Help Kids with Back-to-School Jitters

Back-to-school emotions can be hard for kids to handle.

Excitement...Anticipation...Nervousness...Anxiety...Social Worries...Academic Pressure...Unfamiliar Routines...Stress...

The list goes on. Transitioning back to school can unleash big feelings for kids and adults alike.

The Grump Meter can help kids cope with more than just anger. Anxiety, for instance, can cause children to move up the Grump Meter. What are kids anxious about? How do they express it? Does it look like panic? laziness? boredom? anger? Can you focus when you're anxious? Can you concentrate? Ask each other what makes you each anxious and takes you up the Grump Meter. Is it learning math? having to write for a teacher? negotiating with kids on the playground? What feelings do these triggers give you?

What color are you on when you're anxious? worried? stressed?

What's in your child's toolbox?

Children return to school with backpacks full of paper and pencils, but where are their tools to cope with their emotional challenges? Tools from their Grump Meter toolbox help children navigate an inside feeling like anxiety.

Consider positive self-talk. What words do you say to yourself to calm yourself when you're anxious? What words could your children say to themselves? Ask them! These words can be their tools. Stay curious with them. Let them teach you about themselves.

What other tools can you use? It's normal for people to go up the Grump Meter when they're anxious. Use the Grump Meter Workbook to help your child find tools to come back to calm blue.

Learn more about how to use the Grump Meter with your family.

Watch our blog for instructions on how to create a special Back-to-School Grump Meter!

The Grump Meter: A Family Tool for Anger Control and its accompanying Workbook provide many tools to help families deal with everyday stress. Find them here!