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Recognizing Parent Anxiety in the New School Year

Recognizing Parent Anxiety in the New School Year

March 2019, one and a half years ago, parents began to scramble to figure out how best to handle school closings all over the country. For the first time in our lifetime moms, dads, guardians, and grandparents navigated uncharted territory. Their children would not go to school the next day, nor the next, nor the next month or year. No one could have predicted that our children would be out of school for the unforeseeable future. Home schooling, hybrid, and learning pods became the new buzzwords and parents were wondering how they would continue working without childcare or an education program in place. Stress was mounting and it was clear that many families were struggling.

Fast forward to Summer 2021. Schools are announcing the reopening of the school year with continued COVID-19 protocol. Many schools are announcing the return to school five days a week with 3 feet social distancing, masks, and hand sanitizer. Currently there is no FDA approved vaccine for children under the age of 16 years old. Parents are exploring the best options for their children. Some of the choices; continue home school, private schools, or back to public school.

But during the last year and a half with pending decisions about how to handle the upcoming school year, there has been a significant rise in parent anxiety. Should their child return to school, are they comfortable with the prospect of a future vaccine, and what guidelines are they willing to accept, including wearing a mask all day. Incoming first graders may be experiencing school for the first time and other children have forgotten what it is like to be in school or social environments, creating more apprehension for parents as they notice their child’s nervousness about the return. Most parents will do anything in their power to ensure that their child receives the mental health support they need, but
will they seek out help for their own anxiety?

What is most important for parents is to manage their anxiety rather than letting it spill over onto their children. Anxiety is what happens when we are not sure what to expect and fear the worst. But this is a good reminder that parenting, even during a pandemic, is all about trying to make the best decisions we can for our children with the information we have and trusting that they are resilient, and it will be ok.

  • How do parents effectively manage their anxiety? Here are some suggestions. Listen to your children without sharing your anxiety. Keep adult conversation private so that children do not need to navigate topics that are too complex or unnecessary for them to process.
  • Seek a safe place to talk about your concerns about COVID-19 and school concerns with someone outside of your family. Getting another perspective about your own worries will help you be more equipped to calmly handle your children’s needs when they arrive home each day.
  • Assess the risk based on whether your local area, region, and state are currently in an outbreak or not. Coronavirus risk at your child’s school depends in part on how the school manages things, but depends even more on the proportion of infected persons in the community. Effective communication helps mitigate anxiety.
  • Once you have decided what type of schooling your child will receive, reassure your child that although it feels different due to the long break in schooling, your family feels confident that they will have a great school year. Embrace that confidence for yourself by writing down the pros of the decision made and review them whenever anxiety begins to creep in.
  • Be careful to not allow social media or news reporting to affect your emotions and decision making. Seek out the most current information from a source you trust and make ongoing decisions after considering all that you have learned.
  • Consider engaging in the practice of mindfulness, take regular cleansing breaths, and participate in activities you enjoy ensuring that you are staying present for your children and what is most important each day.
  • Finally, perhaps you normally consider yourself an anxious person but seem to manage your daily life sufficiently. Those with high functioning anxiety may be good at hiding their symptoms from others and appear calm and confident. The anxiety may even drive them on to achieve rather than holding them back. Perhaps that is you. On the inside, however, you may feel scared or worried or have obsessive thoughts. You may overthink and be unable to relax. The anxiety symptoms may affect your sleep or appetite. Make note of symptoms you are experiencing. All anxiety symptoms can have significant and long-term impacts on a person’s health and relationships. Consider whether your anxiety is something you want to talk to a professional about so that you are offering your best parenting to your child.

We invite you to contact us if you have questions related to treatment for anxiety in children or adults. The staff at UMTC wish your children a safe, healthy, and fun new 2021-2022 school year.

 

The Improve Your Mood Playlist

The Improve Your Mood Playlist

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6 Creative Summer Activity Ideas

6 Creative Summer Activity Ideas

Written by Amy Thomas, MT-BC, LCAT Who needs summer ideas for your children and family? In this blog you will find fun, creative, and simpleideas for the summer months. Keeping it simpleWe’re aware that simple for one person may not be simple for another. For this...

