What to do when your Child doesn’t want to go to School

In general most children enjoy going to school. No, they may not like every single part of it, but they probably look forward to spending time with their friends, learning interesting things, etc.

However, for some kids, they really dread going to school! And for them going to school every day can end in temper tantrums, stomach aches and even chest pain.

A child that refused to go to school is usually between the ages of 5 or 6 when they are just starting pre-school. But, it is also very common in school children who are about 10 or 11 years old.

In addition to having tantrums and crying, there are some other symptoms that children may show…

- Stomach aches
- Headaches
- Nausea
- Dizziness
- Chest pain
- Joint pain

So, how can you manage school refusal?

     1.       Make sure that your child goes to school every day – the more they stay home, the harder it can be to get them to go back.

     2.       Even though you may think that your child is making up some symptoms to skip school, always double check because they may not be necessarily making them up.

     3.       Sit down and chat to your child as well as to the school staff to try and find out what is triggering your child’s behaviour. It could be anything, from bullying and bad school performance to trouble making friends.

     4.       Develop a plan for when your child has symptoms at school, such as spending 10 to 15 minutes in the nurse's office and then returning to class.

     5.       Consider family therapy if there are any stressors at home, like a divorce, separation, discipline problems, death in the family, new sibling, or a recent move.

One of the most important things for a parent to do is to consider that a child’s symptoms might be caused by a school problem and not a physical one!

The Assisted Learning Centre is a school located in the coastal town of Fish Hoek. To enroll please visit our website here www.assisted-learning.co.za/enrolment-enquire