How to Ease Your Anxiety for Kid’s Back-To-School
Fox News, The Doctors, Access Hollywood, Access Hollywood Live, Inside Edition and more. Preparing for the new school year can be a daunting task for both parents and children. To ensure a smooth transition, here are some tips and tech tools to help families navigate back-to-school challenges with confidence. From fostering open communication to leveraging the latest technology, these strategies will help set the stage for a successful academic year. Talk About It Communication is the key when helping your child prepare for the new school year. While you may think they are concerned about who they are going to sit with at lunch, their real concern could be something completely different. Try to get some time alone with your child on the way to the supermarket, cleaning up after dinner or even walking the dog. Start off on a positive note and ask them what they are the most excited about for the new year. When they bring up concerns, validate them instead of dismissing what’s bothering them. While it may not be a big deal to you, it may be everything to them. Make A Schedule The logistics of a new routine can be overwhelming, especially if your child is anxious about a school bus, a carpool, or who is going to pick him or her up. Make a schedule and post it on a bulletin board in the kitchen so that every morning everyone knows what to expect. Then, create a mutual digital schedule that everyone has access to via their phones. Reassure them that in case you are late for picking them up or even if their soccer game got shifted from one location to another, they can track where you are with Wings Track and you can also locate them. Ease Into A Routine If your child is up at 3:00am on their phone and sleeping until 12:00am every day, waiting to change those habits until the night before school starts is going to be a rough first day. A few days before they begin, get them into the habit of going to bed and getting up at the time they will need to get ready for school. Figure out what they will eat for breakfast and what food you will need to have for them if they want to bring lunch or snacks with them. You may even want to walk or drive to school one day just so they know how long it takes or how to get there if they are driving or walking by themselves for the first time. This practice run can help to identify any potential issues and provide an opportunity to address them before the first day. What to Expect Understanding what to expect on the first day of school can reduce anxiety greatly. Take some time to review the school schedule, class locations and any new procedures/policies. Familiarize your child with their schedule, teachers, where their locker is, and even where the school is located (if it’s in a new building, show your child the school). If you can walk through the school in advance so they know where their classrooms are, that could help them as well. Be sure that they know where you will be, who will be picking them up and when they can expect to see you. If they need to get in touch with you, explain to them how to locate you on the Wings Track app and what each location might mean. For example, show them where the location is where you work and let them know that if you are there as well and do not respond to them right away it is because you may be in a meeting. Social Connections Navigating social situations can be one of the most daunting aspects of returning to school after a long break. If your child is anxious about starting a new school or being in a class with people they do not know, reach out to some of the parents and see if you can help your child meet some people before the first day of school. If your child is worried about not being popular or not having anyone to sit with during lunch, help them to find a club or an after school activity that they enjoy. Sometimes connecting with other people who have the same interests can give your child a sense of community. It’s also important to talk about ways to make new friends and have good relationships. Make Them Imagine They Are As Independent As Possible Children love to feel that they can do things on their own and be independent. Sometimes, kids are worried that parents will be hovering over them and do not give them the space to hang out with friends or go somewhere on their own. This is where Wings Track can be an important tool. Being able to see where they are can give you the peace of mind to know where they are whilst giving them the space to put a little more independence in those little feet. This is best if you drop them at the mall, someone’s house or a meet up with friends. Using Technology Sharing the digital schedule and all the features of Wings Track can be a game changer when it comes to back to school butterflies. Kids do not like surprises. They feel the most secure when they know what to expect. They also want to have the feeling that someone is there to help them if they get in trouble. For young drivers, knowing your parents will be alerted should you get lost, have a flat tire or get in an accident can ease some of the nervousness when driving. If you have children that depend on you to pick them up and you are running late, seeing your location on the app gives them peace of mind that you are on your way. This is an innovative technology to ensure that










