2018 Year End Review

Stress Happens: What Your Kids Have Learned

Last year, South Bend School Corporation fourth graders participated in a workshop entitled, Stress Happens: You GOT This! The purpose of the program was to help students understand what is stress, how do they experience stress, how they can manage it. An important message was also: Stress Can be Helpful! This past semester the same students participated in a follow-up program, to remind them of what they learned in the 4th grade workshop. It also assessed what students understand about stress after these programs, and where there are still learning opportunities.

The students have done a great job of recognizing that stress is an everyday part of life, and that many things, including family, school, sports, friends and even neighborhood might bring stress to their lives. They can describe that stress can cause emotional reactions like sadness, anger, and frustration. The students also identified that they can feel stress in their bodies, like headaches, stomachaches, a pounding heart, jittery hands and feet, or sleeplessness. The even recognized that overwhelming stress can cause forgetfulness, impatience, grumpiness, or cause someone to be unmotivated to do the things they like to do or they need to do.

Stress Happens: Helping Your Child Use “Good Stress”

Most of the students said that they found the Stress Happens programs helpful, and would recommend them to others. “Good Stress,” however, was a more difficult concept for some of the students. This is understandable, as many adults may wonder, as well, how stress can be “good.” The answer is simple: Stress Happens because we care about something.

When your child feels stress over a subject at school, or about their team’s upcoming game, or a play that they are in, that stress means that they want to do well! So, when your child “stresses” over something, praise them for wanting to do well. Then, help them apply the stress-energy they are feeling into creating success. Is your child nervous about that test coming up? Encourage them to get help, or study! If they have an important game, or performance coming up, help them use that anxious energy to practice! Children who learn to work challenges rather than fear them will develop the competence and independence that lead to confidence and self-reliance. A win-win for all!