As adults, we often think of childhood as a stress-free time, but in reality children’s lives can be very stressful. This is complicated by the fact that children do not have the experience or emotional maturity to deal with stress. They do not have the ability to see that a situation that is upsetting them might only be a temporary problem that will work itself out. They are more inclined to see each new dilemma as a world-ending crisis, whether it is something as minor as a spat with a friend or as major as a death in the family. A further complication is that children tend to blame themselves for many things that are not their faults or even within the realm of things they can control.

Signs of stress in children can be physical, such as increased and frequent stomachaches and headaches. A child who is feeling stress might act sad and be jittery or irritable. The child might withdraw from his family and friends and be prone to frequent and seemingly unreasonable temper tantrums. Increased nightmares can also be a symptom of stress. If a child is showing one or more of these signs of stress, then a parent must find out what is causing the stress and work toward alleviating it.

Today’s academic climate is one which inflicts a great deal of stress on children. Children are pressured to perform at higher levels than ever before. They are over-scheduled, over-worked, and expected to meet the expectations of a variety of people and organizations.

Richard L. Hall, PhD and educator, says, “It can be overwhelming. Students are put in a position of feeling they must not stop. They are not given a sense of support. They are put in an environment where they are not accepted for themselves but only for what they are going to achieve. All this builds stress.”

To avoid doing permanent damage to children, the pressure must stop. We must create a free space to allow the child to decompress and find his bearings. This must include time for free and unstructured play and child-directed learning activities.

Even children’s toys have become a source of stress. Instead of the simple toys of the past, such as blocks, crayons and paper, dolls, and toy trucks that required the child to use his imagination, today's children are inundated with electronic devices that must be mastered. The producers of children’s toys have jumped on the early learning bandwagon, and even toys for infants are designed to teach babies instead of simply giving them something to play with and enjoy. In other words, the pressure to learn begins in the crib and is unrelenting throughout a young child’s life.

Karen DeBord, PhD and child development specialist, says, “We don’t need to apply pressure to get kids to perform. Building on children’s inner motivations is most important.”

Children want to learn. They do not have to be forced because learning is as natural to them as breathing. The time has come to stop and consider what high-pressure schooling is doing to children and create a safe place for them to allow them to be children, rather than miniature adults striving to succeed, achieve, and excel. We must stop pushing children and allow them to find their own pace and work toward a learning environment that nurtures and supports a child’s own innate desire to learn instead of one that is creating a generation of children so stressed they are unable to do what comes naturally to them.