxiety, it can also increase uncertainty and make school feel less familiar when fall arrives. As the first day of school approaches, many children experience a significant increase in worry simply because they have not had opportunities to practice approaching the situations they fear.
The good news is that small, intentional steps during the summer can ease the transition back to school. The key is to regularly incorporate school-like activities into your child’s summer schedule. These opportunities for repeated exposure help children learn they can tolerate anxious feelings, that anxiety naturally decreases on its own, and that they can handle challenging situations.
For the best chances of a smooth transition back to school, start completing the following checklist items as soon as possible:
o Maintain routines throughout the summer. While summer should include time for fun and relaxation, maintaining predictable routines helps children stay connected to the expectations of the school year. Encourage regular sleep schedules, age-appropriate chores, daily reading or other academic activities, and consistent limits on screen time. Structure promotes resilience and makes the return to school feel less abrupt.
o Practice being around peers. Camps, sports teams, library programs, church groups, and other community activities provide valuable opportunities to practice the social demands of school. These experiences serve as natural exposures by helping children become more comfortable interacting with peers and participating in group settings.
o Increase exposure to the school environment. Familiarity reduces uncertainty. If possible, visit the school before the first day to walk the hallways, locate classrooms, play on the playground, attend school events, bring a teacher lunch, or simply spend time on campus. Rather than trying to eliminate anxiety before visiting, encourage your child to notice that they can feel anxious and still remain at school. Each successful visit helps teach the brain that school is safe and manageable.
o Rehearse the school routine. During the one to two weeks before school starts, gradually shift wake-up and bedtime routines to match the school schedule. Have your child get dressed, eat breakfast, pack their backpack, and even leave the house at the same time they would on a school morning. These "dress rehearsals" provide repeated exposure to the routines associated with school, making the first day feel more familiar and less intimidating.
o Develop a plan with the school before problems arise. If your child has struggled with school attendance in the past, connect with school staff before the first day. Collaboratively develop a plan for how adults will respond if your child experiences anxiety at drop-off or during the school day. Most importantly, plans should support attendance and encourage coping rather than inadvertently reinforcing avoidance. A consistent, predictable response across home and school gives children the best opportunity to build confidence.
Remember, the goal is not to eliminate anxiety before school begins. Instead, the goal is to help children discover that they can do hard things even while feeling anxious. Every time a child approaches a feared situation instead of avoiding it, they give their brain the opportunity to learn that anxiety is temporary, manageable, and not dangerous. These small moments of bravery, repeated over time, are what ultimately build lasting confidence and support successful school attendance.