Just because kids are young and have fewer responsibilities than adults, doesn’t mean that they don’t feel nervous, scared or anxious in many situations. For their age, kids do have their own stressful times.
As parents, we can help our kids cope with their stressful times. Here are some tips.
Don’t skip doing things
Many parents don’t do some things or activities just because their child gets anxious or stressed with it. But this will only prevent anxiety for a short time. Over the years it only build up the levels of anxiety to that activity. Support your child and guide them to deal with the activity and over the stress associated with it.
Don’t increase their anxiety with questions
‘How are you feeling about the big test’ is better than ‘Are you scared about the Math test’ ‘I’m sure you’ll get through the test’, is even better. Be positive and try to reinforce strength to deal with things rather than feed into their fears.
Split tasks into smaller ones
When kids are little its best to give small pieces of tasks. ‘Do your Math homework’ is better than ‘Have you finished the homework in all subjects?’
Appreciate the child’s tolerance
When your child does something, always give an extra credit to the overcoming of anxiety and not just appreciation for the task. ‘I know it takes a lot of effort to overcome your fear of diving. I’m so proud of your courage’
Talk through their worries
Speaking to the child and trying to understand where the fear stems from is important. Sometimes kids are just afraid with just hearsay. My son was so worried about being bullied in middle school thanks to his friends. But his first year in middle school was a breeze.
Teach them a coping mechanism for when you’re not present
Kids get most affected when they are not in their comfort zone and without someone who supports them. My friends always told her girl to take 7 deep breaths when feeling overwhelmed or worried. This helped her not just in kindergarten, but also all through her high school.