Anxiety coping skills for kids involve simple, age-appropriate approaches aimed at effectively calming them down. These may include deep breathing exercises and creative expression through art or play.
The Anxiety Coping Skills for Kids guide offers simple and easy-to-follow techniques to help them manage their feelings and reactions in response to triggers. It breaks down coping skills into Distraction, Thinking, Relaxation, and Movement categories. Moreover, it introduces four fun breathing exercises like the square and star breathing and provides practical examples for using grounding for the last part.
With this resource, kids can enhance their ability to deal with triggers and feel in control. For instance, a child might use deep breathing to calm their mind before a school presentation.
After reading the handout, kids can try engaging in a calming crochet session with yarns, creating simple easy-to-carry stress-relief shapes like hearts or stars. To focus on the right coping skill, kids can also use the Anxiety in Children Symptoms Checklist, to identify symptoms of anxiety they feel and then choose suitable coping skills from the handout.
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References:
- Mychailyszyn, M. P., Beidas, R. S., Benjamin, C. L., Edmunds, J. M., Podell, J. L., Cohen, J. S., & Kendall, P. C. (2011). Assessing and treating child anxiety in schools. Psychology in the Schools, 48(3), 223-232. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.20548
- Nydegger, R. (2011). Dealing with anxiety and related disorders: Understanding, coping, and prevention. Bloomsbury Publishing USA.
- Washington, T. D. (2009). Psychological stress and anxiety in middle to late childhood and early adolescence: Manifestations and management. Journal of Pediatric Nursing, 24(4), 302-313. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pedn.2008.04.011
