Parents must first have a clear understanding of their child’s physical health and school situation. A thorough physical examination, if necessary: children who refuse to go to school often complain of headaches, abdominal pain or other physical symptoms, and a physical examination may be necessary. 2. Confidence to attend school: If you have doubts about your child’s school, we recommend that you contact and discuss the matter with the school personnel. When you have confidence in your child’s ability to attend school, he/she will have confidence in attending school as well. Parental Strategies for Arranging a Child Who Refuses to Go to School In most cases, parental efforts to arrange a child who refuses to go to school will result in crying, avoidance and tantrums. The child behaves in this way mainly because he/she is afraid of going to school. Therefore, the key to the problem is to help your child face and overcome his or her fears. 1. Reduce the attraction of “home”: When a child learns and lives at home, they inevitably get some “benefits”, they can escape the “scary” school environment and return to the familiar home. They can escape the “scary” school environment and return to the familiar home, and they can also get “prizes”, such as watching TV, playing on the computer, using the refrigerator, pets, games and toys, etc. Therefore, the use of and access to the above items is strictly prohibited during school hours. Give your child clear commands to go to school: Help your child to go to school with a strong approach. Clear and calm commands such as “get up” and “get dressed” are one of the strongest ways to help your child, and a firm and caring approach can enhance your child’s sense of security. Ignore complaints of illness, crying and resistance: When you force your child to go to school, all of the above situations may occur at any time, and you must ignore your child’s avoidance of school in any way, such as your child’s louder resistance, temper tantrums, or even playing tricks. However, show your child that you are confident that he/she is capable of learning! That way, there is no doubt that he/she will go to school! 4. Boost your child’s confidence: Parents are important role models in their children’s lives. When parents show relaxation, calmness and good self-control, the child will imitate them and this will help him overcome his fears and anxieties. 5. Preparation for school: The night before school, encourage your child to get his bag and uniform ready while making sure he gets to school on time. Give your child an alarm clock to help him/her get up on time. If your child refuses to get up, you can take appropriate action, such as pulling back the curtains and removing the covers. 6. Accompany your child to school: Ideally, two adults should accompany your child to school at the same time, preferably parents, family members or friends. Of course the child may resist, but it is possible to ignore him/her and make firm arrangements to go to school. 7. Leave the child at school: Arrive at school on time and leave the child with the appropriate teacher. Briefly, firmly and calmly express your confidence that your child will be able to face the difficulties (of going to school) on his/her own. Say “goodbye” and leave calmly. If your child is nervous, crying or begging you not to leave, remain calm and leave firmly. Dealing with Runaways: If your child runs away, the key is to get him/her back to school immediately. If parents are unable to get their child back to school, they can rely on relatives or friends to work together to help their child return to school immediately. 9. Effective communication and an appropriate tone of voice can help build your child’s confidence, and vice versa can have a direct impact on your confidence in your child’s ability to face difficulties and fears.