With featured advice and resources from The Children’s Society, we have written this expert guide for parents to help children understand, cope and become strengthened by their experiences of anxiety at a young age. Our aim is to equip parents across the world with a significant bank of knowledge to ease panic and educate their children about the science of the mind.
You’ll notice that the first letter of each chapter title in the guide creates the acronym STRONG. We chose this word because as you’re making your way through the guide, it’s important that you and your child knows that anxiety is not a weakness, and worries make you no less of a strong human being.
Remember: Anxiety can happen to boys, girls, men, women, teachers, athletes and astronauts. Anxiety does not define you. Anxiety in school children is also more common than you think, maybe your child needs a tutor to help.
Check out all of our chapters below, and remember to bookmark the guide for future reference should you need to refresh your memory:
1. Symptoms of anxiety in children
Chapter summary: Identifying symptoms of anxiety in children is sometimes the hardest stage of this process. You probably have lots of questions to ask your child, but it’s super important that you don’t do so in haste or panic. This chapter will help you break down the facts into figuring out the cause and reasons behind the behaviour changes in your child so you can approach the subject in the best way.
2. Talking to children about anxiety: Top tips
Chapter summary: How can you possibly talk to a child about anxiety if they’re oblivious to what anxiety and worry actually are, and why they occur? Well, we hope this chapter will explain just how to approach the topic, and prompt a positive, open conversation about how to move forward.
3. Recommended by experts: Techniques to help Your child with anxiety
Chapter summary: There are so many ways you can approach your child to offer support for anxiety. We spoke to the experts to find the best techniques for your child to use in and out of school to relieve stress and worry less.
4. Opening up: How to encourage your child to confide in you
Chapter summary: Here, you’ll find our top 10 tips to encourage your child to maintain open and honest discussions with you about their mental wellbeing as they’re growing up.
5. Nurturing optimism in children: The path to positivity
Chapter summary: Many parents blame themselves when it comes to any changes in their children’s mental health. However, there are so many factors that affect why children feel the way they do, and how they react to certain situations.
The fact you are seeking support shows that you love your children dearly, and you’re taking the right steps to work towards a positive mindset. In this chapter, we give you the tools to put the past behind yourselves and alter the way you act to promote positivity.
6. Go-to anxiety relief tools for children: Expert Approved
Chapter summary: Here you’ll find our top-rated apps and books tailored to help support children through periods of anxiety, and every moment in between.
For more useful resources, visit The Children Society’s resource centre and download research reports, presentations and toolkits on mental health and well-being.
