Does your child understand what it means to worry?
Children can feel worried in many different situations. When they are about to try a new sensory activity, when they see a scary scene in the book, when they are asked to sing, when the light goes off and so on.
Jack, in this book ” Jack’s Worry” by Sam Zuppardi, has worry about his concert day.
Jack actually sees and describes his worry in the book. That blue lump is Jack’s worry 😿
I think this explains worry in a wonderful way that is easy enough for children to understand.
The first step to overcome worry is to recognize it and accept it and this book shows that important step using Jack’s worry. Children can learn that it is natural to have worries in some situations and sometimes it feels like the worries are following us but we can look at the worries and give words to describe and explain them.
Being worried is a normal part of our lives and that applies to children’s lives, too. Also, learning to regulate one’s feelings is an important skill to develop in the early years.
So, if you never talked about worries with your child, I recommend to do so and read this book together.
Also, here is an activity that you can do after reading the book.
Making My Worry Monster
What you need
- play-dough
- googly eyes
- loose parts
- a little container (to store the play-dough)
- Worry Monster Play-dough Mat
These are my Worry Monster Play-dough Mats. You can use them as play-dough mats or a conversation starter.
*Asking open-ended questions has many benefits!
Questions to Ask
- Do you have a worry monster today?
- What is making you worry today?
What to Do
- Make a worry monster with play-dough; Making it visible can decrease the fear.
- Give it a name; Encourage to describe the worries with words.
- Put eyes, horns and mouth. Have fun decorating it; Just time to enjoy.
- While decorating the monster, talk about the worries and show that you understand your child and you care about her/him.
- Think about possible solutions together and give reassurance.
Playing with play-dough is a really good way to release tension and reduce stress.
I especially made this play-dough super soft to enhance the soothing feeling 😌
This is the recipe I came up with.
Super Soft Play-dough for Worry Monster Activity
Ingredients (makes a tennis ball size)
- flour …. 1/2 cup
- salt …. 1/4 cup
- cream of tar tar …. 1 tbsp
- vegetable oil …. 1 tbsp and 1/8 tsp
- boiling water …. 1/2 cup and 1 tbsp
- food colouring …. a few drops (until reaching the desired colour)
- essential oil …. 3 drops (optional)
- fine glitters …. optional
How to Make:
- Put all the ingredients in a bowl.
- Mix them well.
- Boil the water.
- Add boiling water to the dry mixture and mix well.
- Knead the dough.
I felt good after making the super soft play-dough and my worry monsters! It’s definitely a great worry activity👏😁
I hope this activity can help you work with your children’s worries and anxiety.
Enjoy!
Missangela👩🏻🦰🎀