Back-to-School Stress-Relieving Tool Kit.

Are your children nervous about going back to school?
Do you have a child going to a new school?
Do you worry about your child’s stress levels at school?
 
Back to school can be an anxious time for children, parents and teachers alike. One of the best ways to beat anxiety is to have something that you can do right away to calm down. Studies have shown that smiling, being grateful, taking deep breaths and helping others are all powerful ways of relieving stress and reducing anxiety. 
 
Here are five tips that you can teach your children and then give them a ‘tool kit’ they can take in their lunch box or pencil box as a tangible reminder of how to relax whatever the circumstances. You’ll likely have most of these items around, but if not, a visit to the dollar store will provide whatever you need for your tool kit.

1. Smile. Smiling makes us feel great! It makes the person you smile at feel great too. Put a smiley face eraser, pencil-topper or sticker sheet into the kit to remind your munchkin that flashing a big smile at their teacher and friends will reduce their anxiety.
2. Be Grateful. If you don’t already have a family gratitude practice I suggest you try it and adopt one ASAP. Being grateful is an easy way of beating anxiety. It’s like flipping a switch from negative to positive thinking. Teach your child that if they are feeling anxious all they have to do is look around the classroom, lunch room or playground and find five things they are grateful for. Find a number ‘5’, or a Thank You card to pop into your kit as a reminder.
3. Breathe. Taking five deep breaths will help to calm down the nervous system. Teach young children to belly-breathe or pretend to blow out a candle slowly. Add a birthday candle to the tool kit (remove the wick).
4. Be kind. Being kind brings us good feelings and distracts from anxious or nervous feelings. Pop a band-aid or a hand shape in the kit as a reminder for your child to look for someone who needs a helping hand or word of encouragement.
5. Hug. Include a heart shape or a small bear in your tool kit to remind your child that they can give themselvesa hug any time. They have all the strength and love within themselves to see them through an anxious day at school.   
   

You can review the day by finding out if they used the tool kit reminders at all and which ‘tools’ worked best for them. 
Have fun finding trinkets to add to your child’s toolkit. Let me know what you found in the comments below – be creative!

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