Most kids like to go to school; if nothing else, they enjoy seeing their friends. Some kids get themselves so worked up at the thought of going to school they manifest symptoms of anxiety. A few children may simply be manipulative; others may be fearful of a specific situation (they hate their Math teacher or they’re getting bullied at recess); still other children may have more complex issues rooted in a dysfunctional family.
While we typically think of school refusal as occurring at the beginning of the school year, the first few days after a holiday can also be a problem.
Interventions range from simply making the child go to school to counseling for anxieties to family therapy to help both child and parents.
For more information, you may want to see these two articles on school refusal:
School Refusal – Kids Who Don’t Want to go to School
School Refusal in Children and Adolescents