Easing Separation Anxiety

It can feel terrible to leave your child in the morning as they scream your name and beg you not to leave.  This fear of your departure is a very normal part of the early childhood experience, and the anxiety you may be feeling is quite normal as well.  However, what is best for your child is not always easy.  Below are some tips to help ease those tough morning transitions to school.  There is also a link below with a full article from healthychildren.org.
Healthy Separation Strategies

• Talk about the departure well ahead of time and what it will be like
• Come up with a goodbye ritual and routine– a special kind of hug or wave goodbye that you and your child created together.  Drop off and pickup routines are the same day in and day out so the child knows what to expect.
• Leave quickly and without fanfare – hanging around after your goodbye is often disconcerting for children and unnecessarily extends the transition into the school environment.
• Be consistent – changing the routine and showing up early or unannounced can confuse your child and restart the feelings of anxiety they experienced earlier
• Give your child a “kid-friendly” time frame – tell them what to expect about when you will be back to pick them up in developmentally-appropriate language.  For instance, “I will be back after you have lunch,” as opposed to “12 o’clock.”

​https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/toddler/Pages/Soothing-Your-Childs-Separation-Anxiety.aspx

Ten Read Alouds to Use When Working Through Separation Anxiety:

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