Many children I see are worried or have fears about something. It could be that they are worried about what other people think of them, it could be the fear of missing out or it could be worries about a situation. As we already know, helping children to see the reality of their fears, getting them to understand them better or allaying them is something parents and carers can do. But what can they do when we aren’t there at the moment they need to talk their fears through and they find themselves struggling with a worry. What tools to cope can they use?
Tools To Cope That Can Help Children
Some children find it comforting to have something to fiddle with at school – something like a stress ball or a toy. Something they can squeeze or hold for comfort. If you want your child to have a fiddle then you will need to speak to the school about it. By using the item the child can squeeze the worry into it and at the same time use calming techniques or do some self-talk so that they are able to combat the fear.
Other children like to have a worry stone – a small stone that they can put in their pocket. They can touch the stone and tell themselves there is nothing to worry about. They could even imagine that when they press the stone that the worry is going into the stone.
Children can also use a worry doll or toy where they write their worry down on a piece of paper and put it into the toys mouth. The worry can then disappear as it has been taken control of by the doll destroying it. I find this is a great tool to use particularly at night when a child’s worries may become much bigger and real.
These are just a few coping strategies you could try. What other ideas do you have or do you use to help your child banish their worries? There are lots o ideas and strategies in my first book, ‘The Parents Toolkit’
