Written by: Karen Cruise, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
At every age, there are lots of reasons why children worry. For example, a young infant may worry about separation; a primary school child may fear the dark or worry about what’s under the bed; teenagers may worry about social situations and exams.
It is normal for children to worry, and as parents, carers or teachers, it’s our role to help children manage their worries and help them build resilience rather than take their fears away.
So, if you’re looking for tools, games and activities to help your child when they’re worrying, here are some of the best exercises for different ages to help them take control of their feelings.
1. The Worry Box
For children who are always thinking about the next thing to worry about, a worry box can help a child to stay in the present moment. As soon as they start worrying about something that isn’t happening right now, they can write their worry down and place it in the box.
A worry box can help to create breathing space. When the child returns to the box, the worry may not be relevant anymore. Also, they can approach the box when they feel calm, positive and ready to problem solve rather than from heightened emotion.
2. The Courtroom
For older children, a courtroom practice can be a fun way to challenge any worries they have. It’s about looking for different perspectives on a situation and how they can think differently about their anxiety.
For example, if the worry is that they won’t make friends, how would they argue against themselves in a courtroom? Do they have evidence that they’re a kind person and they’ve made friends before, for example? On the other side of the courtroom, what evidence do they have, and which side is most likely to win?
3. Create A Visualisation Script
Mindfulness is a growing practice for kids and teens. A great activity with children is creating a calming visualisation script to help calm any worries and increase relaxation. A visualisation script will be something to use time and time again to take them back to a calming, happy place.
They may even want to record an audio or make a video of the visualisation to use in the future. For example, a calming visualisation could be imagining walking on a sandy beach with the water lapping at your toes or curling up in a cosy blanket with a favourite book. So when they want to feel calm, what do they want to see in their mind?
4. Make Reminder Stones
Using oven-bake clay, kids can paint and create reminder stones they can hold or keep in their pockets whenever worries arise. They may wish to make a few different stones with different reminders. Perhaps a reminder to breathe, or that symbolises a mantra such as ‘I can do hard things’ or ‘I am brave’.
5. Use A Daily Journal
A journal where they can vent, write their feelings or use stickers to sum up their day and mood can be a great way to help young people express themselves and be an outlet to process their worries. This is fantastic for creative kids or can be simple bullet points for those who like quick summaries.
Suppose your child needs more support in managing their worries and concerns. In that case, coaching can be a great support tool for helping children and young adults understand and vocalise their worries and creating strategies to manage and alleviate them. If you would like more help to support your child with their worries, please contact us here.
Karen Cruise, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Karen Cruise is an expert in life coaching for children and young people. She was written off at school and left with no qualifications. Despite this, she had a successful corporate career as a senior leader, passed her GCSE's aged 52, achieved a university degree and is the founder and CEO of a successful, award-winning social enterprise, Flourished Minds. Her company focuses on supporting young people to excel; improving their confidence, self-esteem and self-belief and helping them to realise their fullest potential. Her mission: To help every child to tap into their wonderful uniqueness.
