‘Be honest with your children’: Northants life coach offers advice to parents as kids prepare for possible school return

A life coach who specialises in helping children with their emotions has offered parents some advice as their kids prepare for the possibility of going back to school.

Claire Jones, who owns her own life coaching business in Braunston, near Daventry is aware of the various emotions children will have experienced during these unusual times as schools are closed and the country is in lockdown.

But the mum, who has two children herself, is keen to help other parents to offer emotional support and prepare their kids for a return to school, whenever that may be.

Claire said: “Every family’s situation is so different and their thoughts of going back to school are so different too.

“With the children I work with, those who struggle with anxiety have actually been comforted because they are at home in a loving environment.

“However children who are not anxious or do not usually suffer with anxiety are more anxious because of Covid-19, that is showing for sure.

“Some are nervous because they feel uncertain so we need to see what school is going to look like.

“We need to see the road map, see how lessons will be structured and what the playground will look like.

“And of course some are excited.”

Although Claire understands the different feelings towards returning to school, she believes it is essential for children to get back.

She added: “School is paramount to children and they miss the normality of school, sport, a routine, the freedom to express themselves, social interaction with their friends and an emotional connection with their peers.

“To get them back to school, I think is really important, but parents need to be given more confidence.

“We can help massively and we need to ask ourselves if it’s our children who are anxious or if it’s us as parents?

“We hold the key to how our children are going to feel during these times.

“We are the role models for our children and they will take our lead, whatever we are thinking or doing. All of that is being copied.

“We can really help to support our children in that way.”

If it is the children that are having feelings of anxiety about returning to school, Claire suggests listening to them and talking honestly.

“Children really need us to listen to them and by that I mean sitting down and listening to whatever they are thinking or feeling,” Claire said.

“As parents they need us to verbalise those feelings and thoughts, which is really important and parents need to be honest about their feelings too.

“We need to set out to them what we know, break down a list of what we are doing that conforms to Government guidelines and what we can do within these perimeters.

“We need to work with what we know to be true as it can be too easy to jump into fear mode.

“We need to make more time to speak to our children and really create that time for them to have a download on us.

“As parents we need to demonstrate we are strong and resilient during this process.”

And for anyone who prefers an activity based approach to helping with their children’s emotional wellbeing, Claire has also suggested a number of ideas.

“Deep breathing can really help,” she added.

“Four slow breaths in and six is known to help calm children and help them feel more in control.

“A power pose is also a good technique. Just standing still making sure heels and balls of feet are well grounded into the floor, with head up and shoulders back, it can make you feel in control.

“Gratitude is also really important. Everyday you should say three things you are happy for and that will put the brain in a positive mood.

“As well as any mindfulness exercises that get children thinking in the present time are good because we get worried when we think about things in the future or the past that we have no control of.

“Doing something in the present like a jigsaw puzzle is the best form of relaxation.”

More about what Claire does can be found on her website.