Tips for Managing Separation Anxiety

Enrolling your jarjum in an early learning centre can be a stressful experience. If your jarjum hasn’t spent much time apart from you it can be difficult to say goodbye at the kindy door.

But while separation anxiety might be a difficult obstacle to overcome, the benefits of attending a high quality early learning program like Deadly Kindy are well worth the extra work it may take at the start.

Separation anxiety is normal when your jarjum first starts attending kindy. This could include throwing tantrums or refusing to get out of the car. It’s important to understand this behaviour and what your little one is feeling. It’s also important to know the best way to soothe them, something only you would know.

It’s definitely not easy leaving your jarjum when they are upset and while there is no magic wand to make these feelings go away there are some tricks that you can try to help make the transition into kindy a bit easier.

• Take your child to visit the kindy and meet the teachers and educators before they start. Our Deadly Kindy staff are super friendly and will make your little one feel safe and comfortable in no time!
• Talk to your child about what will happen at the centre. Let them know when you’ll be leaving and reassure them that you will be coming back.
• Ask your jarjum’s teachers and educators for help. They are experts in this field and will make this step as positive for you as they can.
• Make your goodbyes quick. It may sound harsh but it’s best not to linger after you’ve said goodbye. Think about ripping off a bandaid.
• During this time let a teacher or an educator settle your jarjum with something they enjoy such as reading or playing with blocks. This will help your jarjum come to trust the kindy staff and will lead to less tears in the future.
• Remain calm, respond to your little one’s distress but be firm about leaving.
• Spend some extra time with your child at the end of the day and encourage them to talk about their experiences. Ask them how they were feeling, and what made them feel better. Encouraging these kinds of conversations will teach your children how to self-regulate during difficult emotional times in the future.