Anxiety: typically defined as a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease. Sometimes children experience anxiety, and as educators of Vancouver preschool and daycare, we do our best to help them manage those feelings.
What can you do as a parent to help your anxious child?
Create a safe space to calm down
One strategy to help little ones deal with big emotions is to dedicate a safe space to calming down and regulating feelings. During a frustrating moment, you can suggest going to this cozy corner to calm down. The space can include things like blankets, pillows, stuffed animals, and sensory toys (e.g. fidget toys) to help them relax.
Explain to the child with anxiety that this is a comfy place they can go to whenever they are overwhelmed or frustrated, and gradually, they will get better at recognizing when they need to calm down and how to do so. We make our Vancouver child care centres feel as comfortable and cozy as possible for toddlers, helping them to feel safe and relaxed even when they’re away from home.
Maintain routines
Children often feel and cooperate better when they understand routines and what comes next in their day. They know what to expect and aren’t caught off guard by an activity.
You might find using visual aids that give an order of events for everyday routines is helpful for their understanding. Creating and keeping a routine for mornings, bed-times, meal times and more can make your toddler feel at ease in the comfort of predictability.
Coping strategies: breathing exercises and movement
Common anxiety strategies are deep breathing and exercise — because they work. There are plenty of simple breathing tools you can find tutorials for online, such as “balloon breathing” (imagining your belly is a balloon filling up with air). Stretching and exercise can also help relax us through mindful movements. Our Vancouver child care includes yoga and other activities to introduce mindfulness to little ones’ lives.
Ideally, teach and practise breathing and physical movements during calm moments, when emotions aren’t high. This makes it easier to tap into these strategies when they need them most.
Teach them about emotions
Be open in your communication about feelings. Teach them about different emotions — including negative emotions like anxiety — to help them put a name to their feelings, understand that it’s normal to not feel okay sometimes, and recognize when they are feeling not so great. This greater understanding helps them with regulating their negative emotions.
Visual aids can help with teaching emotions. For example, cue cards that list different emotions with corresponding facial expressions. You can also make use of a “feelings chart” that maps out emotions for your child with anxiety.
Stories are also a wonderful way to teach emotions and self-regulation. Introduce narratives about feeling negatively and calming down from negative feelings. Explain to them how they can apply those strategies in their life when they are feeling down or stressed out. At our Vancouver daycares, we do our best to teach kids about the different emotions through engaging activities and stories, so they can self-regulate.
In conclusion:
Anxiety is a powerful emotion that we all experience in different doses. Children, even toddlers and infants, are not immune to anxiety. When they experience these feelings, they can apply simple coping strategies to help them relax, such as breathing techniques and going to a cozy, “calm-down” corner. At our daycares near you, we know how important it is to talk to children about emotions and help them recognize feelings and cope with them.
Although all children experience anxiety, sometimes these feelings are more than the typical amount and do require additional support. If your child is frequently having intense outbursts that they don’t outgrow or consistently struggling to overcome minor setbacks, you may want to consider reaching out for support from therapists, child psychologists, school counsellors or other specialists.
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Rainforest Learning Centre Vancouver child care centres are located in North Vancouver, Langley and Coquitlam and serve the surrounding areas of Upper Lonsdale, Central Lonsdale, Metro Vancouver, Burnaby, North Burnaby, New Westminster, Surrey and White Rock. We offer Vancouver group daycare, all-day preschool for ages 2 1/2 to 5, infant and toddler care for ages 1 to 3, half-day preschool for ages 3 to 5, and before- and after-school care for ages 5 to 12. Learn more here.