Solutions to Support Children with Anxiety

1. Ask Your Primary Care Provider (PCP)

Check in with your pediatrician, especially if your child is frequently absent for illness or complains about physical problems like stomachaches or headaches.

Learn how to bring up a concern.

2. Find a Mental Health Professional

A mental health professional can help you to understand how anxiety is impacting your child. Some children also benefit from talking through worries with a mental health professional or from medication to make symptoms more manageable.

Learn how to choose a mental health provider to work with your family (guide) (podcast).

3. Listen, Validate and Normalize

Listen to your child’s feelings without interrupting. You can show empathy by letting your child know that a lot of people feel worries.

Learn why this is important.

4. Make A Plan

Work with your child to identify times when they are anxious and label them. Then help your child to come up with a plan for what they can do when they feel anxious.

Learn more about how teamwork and plans work.

5. Create Structure

Structure can help children know what to expect and helps them to feel in control. Structure also helps parents and caregivers to stick with expectations and avoid power struggles.

Learn more about creating structure or join a Behavior Chat program to learn parenting tools for your 0-6 year-old.

6. Teach Coping Skills and Healthy Living

Coping skills, like breathing, yoga, and creative arts can help children to manage anxiety symptoms. Healthy living (sleep, diet, and exercise) can also help reduce anxiety symptoms.

Learn some coping skills you can use with your child, try a new coping tool for yourself or listen to a podcast about sleep habits.

7. Practice and Model Self-Care

Parents and caregivers who practice self-care benefit in two ways. First, these adults have more energy to help their children cope with anxiety. Second, they model how to cope with stress.

Learn why self-care is important or join a Share and Support Group program and take time for yourself.

8. Reflect on Your Own Anxious Thoughts

Research has shown that anxious parents are more likely to have anxious kids, which is why it’s important to consider your own patterns of anxiety. When caregivers get help to manage anxiety in their own lives, it can help children too.

To find a mental health provider who can help you, look at the “Caregiver Centered Care” section of our provider directory, or request an Ask Us 1:1 session with a Connecting for Kids Family Resource Specialist.

9. Keep School Communication Open