“Settling down” is just one of the challenges kids can face when they head to school each morning. If the alarm has failed to go off, everyone has overslept, so you end up bolting out of bed at twenty to nine; hollering at the kids to get up and get going too: chances are their stress levels are as high as yours - particularly if they have been slow to get going and you have had to do some extra-specially-hollering and encouraging: “If you kids don’t get a moving we’re never ever going to Gran’s again!” (or whatever the weekend promised weekend action was).
It’s peculiar wee beastie, the human brain. When the brown stuff hits the whirly thing, all brains react the same way. All brains - yours and your kids’ too. That elevated anxiety, stressed feeling is generated by the hormone cortisol - the chemical that comes flooding into your brain every single time you get a fright (eg: waking late on a work / school day). It’s purpose is to put your body on high alert - ready to to fight, flee or just freak out - whatever the circumstances may warrant.
Brains have been that way since the days when our early ancestors had to consider running from the chasing packs of dangerous animals; it’s a key part of our ‘survival’ mechanism.
If the situation gets worse, adrenalin - the hormone that powers your freak/fight/flight reaction - also floods your system. Result: you’re hyper-alert and your heart rate is anything but calm. Furthermore, your ability to process information not relevant to your immediate survival is nil (the brain focusses on the aforesaid freak/fight/flight; so thoughts like “did I turn off the iron / make the lunches / change my undies?” just won’t feature. A kid coming to school (or you going to work) needs a settled brain before any real ability to focus, recall, or really think will be possible.
The cure? Having fun will cause the brain to release serotonin and dopamine - the “feel good” hormones Exercise and/or laughter are the two simplest remedies. A run, a game, a funny video clip; teachers use all of these activities at the start of the day to help kids’ brains to settle. Try it - it’ll work (for you and your kids).
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