Although the return to school can be an exciting time for students, it does come with a certain level of anxiety for children and their parents alike.
Fortunately, the Kamloops YMCA BC has a number of programs that can help mitigate any tension families might feel after the school bell rings on Sept. 8.
Jenna Nickle, manager of Mental Wellness for Kamloops YMCA BC, said children spend all summer playing and enjoying time outside and now, for the next 10 months, are being asked to sit still indoors and learn. This can cause a certain level of anxiety we, as adults, don’t always think about.
On top of that, be it the child’s first year in elementary school or heading into their Grade 12 year, they are faced with new teachers, new peers and a new curriculum, which also causes an amount of tension and anxiety year to year, said Nickle.
“Even if it’s the same physical building there’s still a whole lot of change,” she said. “And that’s not even accounting for kiddos whose families moved or maybe went through separation or are doing any of those things also in alignment with the school year.”
The move into kindergarten and again from elementary into high school can be the most stressful times for children and youth. Nickle said Grade 8, when kids are typically 13 years old, can feel very young when paired with the late-teen Grade 12s.
These times cause anxiety in parents as well. Nickle said there are worries about their child struggling in school or having difficulty making friends, or even the right friends. This can create an environment where the child’s anxiety feeds off the parents, and vice versa.
Which is why the Kamloops YMCA BC offers a full spectrum of prevention and early intervention programs to help all ages cope with anxiety and stress. Nickle said the Y works with people who suffer from low mood and family changes as well.
For children aged five to seven, there’s Mindful Yoga, which teaches breathing techniques and games that can ease anxieties and help children be more in the moment.
The next age cohort, which is for eight- to 12-year-olds, has Growing Mindfully, a program created in Kamloops that is now offered provincewide. Children enjoy an hour of learning how to be mindful by being taught breathing, coping skills and emotional regulation techniques, balanced by an hour of physical activities.
“It’s awesome to see something born in Kamloops grow like that,” said Nickle.
Kamloops YMCA BC also offers gender-based programs like BRAVE for boys and GLOW for girls and non-binary youth. Both are participant-driven and have, in the past, focused on wellness topics like friendships, hygiene, stress, and goal and value setting.
Y Mind Teen is for youth 13 to 17 and is offered at the John Tod Centre and within a variety of schools, including Sa-Hali and Brocklehurst secondary. Much like Growing Mindfully, this program is designed to teach teens techniques to cope with and overcome stress and anxiety.
Nobody’s Perfect Parenting, Circle of Security Parenting, and Growing Mindfully Parenting are three programs that help parents learn similar coping skills as their children.
For more information or to register, email [email protected] or visit ymcabc.ca.