Experts said establishing a routine is one of the best things parents and caregivers can do to help kids who are feeling anxious.

GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. — Back-to-school anxiety is something some students struggle with every year. 

“Going back to school time is the time of the change. It’s a change of the routine, a change of the environment, it’s a change of maybe a new grade, new teacher, friends and classmates,” said Dr. Lindan Gu, a pediatric psychologist at the University of Minnesota.

She said kids can experience excitement and nerves at the same time, but the uncertainty can lead to anxiety.

Chad Cartier, the director of psychotherapy at Aris Clinic said some students fear the unknown. 

“What are the classes that I’m going to be in? Who am I sharing a locker with? These sorts of questions can kick up a lot of anxiety,” he said.

Sara Gonzalez, the clinical director of outpatient psychology at Children’s Minnesota Hospital, said students might be even more anxious this year because of the deadly school shooting at Annunciation Catholic School last week.

“The important thing though that we can do is acknowledge those feelings and not dismiss them, and just sitting with them right, sitting with, you know, as parents and caregivers, modeling it’s OK to be worried, let’s talk about it, so that kids can also have that space to process what they’re feeling,” she said.


Gonzalez said some signs a child may be struggling include trouble sleeping or eating, not wanting to be around friends, stomach aches, and headaches.

She said if students are feeling anxious, she encourages them to take a breath.

“A quick coping tool is belly breathing, right, so practicing taking inhales and exhales to just focus on I’m OK, my body is OK, I’m safe right now,” she said.

Gu said it’s important for parents and caregivers to be there for the kids if they’re struggling with back-to-school anxiety.

“It’s helpful to allow them to have the space to talk about it, follow their lead,” Gu said.

“Being there right, it’s not about having the perfect words, it never is, but being there, naming the feeling, not shaming it,” Gonzalez said.

“Hear the child out, really make it about them. This is their time to talk rather than your time to talk,” Cartier said.

He said it’s important to validate their feelings and highlight school safety measures.

Cartier said if your child doesn’t want to go to school, take that moment and see if they will open up about why they don’t want to go.

He said rewards can help kids who want to go to school.

“I would also encourage parents to set up some expectations at the beginning of the school year, access to video games, screens, other privileges. Those things should be contingent on first going to school and addressing other responsibilities associated with school,” he said.

All the experts said establishing a routine can help ease back-to-school nerves.

“Kids thrive on predictability, so to have daily routines for sleep, hygiene, homework, meals, managing screen time,” Cartier said. “Most kids that we see in the clinic and have a lot of difficulty going to school and a lot of school avoidance, they may be running up to a 90-minute sleep deficit, and if you got a 90-minute sleep deficit, and you’re up all night, and you don’t have a good sleep hygiene it’s going to be a battle in the morning and school avoidance often starts the evening before right, not the morning of.”

Gonzalez said it will be important for kids to find normalcy and joy in going back to school. She said it’s important for kids to engage in activities, which can help build a consistent routine.

She said it’s also OK for the parents to know it’s OK if they’re not OK.

“This is going to be a tough time sending your kids back to school, especially with what’s happening in our community, take a deep breath,” she said.