It starts subtly. A reluctance to go to school. A headache on Sunday night. Irritability over small things. As a parent, it’s heartbreaking to watch your once-carefree child seem weighed down by worries you can’t see. You’re left wondering: Is this just a phase, or is it something more?
The start of a new year can feel exciting for adults—a clean slate, fresh goals, renewed energy. But for tweens, this transition can stir up unexpected anxiety. The return to school routines, social pressures, and the unspoken expectation to “reset” can feel overwhelming rather than inspiring.
If your tween has been more quiet than usual, reluctant to talk about the year ahead, or suddenly irritable, they might be grappling with transition stress—and that’s completely normal.
Tweens are in a phase of life where consistency equals emotional safety. Change—even positive change—can feel disruptive. Here’s what might be going on beneath the surface:
Courses such as “Emotional You: Managing Your Emotions” provide tweens with practical tools to navigate uncertainty. Through animated storytelling and engaging exercises, they learn to:
When tweens understand their emotions, transitions become easier to manage — one deep breath at a time.
Download our guide “Assessing Learning and Adapting: A Guide for Parent-Child Conversations" from the Bloomster resource library. It includes Real-Life Scenarios Engaging examples like adjusting to new routines, embracing mistakes as learning opportunities, and coping with change. As well as open-ended questions and actionable insights