The Tween Years: Supporting Emotional and Physical Stress that Comes with School Transitions
It’s now already June and for kids that means that another school year will be coming to an end in a few weeks. As someone who also teaches, I can see that students are gearing for summer, especially with the amazing weather we’ve had here in Calgary over the last month. It feels like summer is already upon us…no complaints here!
For a lot of kids, this means saying goodbye to one school and starting the next adventure in a new school in the fall. A lot of students fall into this category, but I want to focus on those pre-teens, or tweens, who are going through the changes of moving onto Middle School or Junior High for this blog. Kids ages 8-14 experience many changes as they move from their elementary classroom to the independence and responsibility needed at a Jr. High level. Along with changing schools, kids around this age are also going through hormonal and physical changes, adapting new social skills and possibly more awareness of the outside world and how they fit into it. Access to technology and social media has somehow made the world even seem smaller.
Parents witness these changes, watching as their children branch out to their friends for support and help, connecting with those who share similarities, navigating their social life as they look for some independence. Adding to the mix, children develop physically, emotionally, and cognitively in their own time, compared to those they are surrounded with at school.
The tween years, like other important times in a child’s life, are about transition and transformation. This transition, even just changing schools, can cause anxiety, stress, loneliness, and some uncertainty in how a child feels during this time (see my previous blog about supporting teens and anxiety). These emotional changes may be as noticeable right away. Stress, worry, and anxiety can show up in the body with physical aches and pains, digestion issues, or fatigue and sleep problems. These issues can be easy to brush off or not looked at as developing anxiety. Stress can be different for children, especially if they don’t yet know coping skills or how to regulate their feelings.
If you think your pre-teen could benefit from Body Balancing sessions this summer before school starts to help feel aligned, relaxed, and release possible tension, be sure to contact us at Stillpoint Bodyworks for a free Discovery Call and we can share with you how we can help! Think you could also benefit from a session? Try a combined Mother and Child session for the added benefit of feeling more balanced together!