Current Events: Thrive to Survive Workshop

Current Events: Thrive to Survive Workshop

Written by Katie Pistilli, MT-BC   This month, Upstate Music Therapy Center employees Erin Triola, LCAT, MT-BC and Katie Pistilli, MT-BC met a wonderful group of people through the Thrive to Survive support group. Katie and Erin conducted a workshop for Thrive to...

Back-to-School: 5 Songs to Overcome the Transition

Back-to-School: 5 Songs to Overcome the Transition

We’KeepBlog post written by: Katie Pistilli. 

Going back to school after summer break can be quite the transition! With the sun setting so late, your child probably isn’t used to going to bed when they need to. The routines of school day mornings may feel like a struggle at first. Transitions are hard for us all! If your kids have a hard time with back-to-school routines, try singing some of these songs with them. They can be sung to familiar nursery rhymes; you’ll catch on quick!  

Back-to-School  

Help your kids learn that September means they go back to school! There are a lot of positives to going back to school like making new friends and learning. This song is a great one to sing while walking to the bus or getting in the car.  

Sung to the tune of Over the River and Through the Woods  

Late in the summer, before the fall, 

It’s back to school we go!  

We get on the bus, which carries us, 

To a building we all know!  

Late in the summer, before the fall,  

To class we all return. 

Vacation was fun but now it’s done, 

And now it’s time to learn! 

Getting to Bed 

If your kids are old enough to understand time, they can begin to learn that when the clock says it’s bedtime it means they have to start getting ready. Sing this song about bedtime to help them become familiar with the concept. Feel free to change the bedtime below to accommodate your family’s routine! 

Sung to the tune of “The Muffin Man”  

Do you know what time it is?  

What time it is? What time it is?  

Do you know what time it is? 

When we head to bed.  

Yes, we sleep at 8 o’clock, at 8 o’clock, at 8 o’clock 

Yes, we sleep at 8 o’clock 

It’s time for bed.  

 

Brushing Teeth 

Brushing teeth isn’t always the most fun or comfortable experience, but establishing good dental hygiene at a young age is essential! If your child is reluctant to brush their teeth in sleepy early mornings, try singing this song with them. It’s good to be silly and show them that our routines can be fun!  

Sung to the tune of Old McDonald 

Yes I have a pretty smile  

Ee – I – ee – I – Oo  

I brush my teeth to keep them bright 

Ee – I – ee – I – Oo 

With a wiggle, jiggle here, and a wiggle, jiggle there 

Here a wiggle, there a jiggle 

Everywhere a wiggle jiggle 

Oh, what fun to brush our teeth  

Ee – I – ee – I – Oo  

 

Getting Dressed (for Bedtime or School)  

While it might elongate the process, this song encourages a little bit of dancing and laughing to make getting dressed fly by. You and your child will have a blast the PJ Pokey. Be careful, it’s easy to get tangled up and dizzy with this one!  

Sung to the tune of The Hokey Pokey 

You put your right sleeve in,  

You put your right sleeve out,  

You put your right sleeve in, 

And you shake it all about. 

You do the P.J. pokey and you turn yourself around 

That’s what it’s all about. 

(Clap-clap!) 

Additional verses: left sleeve, right leg, left leg, socks 

 

Packing a Lunch 

An exciting part about going back to school is being able to eat lunch with friends in the cafeteria. Encourage your child to help pack their lunch by substituting their foods into this song. “My Lunch Box” is an ideal tune for older kids in elementary school who will find the humor in splitting words up by syllables.  

Sung to the tune of “Yankee Doodle” 

My lunch box holds some yummy treats.  

Which food is my favorite?  

It starts with sand and ends with wich.  

A sandwich! I can’t wait to eat it!  

My lunchbox holds some yummy drinks.  

Which drink is my favorite?  

