After a summer at home, many children find it difficult to go back to school. Perhaps they prefer the safety of their own home, or find it difficult to mix with other children, fear the pressure of work and exams or can’t adapt to a new routine. Homeopathy offers a natural and gentle solution to help children in easing back at school. Perhaps you might like to consider it over the next few weeks? Here are some examples of remedies that can help our children with emotional issues they may feel when going back to school:
If your child is dreading going back to school
- Lots of fears and anxieties: Argentum Nitricum
If your child is fearful or anxious and is restless with the anxiety, then Argentum Nitricum may be a good remedy to try to soothe them. They tend to talk fast or need to walk or do something to manage their fear. An person needing Arg Nit often craves sweets and has diarrhoea with the anxiety.
Give your child a dose of Arg Nit 30C or 200C when they start showing signs of fear or anxiety. Repeat after 30 min to an hour if necessary, or as and when needed.
- Separation anxiety: Pulsatilla
Some children may find it difficult to stay away from you after so long at home. If they become anxious and tearful at the thought of leaving you, then Pulsatilla may be tried. Other instances when Pulsatilla would be useful are:
- when the child is happy to go to school until a sibling is born and he/she becomes jealous and wants to stay home too.
- or perhaps their best friend had to change school and they feel abandoned.
Pulsatilla is a great remedy for separation anxiety or this feeling of being forsaken. It works as a “link breaker” and often a daily dose for a few days is enough for the child to go to school happily again.
- Aversion to change: Calcarea Carbonica
The Calc Carb child has many anxieties and is averse to change. The disruption in routine will affect those children dramatically. If it is their first time at school, if they have a different teacher or are moving to a different class or school, and they are affected more than they should be then this remedy may help them.
This aversion to change is mainly brought on by a lack of self-confidence: they are timid and unsure, and prefer to be in the familiar environment of home. Calc Carb children are often slow at school despite working hard, and are slow at games thus worsening their lack of confidence. They don’t like being observed by others so would particularly dislike taking part in plays or shows. Finally, children who do well with this remedy often have many fears (of the dark, being alone, heights, ghosts, etc) and are prone to nightmares.
If you child has difficulty in mixing with other children
- Lacking self-confidence: Baryta Carbonica
If your child has a low self confidence and finds it difficult to mix with other children, then Baryta Carbonica may help them overcome their difficulties. The children needing this remedy are usually slow in development, whether physically, emotionally or mentally. They fear what others will think of them and fear ridicule. They are very shy and do not like new situations and for those reasons they are unable to interact with others and tend to stay in their own world. This may have emerged after many illnesses and for this, Baryta Carb is also a good remedy for a weak immune system.
- Disinterested in play: Sepia
Some children do not mix with other children because they are not interested in their games or conversations. These may benefit from the remedy Sepia. The Sepia child is disinterested in everything and gives the impression of being tired all the time. They are negative and appear depressed; they do not like to engage in work or play. Those children prefer to be alone and do not confide in their parents. In addition they find it difficult to concentrate at school and remember facts. The only thing that makes them better is dancing or more generally sports.
- Violence/aggressiveness with other children: Lycopodium
Children who tend to be violent or aggressive towards other children may benefit from Lycopodium. This remedy is particularly appropriate if they love to be in command, are authoritarian and like to be obeyed. When not obeyed, these children will shout and become irritable. They can kick or bite other children too. Yet this love of power comes from deeper insecurity and fears which they try to hide. This may be fear of being ridiculed, fear of failing in public, fear of the unknown. Their authority is often addressed towards younger children.
If your child has difficulties with school work or exams
- Difficulty concentrating and exhaustion from mental work: Calcarea Phosphorica
Calc Phos is a remedy that is good for teenagers but can be equally good for younger children. Those children are easily distracted and looking out the window or chatting. Or perhaps they will easily become exhausted from the mental work, which may lead to a headache or even inability to talk. In those circumstances, the remedy Calcarea Phosphorica may be helping them. In addition, this remedy can be useful for children who have difficulties making friends and often feel left out.
This remedy is also useful for growing pains and broken bones, so definitely worth having in a first aid kit!
- Exam anxiety
If your child is particularly anxious at the thought of exams, please see this article.
I hope that this article has given you a flavour how homeopathic remedies can ease a range of issues experienced by our school children. There are many more remedies that can help similar or different issues, please contact me if you would like to find out more.
For more information, please contact me at priscille@priscillehomeopathy.co.uk or on 07387 422 848, or via my contact page.
With best wishes for a stress-reduced life,
Priscille Francetti LCCH MARH
Homeopath 
