Student Wellbeing
Preparing for Return to School
Parents/Carers
It is important to check in with your own anxiety around this issue and how you as a parent are portraying this to your child.
It is very easy at present to be overprotective about all aspects of your child’s life. This can lead to an increase in anxiety for you and your child.
Signs your child might be anxious:
Not sleeping, headaches, stomach pains, reduced appetite.
Understand your child might be worried about returning to school.
Encourage your child to talk about how they are feeling and support their concerns.
Identify it’s OK to feel worried, this is understandable and normal.
Don’t dismiss how they feel by saying “it’s alright, you’ll be fine”. This can increase anxiety as they may feel there feeling is not being acknowledged.
Say to your child it may be hard, it maybe a little different to start with, but they will get through it. (This statement builds resilience)
If your child has difficulty identifying how they feel you can draw the different emotions, or from the internet print of a free set of emotion cards. https://www.teachersprintables.net/preview/Emotion_Cards
Starting Now:
Start introducing that school is returning use a calendar tick of the days (tick rather than cross tick positive connection)
Start preparing school uniform, get it out talk about it. Start preparing lunch box, and drink bottles.
Talk about your child’s classmates, friends and teacher, how they will now see them in person they will be in the classroom together. It will not be on video or Webex
Review past strategies and visuals that have assisted your child. e.g. if your child has a visual class time table start introducing this in conversation.
Talk about and practice at home hygiene practices. Washing hands, coughing into arm or covering mouth and nose with jumper. Remind child for now we do not kiss, hug or high five our friends. We wave and say hi, we can tap elbows.
Article by Andrew Fuller: Andrew is a clinical psychologist specialising in the wellbeing of young people and their families. He is the author of START (School Transition and Resilience Training).
General information about coronavirus, including advice on cleaning and hygiene: www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/coronavirus
Information for the education sector about coronavirus: www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/information-education-sector-coronavirus-disease-covid-19
Translated information about coronavirus: www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/translated-resources-coronavirus-disease-covid-19
