YORK, Pa. — The start of a new school year can bring a wide range of emotions—from excitement and joy to anxiety and stress.
Experts say after spending all summer with parents or caregivers, heading back to school can cause a little separation anxiety in children.
There's also the stress of classwork, social interactions and starting a new routine.
"Some kids can get what we call the Sunday scaries where they'll get really nervous, or they'll start talking about how they don't want to go to school," Dr. Jasmine Virk, a pediatrician with UPMC, said. "Some kids will even have actual symptoms. 'My belly hurts, my head hurts, I don't feel well.' You'll see this predominantly on a Sunday night right before school starts, or you can see this on a weekday and the symptoms are gone on the weekend."
The good news is, Dr. Virk says there are a few things you can do to help your children have a smooth start to the school year.
"We know that kids, even teenagers thrive off of routine, so I would say maybe start with the bedtime routine," she suggested. "Moving it closer and closer to the desired bedtime for a school day. Sort of setting up the same things, maybe making good food choices in the morning. When it comes to breakfast, have breakfast around the same time you would as they head back to school. And then again, maybe take a few short drives to school, maybe get used to what it feels like and definitely take advantage of those back to school nights that a lot of the schools will offer."
Dr. Virk also stressed the importance of communication. She says to talk to your kids about what's bothering them and remind them about things they can look forward to, like their favorite subject or maybe a fun project they have coming up.
And remember, you can always turn to your health provider to help in these situations.