Family Wellbeing

End of Term Fatigue

We're almost at the end of Term 2 and halfway through this year! If your child seems a little more irritated than usual right now, you're not imagining it! After weeks of schoolwork, friendship ups and downs, and simply showing up every day, a lot of kids are running on a much emptier tank than they were back in week one.

Why does this happen?

Fatigue isn't just physical. By this point in the term, children have used up a lot of their emotional reserves too, and when the tank gets low, it often shows up as behaviour rather than tiredness. You might notice bigger mood swings, frustration that seems to come out of nowhere, more arguments than usual, or a child who suddenly wants to pull back from friends and social activities. This would also show up more mornings with, “I don’t want to go to school.”

This isn't a sign that something has gone wrong. It's a sign your child has been working hard all term.

Here's how you can help:

Name it before you fix it: A simple "you seem really tired from this term, that makes sense" can do more than any solution. Kids often settle faster once they feel understood, rather than corrected.
Lower the bar for the last little while: This isn't the week to push for extra reading, tidy rooms or perfection. Easing expectations now isn't letting standards slip, it's matching what your child has capacity for.
Watch for withdrawal as a signal, not a phase: If your child is pulling away from things they usually enjoy, it's worth a gentle check in rather than waiting for it to pass on its own.
Protect sleep as much as you can: Tired kids are less resilient kids. Even small adjustments, like an earlier wind down or less screen time before bed, can take some of the edge off these last days.

There's no need to “fix” end of term fatigue, just to make a bit of room for it. A little extra patience now would go a long way towards a happy term break!

Wishing all our families a smooth final stretch of the term!

Ashu

Student Counsellor