My Child Complains of a Stomach Ache Before School: Could It Be Stress?

When the Morning Starts with Tears and Tummy Aches

Picture this: the backpack is ready, lunch has been packed, and the clock ticks toward departure time. Then—again—your child clutches their tummy, eyes welling up. "It hurts," they say. By the third or fourth morning in a row, a quiet worry starts to settle in your chest: Is this really a stomach ache… or something else?

You’re not alone if this scenario sounds familiar. Many parents of children between the ages of 6 and 12 experience these mysterious morning symptoms: tummy aches, headaches, even tears. Quite often, these physical signs are linked to emotional stress related to school. Understanding this connection can be the first step toward responding with compassion and concrete support.

Stress Has a Body—and It Speaks Through the Belly

Children often don’t have the vocabulary—or the self-awareness—to explain how they’re feeling emotionally. Instead, their anxiety or emotional overload presents through the body. The stomach is a common target: butterflies, cramping, nausea, or generalized discomfort.

In fact, the gut and the brain are intimately connected through what scientists call the “gut-brain axis.” Stress hormones produced by anxiety can disrupt digestion and blood flow in the abdomen, leading to very real stomach discomfort. This doesn’t mean your child is "faking it"—quite the opposite. Their body is trying to speak when their words cannot.

What’s Causing the School Stress?

For children in elementary and middle school, many factors can contribute to stress around school:

• Academic challenges: lessons moving too fast, pressure to perform, or subjects that don’t make sense yet
• Social strain: difficult friendships, feeling isolated, or navigating group work
• Performance anxiety: fear of being called on in class or speaking in front of others
• Sensory overload: noise, large crowds, transitions between classes

All of these stressors, when not carefully addressed, can compound. If your child is already experiencing mental fatigue or overwhelm, the anticipation of another long school day can manifest as “I have a stomach ache.”

Helping Your Child Feel Safe to Share

When your child says they don’t feel well, start by slowing everything down. Rushing them into the car while insisting they’re fine can deepen the anxiety and erode trust. Instead, sit beside them. Ask simple, open-ended questions:

• “What kind of ‘hurt’ is it?”
• “Did something happen yesterday or last week that made you feel worried?”
• “What part of the school day feels the hardest?”

Not all children will open up right away, and that’s okay. Sometimes, they don’t fully understand what they're feeling themselves. Gentle consistency and calm presence make more of a difference than you might imagine. If your child is truly too unwell to attend school, keeping them home once in a while can send a powerful message: "I believe you, and I care about how you feel." Balance this with working toward long-term strategies to ease the underlying stress.

Making School Feel Less Big and Overwhelming

If the thought of academics is the main stressor, try breaking lessons down into manageable, less intimidating parts. Some children absorb information more confidently when it’s presented outside of school hours and without pressure: during a walk, in the car, or as part of play. This is where integrating playful, story-led tools can be a game-changer.

For instance, one family we spoke with used a tool that transformed their son’s writing lesson into an audio adventure, where he was the main character solving riddles and traveling through time. Hearing his own name in the story and laughing at the heroic voiceovers made learning feel exciting again. (This is one feature of the Skuli app, available on iOS and Android, especially helpful for auditory learners.)

Turning dull lessons into engaging, customized experiences outside school hours—especially in a format that feels like play—can restore a child’s confidence and lower their sense of academic pressure.

Helping with After-School Decompression

The hours after school matter just as much as those before. If your child is holding it together all day only to break down each evening, you're not imagining things. Many children cry after school because they’ve spent all day managing big emotions, only to finally feel safe to let them out at home.

Where possible, carve out relaxing after-school environments: quiet time, slow dinners, creative play. Consider replacing the “How was school?” question with “What made you smile today?” or “Was there anything tricky about your day?” This emphasizes connection rather than performance.

You might also explore calming after-school activities that help regulate your child’s nervous system and lower overall stress. Movement, listening to music, or shared art projects can offer this kind of relief.

When to Seek Additional Support

If school-related stress doesn’t ease over time, or if your child begins to display other signs of emotional strain—withdrawal, sudden academic decline, increased physical symptoms—it may be time to speak with a pediatrician, therapist, or school counselor.

Stress may also be a reflection of deeper emotional difficulty. If you're wondering whether your child might be feeling more than just overwhelmed, our piece on recognizing signs of emotional struggles might guide your next steps.

You Are the Anchor

Perhaps the most essential takeaway is this: your steady presence is already a powerful medicine. Whether the cause is friendship tensions, math anxiety, or simply a growing awareness of the world’s demands, your child looks to you for regulation, safety, and perspective.

Morning stomach aches are often a cry for connection—asking, “Will you help me through this?” The answer, even on your most exhausted days, is gently and simply: Yes, I’m here.