If you have a child who is constantly plagued by worries, you know how much anxiety can impact their day-to-day life. From food worries to first-day-of-school fears, anxiety can stop children from doing all the things they want to do. These 13 books will help your child understand their anxiety and learn strategies for managing it, as well as assuring them that they are not alone.
1. What to Do When You Worry Too Much by Dawn Huebner
Written for 6 to 12-year-old children, What to Do When You Worry Too Much is a self-help book that can guide your child through the process of overcoming anxiety.
Source: Amazon
2. What to Do When You’re Scared and Worried by James J. Crist
From explaining where worries come from to presenting coping strategies, What to Do When You’re Scared and Worried: A Guide for Kids can help kids 9 to 13-years-old handle their anxiety.
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3. Wilma Jean the Worry Machine by Julia Cook
A humorous children’s book written for 3 to 8-year-olds, Wilma Jean the Worry Machine addresses a range of worries that might be bothering your youngster, as well as offering some helpful strategies for parents and teachers.
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4. Sea Otter Cove by Lori Lite
Sea Otter Cove is a storybook that teaches children how to use diaphragmatic breathing to relax and calm down. It is aimed at children 6 to 12-years-old.
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5. A Boy and a Bear: The Children’s Relaxation Book by Lori Lite
From the author of Sea Otter Cove, A Boy and a Bear also introduces a calming breathing technique, but is written for younger children.
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6. Don’t Feed the WorryBug by Andi Green
In Don’t Feed the WorryBug, Wince, The Monster of Worry, learns how to keep his worries under control. With brightly colored illustrations and rhyming text, this story is sure to engage young children while helping them to understand their own worries.
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7. Justin Case by Rachel Vail
A humorous chapter book for early readers, Justin Case: School, Drool, and Other Daily Disasters follows a third-grader who is dealing with an overload of worries.
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8. Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes
Wemberly Worried introduces a young mouse who worries about everything, especially school. A good read for children 4 to 8-years-old who might be feeling anxious about school, or who just need to know that other children worry sometimes too.
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9. Ready… Set… R.E.L.A.X. by Jeffrey S. Allen
Aimed at children 5 to 13-years-old, Ready… Set… R.E.L.A.X. contains 66 scripts for guided visualizations, accompanying discussion questions, and suggested activities to help your child learn to calm down.
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10. When My Worries Get Too Big by Kari Dunn Buron
When My Worries Get Too Big is an easy-to-read picture book that offers young children strategies for calming themselves, as well as activities that parents and teachers can implement.
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11. Is Worry Worrying You? by Ferida Wolff
A picture book of silly, anxiety-creating scenarios, Is Worry Worrying You? introduces young readers to what worry means and how to creatively out-smart it.
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12. David and the Worry Beast by Anne Marie Guanci
An illustrated book aimed at kids 4 to 9 years of age, David and the Worry Beast introduces us to David and his anxieties. Join David as he learns to control the “worry beast.”
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13. Please Explain Anxiety to Me! by Laurie E. Zelinger
Please Explain Anxiety to Me! puts the biological and emotional factors behind anxiety in simple, easy-to-understand language and offers techniques that children can use to deal with their anxiety.
Source: Amazon
Which books helps your child calm down and feel anxiety-free?
YouTube Channel: StressFreeKids
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h/t Romper
