6 Ways to Help Decrease Anxiety in Children

                                                             

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Anxiety is an increasing issue that is arising in the classroom.  Teachers and parents are having a difficult time managing students experiencing high levels of anxiety while trying to maintain an active learning environment for others.  Anxiety can be moderate to severe and debilitating for the student to function.  Symptoms can range from worrying about things like tests or assignments, to avoidance of activities because of their feelings about what could happen in that environment.  Anxiety is really a form of stress that the child is experiencing and it involves the child's view of the world and what is happening around them.  Anxiety is a normal reaction to certain events but when it hinders our ability to engage in activities or with others it becomes an issue.  What can we do to help children who may be experiencing anxiety and having difficulty in the classroom?  Here are 6 ideas for you to implement:

1.  Incorporate Forms of Exercise:  Exercise is an excellent way to help children alleviate anxiety as it can get rid of energy that is negative.  Running, skipping, hopping or other gross motor activities can be used to engage a full body response and help the child focus on the body rather than the events that are making him/her anxious.  Games should also be used to engage the child in fun activities.

2.  Music:  Playing soft quiet music can be helpful for the brain to move into a more calming state.  Using music/ipods, earphones or earplugs can block out excessive noise that may be contributing to higher levels of anxiety.

3.  Mindfulness:  This program teaches children to become mindful of how their body is reacting in the moment.  It is about becoming self-aware of how they are feeling and teaching them strategies to control the thoughts and their reactions.

4.  Connecting Mind with Body:  Very similiar to mindfulness but we actually utilze activities the child can incorporate to reconnect their body with their environment.  For example:  tangle toys or fidget toys that the child can use.

5.  Change Location, Change State:  Have the child move to a different location if they are feeling stressed or anxious.  Leaving the location helps the child associate a different emotional response to a new setting.

6.  Guided Relaxation or Mediation:  There are many YOUTUBE videos that you can utilize with all your children to enter a calm and relaxed state:  Magic Bubbles

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