One way of supporting your child to manage their worries is by helping them to find things that help them to feel calm or reduces their worries. You could create a plan with your child to use some of these techniques when they feel worried.
Things to help your child feel calm may include:
- Using various breathing techniques, like inhaling through the nose for three seconds and exhaling through the mouth for six.
- Practise mindfulness together.
- Listen to calming songs.
- Engage in enjoyable hobbies.
- Create a self-soothe box with items that have different textures or scents they find comforting, such as fidget toys, scented pens, or a tissue with your fragrance on it.
- Establish routines to reduce anxiety, like a predictable morning routine for school.
- Identify safe places where your child can retreat when overwhelmed.
- Identify supportive people your child can rely on when anxious and consider activities they can do together, like deep breathing or discussing their day.
Every child is different and there will be different things that help, so it can be useful to explore several techniques alongside your child to see what they find helpful.
Resources to help with the suggestions for coping and calming techniques
- Supporting a child with anxiety – a guide for parents from Young Minds.
Useful videos
- Lumi Nova: Tales of Courage – online therapeutic intervention that can be used on most smartphones or tablets.
- Sensory Processing – General Calming Strategies video from the NHS.
- The 5-4-3-2-1 Method: A Grounding Exercise to Manage Anxiety from The Partnership in Education
- The Body Scanner! Mindfulness for Children from The Mindfulness Teacher
- Headspace Mental Health Coaching – a wide range of videos are available on their YouTube channel for adults and children.
- How to make a self-soothe box – from Young Minds
- How to use a visual timetable – visual timetables can help people feel calmer and make everyday routines easier.