Why Back-to-School Season Can Be Hard on Kids — and How Art Can Help

That transition from summer to school can hit hard.

One week it’s ice cream, swimming pools, and lazy mornings—

The next, it’s packed lunches, full schedules, piles of homework, and rising pressure.

There’s more structure.

More responsibility.

Less freedom.

And for many kids, that shift can take a toll.

You might notice it in their mood, focus, or behavior.

But here’s what I keep coming back to:

👉 Art isn’t just a space for kids to breathe and reconnect with themselves — it also helps them build the exact skills they need to thrive in challenging seasons.

Drawing Isn't Just an Escape — It's More

Just yesterday, we were teaching one of our weekly member classes.

On the surface, it was a lesson about storytelling structure — how every great story follows this pattern:

“Somebody – Wanted – But – So”

(Main character – goal – obstacle – response)

But beneath the drawing and the storytelling, we were doing something deeper.

We were normalizing the real struggles kids face at the start of the school year.

We talked about how the “somebody” in the story isn’t just a made-up character — it’s them, or any kid navigating a brand new school year.

Their “wants” might look like:

💬 Wanting to make friends

💬 Hoping for a kind teacher

💬 Wanting to sit with someone familiar at lunch

💬 Wishing for good grades and smooth days

And their “buts” — the things that get in the way — can be painfully real:

😔 Bullies

😔 Friends who distract them

😔 Video games that are way more fun than homework

😔 Strict or intimidating teachers

😔 Shyness, anxiety, or that quiet fear of not being good enough

So we didn’t just draw stories for fun — we talked about these things.

Then we brainstormed responses together:

💡 Getting out of your comfort zone

💡 Connecting over shared interests

💡 Practicing focus

💡 Trying again after a setback

And through that lens, we created single-page stories.

The kids seemed to love it.

One of them even said it was “the best class yet”!

Because the drawing wasn’t separate from real life.

It was real life — just filtered through creativity, storytelling, and a safe space to express big feelings.

That’s the kind of art that sticks.

And that’s the kind of space we try to create every week.

Why Creative Decompression Matters

One of the most impactful things you can do this time of year for your child is simple:

✏️ Create space for them to decompress creatively.

Most kids do have ways to blow off steam — video games, YouTube, maybe sports.

But those outlets often leave them more wound up, not less.

What they really need is a place where they can:

✅ Release tension

✅ Feel in control

✅ Build confidence

✅ Create something they’re proud of

That’s the magic of drawing — especially when there’s just enough structure to guide them while still leaving space for freedom and self-expression.

Drawing becomes a bridge:

🧠 From stress to focus

💬 From bottled-up feelings to expression

💪 From self-doubt to confidence

A Real-Life Example

We’ve been seeing this at home with our five-year-old.

She recently discovered the full sting of the word “hate.”

“I hate this.”

“I hate you.”

Ouch. 😭

(Please tell me it’s just a phase. 🙏)

After a particularly hurtful “I hate you, Mommy,” my wife handed her some crayons and said:

“Let’s draw how you feel.”

Here’s what she made:

🖍️ “ELLIANA FEELS MAD.”

There was even a “hates mom” in there — which, by the end, she scribbled over. 😅

Was this an instant fix? No.

But it interrupted the tantrum.

It opened a door for conversation.

And it gave her a way to process feelings she didn’t yet have words for.

That’s what creative decompression can do.

And guess what?

It works for five-year-olds.

It works for ten-year-olds.

It works for grown-ups, too.

Want to Give Your Family More of This Space?

👧 If you’d like to create a consistent place for your child to decompress and grow through art, then check out our signature program, the Kids Cartoon Academy membership. It opens a few times a year. Join the waitlist here so you don’t miss it.

👩 And if you — yes, you, the parent — felt a twinge of recognition reading this...

If growing up meant setting aside your creativity, and you’d love to get it back…

— to de-stress
— to rediscover your playful, creative, inner child
— to model a fulfilling, creative life for your kids

…then stay tuned!

In my next post, I’ll share exactly how you can recover your own creative spark.

Stay creative (and calm),
Daniel