One of the most common—and frustrating—issues that teachers encounter today is student nervousness. Anxiety might manifest itself as a youngster refusing to make eye contact or freezing before an exam, but it can also manifest itself as a student being impolite or throwing a pencil across the room.
Anxiety disorders are the most frequent mental health illnesses in children and adolescents, according to the Child Mind Institute, an organization that works to help children with mental health and learning disorders. By the age of 18, roughly one in every three children will have an anxiety problem. While everyone feels anxious at times, it’s crucial to understand that an anxiety disorder is more than that; it’s based on how a child’s fear affects their capacity to function, not on what they’re worried about.
While anxiety does not always have an effect on a child’s academic ability, it can affect their ability to learn. Parents and teachers can collaborate to help a kid succeed in school. There are several ways teachers might make the school day less stressful for a child who suffers from anxiety:
Make a “safe” location for the child to go when his or her mental health improvement are high or during stressful periods. This could be the nurse’s or a staff member’s office. Establish ground rules for the use of the “safe” location. These regulations could include things like the student informing the teacher that they need a few minutes to calm down, as well as a time restriction.
Keep an eye out for physical signs of worry and provide activities to keep the youngster occupied. Calming activities, such as reading or listening to music, may assist to reduce some of the physical symptoms and allow a kid to return to school work after a short period of time.
Allow a few minutes at the start of the day for the youngster to adjust to the school environment. Other occasions when the routine is disturbed may necessitate further transitioning periods. This can include giving the child five to ten minutes to prepare their papers and school materials or simply giving the youngster a few minutes to sit quietly before the school day begins. If the period before school is challenging for the child, they may benefit from entering the classroom a few minutes before or after the rest of the class arrives.
Discuss with the student the interventions they believe might be beneficial. Discussing strategies with the student may help them become more involved in minimizing their mental health improvement. This also allows the youngster to talk about events that create anxious symptoms, as well as become more conscious of their symptoms.
Teach your child calming strategies that he or she can use at school, such as deep breathing exercises. Discuss tactics utilized at home with parents and try to bring them into the classroom.
Offer options such as coming to school for a shorter day to youngsters who are skipping school due to worry. The longer a child skips school, the more difficult it is for them to return. Allowing children to come to school for shorter amounts of time will allow them to confront their anxieties, but it may make it easier if they know they will be punished.
Throughout the day, use small group activities. Children who are anxious may do better in small groups of a few kids rather than in massive classroom studies. To encourage participation, divide the class into small groups to do classwork.
Reward a student’s anxiety-related effort. When a child makes an attempt or is able to regulate their anxiety symptoms using interventions, let them know you noticed and are proud of them.
Create group activities in which acceptable actions are acted out. Teach small children what to do in various scenarios. This can assist all kids to learn how to deal with issues like anger control, stress management, and test anxiety. Giving instruction to the entire class will divert attention away from the anxious child.
Reduce stress-inducing situations. Teachers might modify assignments to reduce a student’s stress level. Find inventive ways to complete reports instead of having a child stand in front of the class to read a report. Allow pupils to create posters or record presentations on a tape recorder at home.
Discuss the student’s anxious symptoms in private. Never single out a youngster or bring their worry to the attention of the class. This might result in humiliation or embarrassment, as well as an increase in anxiety symptoms.
Discuss alternate approaches of dealing with circumstances. After an anxiety attack, talk to the student about how the scenario may have been different or what strategies (by both the student and the teacher) could have been utilized to make the situation better.
Look for novels that are geared for children who are anxious. Include these novels in your reading program. This not only helps the anxious youngster feel better about their anxiety, but it can also assist the other pupils in the class understand the problem.
Teach the entire class how to use positive self-talk. Helping children become aware of the negative ways they speak to themselves, such as the usage of the phrase “I can’t,” and assisting them in developing a more positive way of speaking to themselves.