Back-to-School Worry Buster – Work Through School Worries Step by Step

Back-to-School Worry Buster – Work Through School Worries Step by Step

A simple, practical worksheet to help children explore back-to-school worries, understand what’s making them feel anxious and find positive ways to move forward.

About This Resource

Going back to school can bring lots of different feelings. Children might be worrying about a new class, different teacher, friendships, schoolwork, routines, being away from home, or something they can’t quite explain.

The Back-to-School Worry Buster gives children a simple way to take one of those worries and work through it step by step.

Rather than simply asking children to talk about how they feel, the worksheet helps them explore what they’re worried about, how big the worry feels, what they think might happen and, most importantly, what could actually help.

With a selection of practical Worry Busters to choose from, children can begin to turn a worry into something that feels a little more manageable.

What Does the Activity Explore?

My Worry
Children begin by drawing or writing down the worry that is on their mind.

How Big Is This Worry?
Is it small, medium, big or humongous? A simple visual scale helps children communicate how big the worry feels to them.

The Scary Bit
What are they actually worried might happen? This helps children look beyond “I’m worried about school” and identify the specific thought or situation behind the worry.

My Worry Busters
Children explore a range of practical things that might make their worry feel a little smaller, including:

• Talking it out
• Taking some breaths
• Making a plan
• Finding out more
• Preparing what they can
• Telling their teacher
• Finding something comforting
• Practising it
• Doing something they enjoy

What Else Might Help?
Space to personalise the activity with their own ideas and strategies.

My Next Step
Children identify something they can actually do next, helping move from worrying about a situation towards taking a small, manageable action.

Remember...
A final space to think about something helpful or reassuring they could tell themselves when the worry pops up again.

Why Use a Worry Buster?

Breaking down a worry can make it easier to understand and manage. This worksheet encourages children to identify exactly what is worrying them, consider what is within their control and find practical ways to feel more prepared, supported or reassured. It is designed to acknowledge the worry and help them work out what they might need.

Benefits

The Back-to-School Worry Buster can help children:

• Identify and communicate school-related worries
• Explore what is sitting underneath a more general feeling of anxiety
• Express worries through either drawing or writing
• Show adults how big a worry feels
• Develop a toolkit of practical coping strategies
• Break overwhelming situations into smaller steps
• Identify when they need information, preparation or support
• Practise problem-solving and help-seeking
• Develop positive and reassuring self-talk
• Feel more prepared for returning to school

How to Use

Choose one worry at a time and work through the worksheet together.

Some children may be able to complete it independently, while younger children may benefit from an adult reading the prompts aloud and talking through each section with them.

Encourage the child to choose Worry Busters that genuinely fit their worry. For example, a child worried because they don't know where their new classroom is might choose Find out more, while a child worried about getting changed for PE might choose Prepare what I can or Practise it.

The aim isn't necessarily to make the worry disappear completely. Even making it feel a little smaller is progress.

The completed worksheet can then be revisited if the worry returns or used to help communicate the child's concerns and support needs with school.

Suggested Uses

Ideal for back-to-school preparation, transition activities, ELSA sessions, pastoral support, nurture groups, SEND support, emotional literacy work, one-to-one interventions and home use.

It can be used before the new school year begins, during the first few weeks back, after a school holiday or at any point when a child is experiencing school-related worries.

It may also provide a useful starting point for supportive conversations with children experiencing Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA), alongside appropriate individual support.

Perfect For

Primary schools • Teachers • Teaching assistants • ELSAs • SENCOs • Pastoral teams • Nurture groups • Therapists • Counsellors • Parents and carers