I don't want to go to school! What to do when it appears in the child before returning to school?

I don't want to go to school! When a child faces the fear of going to school, it can become a serious challenge for parents and teachers. This fear does not just manifest as a simple aversion to school, but often hides deeper emotional and psychological problems that need to be properly addressed.

A school that should be a place of learning, growth and socialization, can turn into a source of anxiety and stress for the child. Only this requires special attention and understanding from parents and professionals.

The reasons for such feelings can be varied and complex; from separation anxiety in younger children to fear of failure and criticism in the elderly. It is important that parents and teachers recognize these signs in time and talk to the child in a way that will help him overcome these fears.

With the right approach, we can rekindle a child's confidence and joy in learning, while enabling them to deal with their challenges in a healthy and constructive way.

"I don't want to go to school!" is a phrase that parents hear more and more often from their children

Research shows that such resistance may indicate a deeper problem – fear of school.

In younger children it is often basic separation anxiety – fear of separation from parents.

Older children however, they may be afraid of evaluation and criticism - they have nervousness when they have to answer in front of the class, and they are afraid of ridicule if they make a mistake. Some doubt their abilities - they are afraid that they will have to repeat a grade or that they will not be accepted into the high school they want.

Fear of divorce

Research shows that "fear of separation" is more pronounced in children who have experienced trauma, such as the divorce of their parents or the loss of a loved one. It is also important to know that if parents feel a lot of anxiety when their child goes to school, it is very likely that the child will feel this too. Children take on the emotions and behavior of their parents; if they see that their parents are scared when they go to school, it is expected that this fear will also appear in them.

Symptoms

Children who are afraid of school often complain of various physical symptoms - headaches or stomach aches. These symptoms, such as nausea, palpitations, muscle tension, sleep disturbances, fatigue and exhaustion, usually disappear during weekends and school holidays.

When it's time to go to school, the child feels scared, threatened and helpless, wants to run away from school and feels unable to master the learning material. He suddenly begins to express a feeling of nausea and physical symptoms appear.

Fear of school also occurs in children whose parents have very high expectations and they say to them with the best of intentions: "You will definitely be great, you will get straight A's, everyone will envy you." Children's desire to meet these expectations leads to a fear of failure and a fear of disappointing their parents if they don't do well in school, which causes a variety of problems.

How to help?

The first step is to find out cause of fear. It is important to understand what the child is feeling and treat him as a person, not just as a student. School should not be the only topic of conversation between parents and children. When she comes back from school, Mrs don't immediately ask how school was, but rather ask if anything interesting has happened. Every effort should be praised, regardless of the result, and the child should be reminded that he is learning for knowledge, not for grades.

Every encouragement and praise from parents and teachers gives the child strength, to face the fear again, which eventually loses its intensity. Children must be taught to face a problem instead of avoiding it. By building self-confidence social skills will also be strengthened.