The holidays can be a joyous time of year, but can also be very stressful. An article from Mayo Clinic outlines 10 tips for coping with and preventing holiday stress and depression. Check it out here!
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