It starts with “m” and ends with ilk.  

My milk! I can’t wait to drink it!  

My lunch box holds some yummy treats.  

Which food is my favorite? 

It starts with “ch” and ends with ips.  

Some chips! I can’t wait to eat them. 

My lunch box holds some yummy treats.  

Which food is my favorite? 

It starts with cook and ends with ies.  

Some cookies! I can’t wait to eat them.  

 

 It’s so easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of back-to-school. Thankfully, music has a way of bringing us into the moment, reminding us to enjoy the little things and be present where we are. We hope that some of these songs will ease your family’s back-to-school transition. At the very least, maybe your family will get a laugh or two. 

Keep these songs handy, so you can easily add them to your morning and evening routines! We’ve created a free printable of these back-to-school songs for you to hang up somewhere in your home. 

Current Events: Thrive to Survive Workshop

Current Events: Thrive to Survive Workshop

Written by Katie Pistilli, MT-BC   This month, Upstate Music Therapy Center employees Erin Triola, LCAT, MT-BC and Katie Pistilli, MT-BC met a wonderful group of people through the Thrive to Survive support group. Katie and Erin conducted a workshop for Thrive to...

5 Steps to Becoming a Board Certified Music Therapist

5 Steps to Becoming a Board Certified Music Therapist

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Should I Become a Music Therapist?

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Blog written by Katie Pistilli, MT-BC Do you love music and want to make a career of it? It might seem like music education or performance degrees are the only majors out there, but that is far from the truth. Thankfully, there is the fulfilling profession of music...

Book: Pete The Cat – The Great Leprechaun Chase

Book: Pete The Cat – The Great Leprechaun Chase

St. Patrick’s Day is a holiday that is near and dear to my heart. Growing up, my family celebrated St. Patrick’s Day by eating corned beef and cabbage, listening to Irish music, and discussing our Irish heritage. Now that I provide music therapy services for children, reading Pete the Cat: The Great Leprechaun Chase by James Dean has become part of my personal St. Patrick’s Day tradition.

This storybook mentions the quintessential St. Patrick’s Day icons: rainbows, pots of gold, clovers, and leprechauns. The colors and illustrations throughout the book are bright and vibrant, enticing for children of all ages! Perhaps my favorite aspect of this book is the use of limericks. According to www.dictionary.com, a limerick is “a kind of humorous verse of five lines, in which the first, second, and fifth lines rhyme with each other, and the third and fourth lines, which are shorter, form a rhymed couplet.” Here’s an example of one of the limericks from the story:

“Once there was a cat named Pete,

Who thought nabbing some luck would be neat.

Then he happened upon

A smart leprechaun,

Who he’ll find quite tricky to beat.”

When I read this book with little ones, I almost always put the limerick to a rhythm; it’s quite fun! If you would rather use a recording of the story, one of my favorites is this one by A Story for Boo on YouTube.

Though this story isn’t specifically set to music, there are many parts of the story where music can be incorporated. One specific example is when Pete is going to try and catch a leprechaun for his friend. His friend wishes for good luck for his band recital. You can ask your child “What song do you think Pete’s friend is going to play?” or “What instruments do you think Pete’s friend will use in his recital?” This is the perfect opportunity to introduce your child to traditional Irish songs such as McNamara’s Band, When Irish Eyes are Smiling, and (my personal favorite) Come By the Hills. These songs (along with many others) use a variety of traditional Irish instruments including the bodhran drum, tin whistle, and Uillean bagpipes. I encourage you to look these instruments up and listen to them being played. They’re very unique!

You can also encourage your child to put themselves in Pete’s shoes: How would they help a friend in need? What would they do with a pot of gold? What tricks would they use to catch a leprechaun? These questions will encourage your child to think outside of the box and will allow them to be creative!

We hope you enjoy using this storybook in your child’s schooling adventures, whether they be attending in-person, remotely, or both! 

If you wish to purchase this storybook on Amazon, click here.

Happy reading!

