13/01/2026
If your child is struggling with back to school, but everyone keeps saying “they’re fine”… this is for you.
From an occupational therapist, here are 3 ways to support regulation, not just behaviour:
✨ Lower the morning load
Lay out clothes, pack bags, and decide lunches the night before.
Fewer decisions in the morning = more emotional capacity for school.
✨ Support sensory regulation
Noisy classrooms, scratchy uniforms, bright lights - it all adds up.
Think ear defenders, softer clothes, movement breaks, or a calm reset space.
✨ Look at after-school behaviour as information
If they’re melting down at home, it often means they’ve been holding it together all day.
That’s not “bad behaviour” - that’s exhaustion.
You’re not doing anything wrong.
Your child’s nervous system is asking for support 🤍
