Back to school time is very different this year and whether your child is going in person or online, they may experience some stress.
Parents can normally relate to first day jitters but kids today have new anxiety with online learning.
“There are some kids that just don’t do well with virtual communication,” said Staci Passe, psychologist at Be Someone Therapy.
Depending on your school plan for virtual learning, your child might be online for several hours each day and being on-camera can trigger anxiety in some kids.
“Kids already who are shy or more reserved, to think of being face to face on a screen is very intimidating to them,” she said.
Unlike in classrooms, when kids are on video, they may feel like everyone is looking at them. That’s very uncomfortable for kids who are shy. Passe said parents are most likely going to help with this one by trying to help them normalize the situation. Remember, the way you act will impact how kids feel.
The second concern for virtual classrooms is not being able to concentrate.
“To expect kindergarteners, middle schoolers students to engage even intermittently on a screen, that is inconsistent to where they are at developmentally,” Passe said.
To cope, Passe said, plan ahead.
Tips:
- Take time to recompose
- Take breaks
- Have cheat sheets for logins and passwords
Parent’s biggest fears, according to Passe, typically revolved around whether their child will get behind. To which she said, trust teachers to help get children up to speed no matter how many issues you have with online learning!