February brings...worries?? Ok, it doesn't rhyme, but there it is - worrywarts start revving up 'what if' situations! Once we hit the 100 day mark, many students are already thinking ahead to summer - what if I don't like camp this summer? What if I don't pass the swim test? What if I'm bored and have nothing to do all summer? Seriously committed worriers will wonder about next school year, before we've even finished this one!
Second graders are listening to "Wilma Jean the Worry Machine" by Julia Cook this month. Anxiety is a subjective sense of worry, apprehension, and/or fear. It is considered to be the number one health problem in America, and fast growing among our youngest students. Although now quite common, anxiety disorders in children are often misdiagnosed or overlooked.
Everyone experiences worry and apprehension from time to time, but when these feelings prevent a person from doing what he/she wants and/or needs to do, anxiety becomes a disability.
This is a fun and humorous book that looks at the problem of anxiety in a way that relates to children's way of thinking. We'll replicate one strategy in the book by writing worries on sticky notes and putting them into "Things I Can Control" and "Things I Can't Control".
Many students will be surprised at how much we can actually do for ourselves to lesson anxiety.
The goal of "Wilma Jean the Worry Machine" is to give children the tools needed to feel more in control of their anxiety and let them know they are not the only kids with worry! This image is a great visual - especially if drawn into a pie chart.
There are lots of great resources out there for worry... a few are listed below:
http://kidshealth.org/en/parents/worrying.html
http://www.worrywisekids.org/
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