Why Your Kid's Behavior Gets Worse Right Before School Starts

You're counting down to the first day. Your kid is falling apart.

More tantrums. More attitude. More fighting over nothing. You were almost at the finish line and now everything feels harder than it did in June.

There's a reason.

Transition is stressful even when it's supposed to be good

Kids' bodies register change as uncertainty. Even if school went fine last year, a new year means new teachers, new routines, new expectations. For a lot of kids, their brain starts bracing for it weeks before it arrives.

That bracing comes out as behavior.

It's not manipulation. It's not a preview of how the school year is going to go. It's a kid whose brain is running ahead of them and doesn't have a good way to express it.

What you might be seeing

More clinginess in younger kids. More pushback and irritability in older ones. Sleep getting worse again after you'd finally gotten it under control. Old behaviors showing back up that you thought were behind you.

All of it is pretty common right now, the last week before school.

What actually helps

Name what's coming. You don't have to make a big thing of it. Just acknowledge it. School's starting soon and that can feel like a lot.

Keep the schedule as stable as you can right now. This is not the week for big changes. Consistency right before a transition makes the transition itself easier.

Try to end each day with something calm. A short routine that signals winding down. Even 15 minutes of that makes a real difference.

If the behavior has been hard all summer

If you're heading into back-to-school season already worn down, and your child hasn't been managing well since June, it's worth getting support in place before the year starts rather than waiting to see how things go.