Blog post written and submitted by Kayla Davitt, MT-BC

   

Book: There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Turkey

Book: There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Turkey

Blog post written and submitted by Kayla Davitt, MT-BC  An old lady, a turkey, a football, and a boat. You may be asking, “What do these specific objects have in common?” If you have small children at home, you’ve probably heard or read the book There Was an Old Lady...

Book: Change Sings – A Children’s Anthem

Book: Change Sings – A Children’s Anthem

Blog post written and submitted by Kayla Davitt, MT-BC  In today’s world, there’s turmoil. There’s anger. Strife. Arguments. There are people around the world engaging in dehumanizing behaviors. I don’t know about you, but thinking about everything that is going on in...

Book: Rocking in My School Shoes

Book: Rocking in My School Shoes

Blog post written and submitted by Kayla Davitt, MT-BC It’s that time of year again! Time to pick out a new backpack, sharpen pencils, and get ready to learn! For the first time in almost 18 months, children around the country are getting ready to go back to school...

Book: Snuggle Puppy

Book: Snuggle Puppy

Blog post and recording by Kayla Davitt, MT-BC 


Valentine’s Day is a day to celebrate love. Boxes of chocolates, flowers, and cards are a few examples of gifts that come to mind. For myself, I never would have thought to give the gift of a book for Valentine’s Day. However, Snuggle Puppy by Sandra Boynton is the PERFECT gift if you are a parent to a young child. This book does not distinguish whether the parent dog is a mother or father which makes it readable for all parents. 
 

snuggle puppy

The simplicity of this book is one of the characteristics I admire most about it. While reading Snuggle Puppy with your young child, take advantage of the wonderful illustrations. The pages of this storybook are filled with images of a parent dog and its puppy. Explain to your child that the parent dog is taking care and loving the puppy, just like people do. You can also expand the discussion with your young child: What is the puppy making at the beginning of the story? What are some of the activities pictured throughout the book? How can you tell the parent dog loves its puppy?  

I adore that this storybook is intended to be sung as a lullaby! Because of the way the words are written, it can easily be sung or rhythmically spoken. Feel free to add your own creativity or create your own melody while using this book with your child. If you prefer to use a pre-recorded version, below is a recording of the song, sung by Eric Stoltz, originally composed by Sandra Boynton: 

To add to this storybook, you’ll find below an activity to make a puppy out of hearts. Your child can practice many fine motor skills in this activity, such as coloring, cutting, and pasting. This activity will also allow for creative self-expression for your child. Encourage your child to color the puppy however they would like! 

Heart Puppy Activity

We hope you enjoy using this storybook in your child’s schooling adventures, whether they be attending in-person, remotely, or both! 
 

If you wish to purchase this book on Amazon, click here. 

 Happy reading! 

The post Book: Snuggle Puppy was written by Kayla Davitt and first published on Upstate Music Therapy Center.

Book: My Voice is a Trumpet

Book: My Voice is a Trumpet

Blog post written and submitted by Kayla Davitt, MT-BC  “Voices are powerful, and together they’re strong, like the musical notes of a beautiful song.” Think about it. Each person has a voice. When voices come together, it can sometimes be chaos. But, it can...

Parenting: Finding Calm in the Chaos (Part 2)

Parenting: Finding Calm in the Chaos (Part 2)

Understanding ourselves, as parents, and being aware of how we respond to difficult situations, can greatly improve our parenting approach and by doing so increase healthy and helpful interactions with our children. When this happens boththe parents, children, and...

Parenting: Finding Calm in the Chaos (Part 1)

Parenting: Finding Calm in the Chaos (Part 1)

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Jazz Music Cocktail: A Healthy Recipe for the Season

Jazz Music Cocktail: A Healthy Recipe for the Season

Do you think these legendary jazz musicians – Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker or Miles Davis – could have ever imagined the impact their music would have on a person’s mind, body and soul?  

