Books to help children with their anxiety and worries
All kids worry about something (we all do!) but for some children worries can develop into stress and anxiety that affects all parts of their lives. Sitting down with a book together is a great way to start a conversation about how your child is feeling. Here are a selection of great reads to help children of all ages understand and manage anxiety, stress and worries.
Kids can do amazing things with the right information. Understanding why anxiety feels the way it does and where the physical symptoms come from is a powerful step in turning anxiety around. Anxiety explained, kids empowered.
This fun and humorous book addresses the problem of anxiety in a way that relates to children of all ages. It offers creative strategies for parents and teachers to use that can lessen the severity of anxiety. The goal of the book is to give children the tools needed to feel more in control of their anxiety. For those worries that are not in anyone’s control, a worry hat is introduced.
Is anything bothering you? Problems in class or at home? Don’t know where to turn for help? Log on to the Worry Website! Type in your worry and wait for the good advice to flow in.
At least that’s the plan when Mr Speed sets up his super-cool new Worry Website. Holly, Greg, Natasha and the rest of the class think they’ve got shedloads of worries. But, as they find out, sometimes the best advice comes from the most unexpected place.
Best selling author, Jacqueline Wilson always does a great job at tackling big topics with a light touch and humour and this book has a wonderful message for young teens that no-one should worry alone.
A back-to-school favourite. Wemberly worried about spilling her juice, about shrinking in the bathtub, even about snakes in the radiator. “Worry, worry, worry,” her family said. But when she meets a fellow worrywart in her class, Wemberly realises that school is too much fun to waste time worrying!
Todd Parr’s bestselling books have reminded kids to embrace differences, to be thankful, to love one another, and to be themselves. It’s Okay to Make Mistakes embraces life’s happy accidents, the mistakes and mess-ups that can lead to self discovery.
What to Do When you Worry Too Much – A Kid’s Guide to Overcoming Anxiety
An interactive self-help book designed to guide 6-12 year olds and their parents through the cognitive-behavioral techniques most often used in the treatment of generalised anxiety. This book educates and motivates children to work towards change. It includes a note to parents by psychologist and author Dawn Huebner, PhD.
A bestseller and the perfect springboard for talking over a child’s hidden worries.
When My Worries Get Too Big – A Relaxation Book for Children Who Live With Anxiety
Engaging and easy to read, this illustrated children’s book is filled with opportunities for children to participate in developing their own self-calming strategies. Children who use the simple strategies in this charming book, illustrated by the author, will find themselves relaxed and ready to focus on work or play!
Sometimes change comes along whether we like it or not . . . but if you let it, change can be the making of you. Kevin the Koala discovers this and more in this delightful picture book from the bestselling creators of The Lion Inside!
This is a feel-good rhyming story portraying a positive message about facing up to change.
I feel worried! Tips for kids on overcoming anxiety
The I Feel Worried workbook provides simple, actionable and proven tips to help kids manage anxious feelings. They will learn to understand and label feelings and how to identify the physical symptoms of anxiety and implement strategies before the fear becomes too intense.
Stress can really get on your nerves
When kids show signs of stress, they need stress management tools that work. With jokes, fun illustrations, and plenty of authentic examples, this book helps kids understand what stress is—and gives tons of tips to cope. Refreshed to address modern stressors like electronic devices and social media, this updated classic helps kids deal with stress like a seasoned panic mechanic.
Little Mouse’s Big Book of Fears
Spiders: Little Mouse is afraid of them (arachnophobia).
Shadows: Little Mouse is afraid of those (sciaphobia).
In fact, Little Mouse is afraid of everything. Join her as she faces her fears and records them in her journal – and discovers that even the biggest people are afraid of some things.
This book addresses children’s worries with humor and imagination, as hilarious scenarios teach kids the use of perspective and the art of creative problem-solving.
