When a Child Refuses to Go to Daycare
Updated: April 2026.
Updated: April 2026.
A child starts refusing to go to daycare. He falls asleep with difficulty and is afraid to sleep alone. He frequently has headaches.
Unrelated coincidences?
All of these are signs of anxiety — a consequence of the parents’ recent divorce.
Will he adjust on his own?
A wait-and-see approach can lead to the problem becoming chronic and developing into an anxiety disorder.
The rational approach:
A therapist identifies the root of the problem and the full picture of how anxiety is showing up in the child’s life. They guide parents on how to strengthen their relationship with the child, and define the main goal and specific objectives for the therapeutic sessions.
A hardworking student starts swearing, fights with friends, gets into physical altercations at school, is rude to his mother at home, and hurts his younger brother.
A developmental phase? Will he grow out of it?
The rational approach:
After speaking with the child, the therapist suspects the behavior is driven by stress from school demands. They explain to the parents how to respond in a way that helps the child, and agree on a plan of sessions where the child will be taught anger management and stress-coping techniques.
As parents, we all face moments when our own emotions about our child’s behavior — or our worry for them — make it hard to understand what is really going on and decide how to act effectively.
At Animago, you will find reliable support from an experienced therapist who will help identify the root of your child’s difficulty and — most importantly — select individual and effective techniques to address it.
Book your child’s first session at Animago
Children can run into psychological difficulties not only because of obviously difficult life circumstances. The same underlying cause can affect different children’s emotions and behavior in very different ways. In every case, what is needed is an effective solution that helps parents take care of their child.