Back-to-school Wellness

The first few months of a new school year can be a challenging and emotional time to navigate. 

We’ve prepared a ‘wellness toolkit’ to support parents, caregivers, and families during the transition.

Mental health and well-being

For some children, particularly those with anxiety and other mental health challenges, heading back to school can be a difficult and emotional transition. For others, they depend on the school environment for social and emotional stability and may feel relief and comfort returning to the classroom.

It can be helpful to meet your child where they are at as you prepare for back to school. Some helpful tips include:

• Open communication: Talk honestly and openly with your child or youth, address their concerns and validate their feelings. Acknowledge that school can be challenging and that feelings of worry, being nervous and related emotions are normal. You can also talk about your own feelings about the upcoming change in routine.
• Create safe and supportive environments: Recognize your child or teen for their unique strengths and encourage a healthy and balanced relationship with academics. Focusing on their interests and abilities can help build confidence and overcome challenges.
• Help manage feelings and build coping strategies: If your child is expressing strong emotions during this transition, remain calm, listen and show empathy. To help build their resilience, you can encourage coping strategies such as being active, talking to others, exploring creative outlets and practicing mindfulness.

Mental health and well-being resources

A range of free resources are available to promote well-being and create supportive environments for children and youth:

• BC Children's Kelty Mental Health Resource Centre: The Kelty Centre provides mental health, well-being and substance use information, resources and parent peer support to BC families. See our website for tips on managing stress, healthy and safe technology use, and taking care of yourself (for parents and caregivers). Read our blog post on Supporting Child and Youth Mental Health and Wellness When Heading Back to School.
• Resource for families of school-age children and youth: Language matters! Understanding mental health and substance use: A resource for families and school communities
• ‘Where you are’ podcast episode: School anxiety: Getting your child back to their school routine
• Webinar: Back to school: How to promote resilience and set your kids up for success
• Rolling with ADHD: These free online resources for parents, teachers and teens offer strategies, tips and practical information that can help your child with ADHD thrive in school and beyond the classroom.
• FamilySmart: Hosts events for BC families who are caring for a child or youth with a mental health and/or substance use issue. They share experiences and strategies to strengthen understanding and connection between families and their children, in addition to peer support services, factsheets, webinars and other information materials.

Physical health and well-being

There are also a number of ways families can promote physical health and well-being throughout the school year.

When children and youth have their physical needs met, this supports good mental health and reduces the risk of serious illness, particularly during respiratory season. In the months ahead, families can support their child's wellness with:

• Sleep routines: Sleep is essential for both physical and mental health. For example, youth need an average of 9 to 9.5 hours sleep per night. Gradually return your child to their school-day sleep and wake routine a couple of weeks ahead of their official back to school date, if possible, and aim for a consistent routine. Avoid using tech and devices one to two hours before bedtime, where possible.
• Balanced nutrition: Encourage your child to eat breakfast every morning, as well as a well-balanced lunch. Families with financial concerns can check with their child's school leadership or community groups for financial and/or food supports.
• Be active: Moving every day is good for your physical and mental health. Even short periods of activity can have significant health benefits. Movement should be focused on enjoyment and fitness, and not on weight loss or addressing body image.
• Immunizations: Public Health may visit your child or youths’ school during the school year to offer vaccines which protect not only your child, but your family and the entire school community. Ensure you give public health consent to immunize your child as it will provide them with the best available protection against serious illness and infections, particularly during respiratory season.
• Access health care, if needed: If your child has symptoms that are concerning to you, don't delay in seeking care from your family doctor, a walk-in clinic, an urgent and primary care centre, or for emergency issues, your closest emergency department. If you are unsure where to access care, families can call 8-1-1 for non-urgent guidance.

Physical health and well-being resources

• BC childhood immunization schedule: HealthLinkBC provides information on routine childhood immunizations offered to children in BC. Ensure your child is up to date on their vaccines to prevent diseases that can be life-threatening. If you have questions or concerns about vaccines, speak to a health care provider, like a family doctor.
• Live 5-2-1-0: Promotes building habits around being active every day, healthy eating, spending less time on screens and more, to support healthy childhood development. Information is evidence-based and developed by a team of experts from BC Children's, in partnership with BC communities.

Resources for trans, Two-Spirit and gender-diverse youth

• Trans Care BC guide on supporting trans, Two-Spirit and gender-creative students: Provides a list of available resources, including information on how to support gender-diverse students returning to school in September. This resource includes information on gender education, how parents can work with schools, resources for school staff, trans rights and community support groups.
• Trans Care BC guide on working with schools: Information on the role of schools, gender support plans and resources for schools.