How to deal with Separation Anxiety among Pre-school Kids
How was your first day at school? Did you really want to go to school, leaving your parents and home behind? I think many of us did not wish to. All we wanted was to stay at home, play around with toys and be close to mommy and daddy.
Being a child, there comes a time when our parents start telling us that we have to start going to school. Kids in preschool are often scared, petrified and anxious about going to a new place without their parents because all they have done until now was under their parents’ supervision.
As a young parent, one wonders how will they make their child go to preschool without hesitating and being anxious. But it’s more about the separation anxiety that they deal with in the initial years of learning. Now you’ll be wondering What is Separation Anxiety?
7 Signs of Separation Anxiety
The fear of separation of a child from their parent terms to be Separation Anxiety.
In this, the child becomes extremely anxious in the thought and process of getting separated from their parent. It is especially common in preschool kids and young parents often fail to acknowledge it. Let’s see how can young parents and preschool teachers recognize that the child is anxious about being separated:
- Clingyness
- Intense Crying
- Afraid of unfamiliar faces
- Repeated tempered Tantrums
- Refusal to engage
- Signs of fear and restlessness
- Outburst once the caregiver/parent is out of view
Once the Parent or Teacher acknowledges the symptoms of separation anxiety in the child. They can help resolve Separation anxiety in preschool kids through subsequent steps:
For Parents
If your child is refusing to go to school or is petrified by the idea of getting away from home. You should try doing this:
- Let them know that they’ll be able to make new friends and play with so many children of their age
- Barter with them. If they are getting anxious, calm them down by distracting them and giving them their favourite toy if they go to the class.
- Prepare cute notes and keep them in their pocket while taking a promise that they can open them once they reach school
- Give them their favourite food for lunch at the school
- Reassure them often
For Teachers
Preschool Teachers play a major part in releasing the stressful anxiousness of the child. They need to be extra careful with their tone, words and behaviour while teaching them.
- Greet each student by taking their name with a smile
- Pair an anxious child with a confident one
- “Goodbye Window”: Make a goodbye window through that they can say goodbye to their Parents by waving
- Have a medical and playroom to comfort them
- Let the kids know about all the wonderful activities that they can perform before going home
Most children with separation anxiety get better in early childhood itself but only through the constant efforts of their young parents as well as their Preschool Teachers.