Child psychologist weighs in on back to school anxiety

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) - Students across the Commonwealth are preparing to head back to school in the coming weeks. While some children are excited to get back into the classroom, others are nervous.

“It is that time of year at my practice where there’s a lot of discussion about back to school jitters,” said child psychologist, Dr. Katherine Stone.

Experts say getting butterflies ahead of the first day of school is normal.

“What I try to remind kids is that most everybody feels a little nervous before school started. Their parents did, their teachers did and the kids did,” said Dr. Stone.

For some students, back to school anxieties go beyond a couple of butterflies.

“If you’re starting to already hear your kid refuse to go into school, if even the mention of driving past the school or going to the playground causes a lot of stress, if you’re starting to see a lot of sleep disturbance, then you know you may be dealing with a little bit more than your typical pre-school jitters,” said Dr. Stone.

So what should parents do to support their children?

“Open up the dialogue with your kids about how they feel about going back to school. What I like to do with going back to school and what are you a little nervous about, or what do you dread? That way you have the balance of both,” said Dr. Stone.

Dr. Stone says the biggest thing is making sure your child feels heard.