"Worry, Worry, Worry! You Know What I Mean?"
The title for this post comes from the book Wilma Jean the Worry Machine by Julia Cook. It is the book that I have used for January's and February's lessons for 2nd and 3rd grade. In January, I read Jonathan James and the WhatIf Monster to 1st grade and When I'm Feeling Scared for kindergarten. In February, I will focus on building coping skills for anxiety for grades 1-3 and coping with anger for kindergarten. I decided to cover the topic of fear and anxiety based on data I collected from parents at the end of last school year and because so many of the student referrals I receive have connections to anxiety. Spotting Anxiety in Kids Sometimes, anxiety in kids is easy to spot. They may cry or cling to a parent. They may say how they are scared. Other times, anxiety can be sneaky and show itself in ways we don't expect, like through aggression or refusal to follow directions. This happens because anxiety causes a stress response, so the body and brain go into f