10 Teaching Tips for Children with Anxiety
- Provide a way to release anxiety. This will vary from child, to child but could include listening to calming sounds or taking a body break
- Validate the child’s feelings, take their concerns seriously
- Give the child a place where it is safe to fail, provide a quiet spot away from peers to manage their anxiety
- Be organized, give the child a visual schedule at their desk, break the school day into sections that the child can visualize and manage
- Give the child more time to process information, the situation and the demands that may be asked of them
- Remain calm and relaxed, provide a comforting presence
- Be consistent and have a predictable classroom routine
- Teach and model coping techniques, deep breathing for example (smell the flower, blow out the candle)
- Use a Universal Design for Learning (UDL) approach that allows the student some freedom in choosing their task or assignment
- Try not to put the child “on the spot” or call attention to their anxiety
- Allow the child to have an item or toy that provides comfort at school
