Free Parent Worksheet

What do you say when your child says, “My stomach hurts,” “I can't get on the bus,” or “I can't go into school”?

When anxiety is driving school avoidance, it can be incredibly difficult to know how to respond. Our instinct as parents is often to reassure, problem-solve, negotiate, or help our child feel less anxious. Unfortunately, these responses can sometimes unintentionally reinforce anxiety and avoidance.

This free Supportive Statements for School Anxiety worksheet gives you simple, practical language to use in those difficult moments.

Inside the worksheet, you'll find:

• Common school anxiety and school avoidance scenarios

• Examples of what parents often say in the moment

• SPACE-informed alternatives that validate your child's experience while communicating confidence in their ability to cope

• Scripts for situations like refusing the bus, complaining of stomachaches, not wanting to enter school, fears about getting sick, separation anxiety, and feeling unable to complete schoolwork

• A simple formula you can remember when anxiety takes over: Validate + Express Confidence

Why supportive statements?

When your child is anxious, the goal isn't to convince them that “everything will be fine” or to make their anxiety disappear.

Instead, we want to communicate two important messages:

“I understand that this is hard.”
“I believe you can handle it.”

This approach helps parents move away from repeatedly reassuring or accommodating anxiety and toward responding in a way that supports their child's confidence and independence.

Download the free worksheet and have it ready for the next difficult school morning.

This resource is educational and is not a substitute for individualized mental health treatment.