Parent Academy

The goal of Parent Academy is to provide learning opportunities for parents to better understand ways to support their students’ academic success and personal well-being. We welcome parents and families to engage in various activities and events to explore topics related to mental health, well-being, equity and inclusion, and academics. Please visit our website (www.sd25.org/ParentAcademy) for archived newsletters, further resources, or to submit an idea/topic for the next Parent Academy newsletter.

Everyone experiences stress, which is defined as any change that results in physical, emotional or psychological strain. We experience positive stress when we get excited about a new adventure or work hard on a challenging project. However, we also experience chronic stress that can arise from work or school demands, social media, family illness, social unrest, exposure to violence. Continued exposure to chronic stress can lead to physical symptoms and mental health concerns related to anxiety and depression.

According to a study published in 2022 in JAMA Pediatrics, mental health concerns are at an all-time high, especially among children. Between 2016 and 2020, the number of children aged 3 to 17 diagnosed with anxiety grew by 29% and those with depression by 27%.

Stress in children doesn’t always look the same as stress in adults. Together, children with the support of their parents and the school team can learn to spot the signs of chronic stress and develop tools to manage it as shared by the American Psychological Association in October 2022.

• Irritability and anger:
  Children don’t always have the words to describe how they are feeling and sometimes tension bubbles over into a bad mood. Stressed-out kids and teens might be more short-tempered or argumentative than normal.

• Changes in behavior:
  A child who used to be a great listener is suddenly acting out. A once-active teen now doesn’t want to leave the house. Sudden changes can be a sign that stress levels are high.

• Trouble sleeping:
  A child or teen might complain of feeling tired all the time, sleep more than usual, or have trouble falling asleep at night.

• Neglecting responsibilities:
  If an adolescent suddenly drops the ball on homework, forgets obligations, or starts procrastinating more than usual, stress might be a factor.

• Eating changes:
  Eating too much or too little can both be reactions to stress.

• Getting sick more often:
  Stress often shows up as physical symptoms. Children who feel stress often report headaches or stomach aches, and might make frequent trips to the school nurse’s office.

• Sleep:
  Sleep is essential for physical and emotional well-being. Experts recommend 9 to 12 hours of sleep a night for 6 to 12 year olds. Sleep needs to be a priority to keep stress in check, limit screen use at night and avoid keeping digital devices in the bedroom.

• Exercise (resource at bottom):
  Physical activity is an essential stress reliever for people of all ages. Exercise can be as simple as going on walk, going to the park, yoga, or much more! The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends at least 60 minutes of daily activity for children ages 6 to 17.

• Talk it out:
  Talking about stressful situations with a trusted adult can help kids and teens put things in perspective and find solutions.

• Make time for fun and quiet:
  This is especially helpful when a child arrives home from school. Just like adults, children need to take a break and do activities that bring them joy, whether that’s unstructured time to play with building bricks or uninterrupted hours to practice music or art.

• Get outside:
  Spending time in nature is an effective way to relieve stress and improve overall well-being.

• Write about it:
  Research has found that expressing oneself in writing can help reduce mental distress and improve well-being, especially writing about positive feelings or things that you are grateful for or proud of.

• Model healthy coping.
  Caregivers can talk with children about how stress is something that everyone can face and how they’ve thought about and dealt with their own stressful situations.

• Let kids be problem-solvers.
  It’s natural to want to fix your child’s problems. But when parents swoop in to solve every little glitch, their children don’t have a chance to learn healthy coping skills. Let your children try to solve their low-stakes problems on their own, and they’ll gain confidence that they can deal with stressors and setbacks.

• Promote media literacy. (resource at bottom)
  Today’s kids spend a lot of time online, where they can run into questionable content, cyberbullying, or the peer pressures of social media. Parents can help by teaching their children to be savvy digital consumers, and by limiting screen time.

• Combat negative thinking. (resource at bottom)
  “I’m terrible at math.” “I hate my hair.” “I’ll never make the team. Why try out?” Children and teens can easily fall into the trap of negative thinking. When children use negative self-talk, though, don’t just disagree. Ask them to really think about whether what they say is true, or remind them of times they worked hard and improved. Learning to frame things positively will help them develop resilience to stress.

• Practice relaxation exercises with your child. (resource at bottom)
  Sometimes really basic relaxation exercises are necessary to help your child to reduce their stress and anxiety. This might mean telling your child to take a few slow, deep breaths (and you taking a few slow breaths with your child so your child can match your pace). Or it might mean asking your child to imagine him or herself somewhere relaxing, like the beach or relaxing in a backyard hammock. Ask your child to close his/her eyes and imagine the sounds, smells, and sensations associated with the image. Your child can learn to do these techniques on his or her own during anxiety-provoking times.