{"id":69439,"date":"2023-08-21T00:12:17","date_gmt":"2023-08-21T04:12:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/world.edu\/?p=69439"},"modified":"2023-08-21T00:12:17","modified_gmt":"2023-08-21T04:12:17","slug":"its-book-week-but-your-child-is-too-anxious-to-take-part-5-expert-tips-to-save-the-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/world.edu\/its-book-week-but-your-child-is-too-anxious-to-take-part-5-expert-tips-to-save-the-day\/","title":{"rendered":"It\u2019s Book Week but your child is too anxious to take part. 5 expert tips to save the day"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Book Week<\/a>\u00a0is here again. Around Australia, parents of primary school-aged children are coming up with costumes, so their kids can take part in parades.<\/p>\n

Some kids are going to love wearing costumes and showing them off to classmates and teachers.<\/p>\n

But, what if after all that effort, your child doesn\u2019t want to wear their costume? Or, they get to school and nerves take over.<\/p>\n

3 things not to do<\/strong><\/h3>\n

1.<\/strong>\u00a0Plan an extravagant costume without your child\u2019s input. It can be helpful to\u00a0engage your a child<\/a>\u00a0in decision-making and problem solving when they are calm.<\/p>\n

2.<\/strong>\u00a0Keep your child home.\u00a0Avoidance<\/a>\u00a0can make anxiety worse. And, avoidance sends the message that the Book Week parade is definitely something to fear.<\/p>\n

3.<\/strong>\u00a0Get angry and upset with your child. While you might feel annoyed or disappointed, kids\u00a0learn from our reactions<\/a>. And, we don\u2019t want to teach them talking about feelings is a bad thing.<\/p>\n

Why kids might not want to take part in the school parade<\/strong><\/h3>\n

It could be they are feeling anxious about looking silly in their costume. Maybe they are worried no one will know their Book Week character. Perhaps, they are concerned other kids will make fun of them.<\/p>\n

About\u00a06.9% of Australian children<\/a>\u00a0and adolescents have a diagnosed anxiety disorder, with\u00a0past surveys<\/a>\u00a0showing 2.3% experience social anxiety. Yet these figures only include those who qualify for a diagnosis. Many other children have difficulties with worries and fears that might not be interfering with their daily life.<\/p>\n

Anxiety is a normal human emotion evoked when we think there is an imminent threat. But, it can be hard to know what to do to\u00a0support kids who are feeling anxious<\/a>.<\/p>\n

5 ways to support your child<\/strong><\/h3>\n

So, what can parents or carers do? Here are some helpful tips.<\/p>\n

1. Get input from kids early and often<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Follow your child\u2019s lead for a costume idea or give options so they can feel they have a choice in what they will wear. Even if it\u2019s a simple choice like \u201cdo you want to wear the red shirt or the green shirt?\u201d Choices help us to feel in control.<\/p>\n

2. Play \u2018thought detective\u2019 with your child<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Often, we can believe worried thoughts are true. But there are often more realistic ways to look at the situation. You can ask questions to help your child come up with alternative ways of thinking about the upcoming parade. Could the feelings be re-framed as excitement? Or freedom from uniforms or usual school clothes? You can also help your child understand what to expect. This might assist with worries they will be the only kid in a costume or that they won\u2019t know what to do.<\/p>\n

3. Encourage your child to take small steps<\/strong><\/h4>\n

You want to encourage your child to be\u00a0slightly out of their comfort zone<\/a>, but not completely overwhelmed. Maybe it\u2019s wearing their normal clothes and holding a picture of a character from a book. Perhaps it\u2019s a hat or mask? Perhaps they feel brave enough to wear a costume, but not do the parade. Of course, if they get to school and feel ready to do the parade, then encourage them to do so. By\u00a0facing fears<\/a>, it gives children a chance to experience whether their worries come true or not. And, often, worries don\u2019t come true.<\/p>\n

4. Use rewards to help motivation<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Rewards<\/a>\u00a0help motivate children to do things they might not otherwise want to do. Rewards could be stickers, food treats, a small toy, high fives or some special time together. Your child might be willing to do the parade if they know that they will get extra special time with you. This could be time playing a favourite game, going to the park with you, or time together reading a favourite book.<\/p>\n

5. Practise calming strategies<\/strong><\/h4>\n

When a child feels anxiety in their body, they will experience physical sensations. This may mean they feel like they want to run away from the situation, freeze or even have an emotional outburst. This might happen before going to school or at the time of the parade. Parents can help kids by using calming strategies, such as taking\u00a0big breaths<\/a>\u00a0or counting.<\/p>\n

Treatment for anxiety in kids<\/strong><\/h3>\n

If anxiety keeps interfering with your child\u2019s life, there are\u00a0treatments<\/a>\u00a0that can help to reduce symptoms. It can be worth talking to a professional to get them early support.<\/p>\n

You can get support from the school counsellor, your GP, a private psychologist or even an\u00a0online treatment program<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Parents<\/a>\u00a0and carers are important people in children\u2019s lives.\u00a0How you react<\/a>\u00a0to your child\u2019s anxiety can really help them as they grow and develop.<\/p>\n

Author Bio:<\/strong> Frances Doyle is a Senior Lecturer in Clinical Psychology at Western Sydney University<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Book Week\u00a0is here again. Around Australia, parents of primary school-aged children are coming up with costumes, so their kids can take part in parades. Some kids are going to love wearing costumes and showing them off to classmates and teachers. But, what if after all that effort, your child doesn\u2019t want to wear their costume? […]\n… learn more→<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15645],"tags":[430342],"coauthors":[11733],"class_list":["post-69439","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-education","tag-book-week"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nIt\u2019s Book Week but your child is too anxious to take part. 5 expert tips to save the day - World leading higher education information and services<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/world.edu\/its-book-week-but-your-child-is-too-anxious-to-take-part-5-expert-tips-to-save-the-day\/\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"It\u2019s Book Week but your child is too anxious to take part. 5 expert tips to save the day - World leading higher education information and services\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Book Week\u00a0is here again. 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