Simple Ways to Encourage your Kids to go to School

Can you hear the school bells ringing? What about your kids’ wailing? Every parent has gone through the classic scenario of kids crying when school starts. It’s time to teach your kids on how to adjust to a new environment every school year. Listed below are reminders a parent must know.

First, you need to understand why your kids refuse to go to school. Here are possible reasons why:

• They might either be bullied or having trouble getting along with their classmates.
• They might be struggling academically.
• Problems with authority or even anxiety.
• Separation anxiety (If you suspect your child is struggling with anxiety or depression, it’s important to consult a medical or mental health professional for support and direction.)

Once you identify the reason why, find an action.

1. Get to the heart of the issue
   • Spend time with your kids and ask them questions like “how was school?”. You can also ask the teachers about your kid’s performance. In that way, you can figure out what are the issues or worries they’re experiencing.
2. Work on solutions at home and school
   • Make friends with people who work at your child’s school. Talk to the teachers and team up with them to come up for a plan for home and school.
3. Be supportive and coach them forward
   • We know that change is not that easy to achieve. Start where your child is right now and talk to them often to see if things are getting better. Cheer them up and let them feel that they are doing better each day. Use positive incentives (e.g. for each day that they do well in school, they get an extra 15 minutes of computer time). The key here is to motivate them. Gradually, you’ll see improvement, until they can manage school by themselves.

Source: Bean, S. “I Hate School!” What Can I Do When My Child Refuses to Go to School?. Empowering Parents. Retrieved from https://www.empoweringparents.com/article/i-hate-school-what-can-i-do-when-my-child-refuses-to-go-to-school/.