Jazz music developed in the United States in the very early part of the 20th century. New Orleans, near the mouth of the Mississippi River, played a key role in this development.  African American musical traditions mixed with others caused jazz to emerge into a blend of ragtime, marches, blues, and other kinds of music.    

This passionately played and written music isn’t just pleasing to the ear, there are health benefits associated with specific jazz styles. The benefits are wide-ranging, but for this blog we have chosen to focus on jazz’s power to relax usregulate blood pressure, and increase successful sleep patterns.   

Join us as we mix up a jazz music cocktail.  We suggest this cocktail for stress reduction as we enter the holidays.  Our recipe or one you choose to create, when listened to regularly, is sure to provide you with a happy and healthier holiday season.

Ingredient #1 Better Mood:  Studies show after listening to jazz music for an hour every day for a week listeners experience 25% less depression than non-listeners.     

Ingredient #2 Better Regulated Blood Pressure:  According to studies, music (including jazz) and laughter can lower blood pressure by causing blood vessels to expand by up to 30%. 

Ingredient #3 Better Sleep: Studies show that just 45 min of soft, slow music (60-80 BPM) like jazz, before bedtime results in better and longer night-time sleep which allows for more productivity during the day.   

With so many styles of jazz music to choose from, the options are endless.  Create your own recipe by using a mix of ragtime, smooth jazz, big band, jazz-funk, or cool jazz.  Whatever you choose, studies confirm that you are making a heart and mind healthy choice. 

Here is a fun fact. A study conducted by Dorothy Retallack in 1973 played music to plants for two weeks. Plants “listening” to classical and jazz music physically leaned 15 to 20 degrees toward the radio.  Plants even sense the importance of leaning in and appreciating the joy of jazz.   

Cheers to you, as you mix your own special jazz cocktail this holiday season! 

Book: One Little, Two Little, Three Little Pilgrims

Book: One Little, Two Little, Three Little Pilgrims

Blog post by Kayla Davitt, MT-BC

Song performed and recorded by Kayla Davitt, MT-BC

It’s that time of year where families are supposed to be gathering together at table, sharing food and laughter, and relaxing within the company of loved ones. For most of us, Thanksgiving celebrations will look very different this holiday season thanks to COVID-19. Families are being told it’s better to see only those in their immediate household. Large gatherings of people who do not live in the same household are frowned upon. For adults and children alike, these changes can be hard to digest. Young children may not understand what is going on in the world, but One Little, Two Little, Three Little Pilgrims by B.G. Hennessy will allow your child to focus on the meaning behind Thanksgiving and to be thankful for everything in their lives.

This particular storybook is geared more towards young children. It is a piggy-back song to the well-known tune of “One Little, Two Little, Three Little Indians.” Your child can engage in practicing a variety of skills such as counting, building vocabulary, and answering questions. While reading or singing this song to your child, here are some suggestions to keep in mind:

Practice counting numbers 1-10

There are many chances in this storybook for your child to practice counting from 1-10. It also gives them a chance to work on number sense by pointing to a different pilgrim, Wampanoag, or turkey while counting.

Build your child’s vocabulary

There are a variety of animals, vegetables, and tools presented in the colorful illustrations by Lynne Cravath. Encourage your child to identify different items throughout the book by pointing to them or saying the words out loud. This allows your child an opportunity to build on their speech production as well as to build their vocabulary.

Answer questions

Don’t be afraid to ask your child questions about anything in the storybook: How many pilgrims do you see? What are the Wampanoag doing now? Will they come together to give thanks for all they have? Young children may not be able to answer abstract questions, but encourage them to think outside of the box.

One of our music therapists, Kayla Davitt, has performed and recorded this well-known tune. Feel free to play this recording for your child and sing along with the storybook.

We hope you enjoy using this storybook in your child’s schooling adventures, whether they be attending in-person, remotely, or both! 

If you wish to purchase this book on Amazon, click here. 

Happy reading!

The post “Book: One Little, Two Little, Three Little Pilgrims” was originally published on Upstate Music Therapy Center,