As exam season approaches and the end of the school year draws near, many children and young people begin to experience an increase in stress. Whether it’s academic pressure or the emotional upheaval of change, these periods can feel overwhelming. This guide explores why exams and transitions may be stressful for children — and offers practical ways to support them.
Exam Stress
Most people find exams stressful, and children and adolescents are no exception. However, they may not always be able to express this clearly. Instead, stress can show up in behaviour — irritability, tearfulness, disrupted sleep, headaches, or physical complaints are common signs.
How to Support Your Child:
- Open up conversations. Invite your child to talk about how they’re feeling. Acknowledge and validate their emotions without rushing to reassure or fix. Try to understand things from their perspective.
- Offer perspective. Adolescents often see things in black-and-white terms — succeeding or failing, all or nothing. You might share examples from your own life that reflect how challenges can be overcome and how plans can adapt.
- Balance expectations. While schools understandably emphasise the importance of academic success, some young people internalise this pressure deeply. Remind them that doing their best is what matters — and that there are many paths forward in life.
- Support through disappointment. If results don’t meet expectations, help them get back on track. Offer reassurance that you’ll work together to find the next step.
- Most importantly. Above all, let your child know you’re proud of them — not just for the result, but for the effort. Remind them they are valued and loved, regardless of outcomes.
Endings and Transitions
While school holidays or moving on to something new can seem exciting, transitions can also stir up big feelings. Many children thrive on structure, routine, and predictability. Without them, things can feel unsettling.
Some children may feel sad about leaving school, losing daily contact with teachers or friends, or facing the unknown. Even those who are looking forward to the next chapter may experience anxiety, grief, or confusion — particularly if they’ve experienced significant losses in the past.
Endings are a type of loss and often give rise to difficult and upsetting feelings in all of us. For those children who have experienced difficult times in their lives, or lost significant people, endings and transitions can stir up these painful feelings from the past.
Some children may not feel ready to move on and feel very anxious.
How to Support Your Child:
- Make space to connect. Try to find gentle moments to check in, even if they seem disinterested. Your efforts signal that you’ve noticed something’s going on — and that you care.
- Help them name emotions. Children often show emotional distress through behaviour or physical symptoms before they can verbalise it. Support them in finding the language to describe what they’re feeling.
- Encourage emotional literacy. Helping a child understand and talk about their feelings builds emotional resilience and regulation — skills they’ll carry into adulthood.
- Teach calming tools. Help your child find ways to relax their mind and body. Mindfulness, breathing exercises, and physical activity are great tools, many of which are freely available online.
When to Seek Further Support
If you’re concerned about your child’s wellbeing and wonder whether therapy might help, please feel free to reach out.
About Me
As a member of the Association of Child Psychotherapists (ACP), a UK-regulated professional body, I uphold the highest standards of training and care. My six-year, doctorate-level training reflects the rigorous requirements for ACP-registered child psychotherapists, a core profession within NHS CAMHS teams in the UK.
I am a psychoanalytic child and adolescent psychotherapist with over 25 years of experience in specialist Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) in the UK. Now based in Clarkson, Western Australia, I am establishing my own practice to support children, young people, and families.
