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Support referrals for children with anxiety has increased by 45% since the beginning of the pandemic. Experts predict that these increases will rise by a further 11% year on year for the next three years. How can you help your child to feel calm at home and relieve anxious thoughts and feelings? We’ve listed 12 ways below.  

1. Deep Breathing

Ask your child to put their hand on their belly and tell them that when they breathe in, their breath will push their hand out. Tell them to breathe in for a count of four, then hold their breath for a count of four. Then breathe out slowly through their nose.  

2. Create a Quiet Zone

Create a dedicated ‘quiet zone’ in your house. This can be a corner with books, cushions, blankets and teddies. When you child is feeling anxious or they want to remove themselves from an anxious situation, they can escape to their quiet zone.  

3. Positive Affirmations

We say affirmations as adults – there’s no reason why your children can’t too! Start with the obvious ‘I am calm,’ ‘I am brave,’ ‘I am strong,’ ‘I can overcome anything,’ – ask them to repeat after you or come up with their own!  

4. Lead by Example

Talk about mental health and your own feelings. Conversations go two ways, if you want your child to discuss their fears and emotions and be open with you, you need to do the same. Make the following question normal – ‘What did we worry about today and what can we do about it tomorrow?’  

5. Grounding

Grounding is a technique that allows a distressed child to ‘return to the room,’ by looking at objects around them or becoming more aware of their senses. You can find techniques online or in our ‘Panic Attacks,’ booklet.  

6. Cuddle

Perhaps the most obvious one to reassure any anxious child is cuddle often! Cuddles release feel good hormones and brain chemicals – it’s hard to be sad or worried when you feel safe in someone’s arms.  

7. Wind Down

Invest in the importance of winding down. Before bed time this is especially beneficial – put away screens and dim the lights, have some quiet time or do a mindfulness exercise before they go to sleep. Our ‘body scan’ exercise in our ‘Mindful Monsters,’ booklet is a great wind down exercise to in bed.  

8. Reach for a Teddy

We know that most children feel instantly calmed when cuddling their favourite teddy. Have your child tell their worries and fears to their teddy before bedtime.  

9. Ask Them What Helps

Every child is different and they may have something that makes them feel calm that you can do next time they are feeling anxious. Is it cuddling a teddy, painting, walking – explore the options and find their calm!  

10. Don’t Overload Them

Life is SO busy these days. Add in COVID and lockdown and it can be very overwhelming. Try not to overload their schedules. And if you try to talk to them about something but they don’t feel like it or they’re feeling tired – don’t force them! Take your lead from them.  

11. Reassure

But don’t sugar coat – be as up front with your child as possible and use simple, concise words they understand. Sugar coating or not explaining things properly can cause them to become even more confused. Let them know that you are their safe place and that they can talk with you openly without judgment.  

12. Talk Openly

Not just when the child is feeling anxious – but make talking about feelings a priority at all times. Talking openly about emotions and situations will mean a child will learn to be open with you when they are feeling distressed or anxious.   You can find resources to help with all of the above in the Be Happy Hub!  

Free World Mental Health Day Resources Free World Mental Health Day Resources for schools, parents, carers and more. If you support children, are a parent or work with children day in day out, Tuesday 10th October is World Mental Health Day – the perfect day to educate and support children in your care about their mental health. Why is World Mental Health Day important? Current stats show that we are in the grip of a children’s mental health epidemic, with an explosion in referrals for professional support over the last two years. With 1 in 4 adults currently experiencing mental health each year, now is the time to educate and support our young people. We have the knowledge and tools to improve the future of mental health. At Be Happy Resources, our aim is to help children learn the techniques to good mental health from a young age, so that they can grow up into confident and resilient adults able to manage life’s ups and downs. World Mental Health Day allows us all to realise the benefits of looking after our mental health and inspires us to live in a world where everyone has access to the tools and support they need. This year’s theme for World Mental Health Day is ‘mental health is a universal human right,’ which is all about creating a world where mental health is just as important as physical health. Every person deserves the right to be mentally healthy and access the tools and education to support their mental health. World Mental Health Day Worksheets and Colouring Sheets Help children in your care make their mental health a priority with our seven new free resources, and over 700 paid resources. Explore ways to look after their mental health and empower children to be their own mental health champions. And as we always say – mental health is a priority all year round, not just for World Mental Health Day. So make sure you sign up to access our library of resources from just £2.49 and be there for children 365 days a year. Free resources for teachers, parents, caregivers and those in support roles Take a look at our new resources below. For younger minds  I Can Look After My Mental Health Colouring A fun, free colouring sheet for World Mental Health Day! Help children think of all the ways they can look after their mental health whilst enjoying the mindful art of colouring in. I Can Look After My Mental Health – Two Activities in One! Two activities in one for younger children this World Mental Health Day. Help children learn how to look after their mental health from an early age! Activity One: Cut and paste – ask your children to cut out the actions and match up to the images – these are some the ways we can look after our mental health! Can they think of any others? Activity Two – Discussion Game (up to 7 players): Cut out the title squares and place face down on a table or surface, have each child turn over a square at random and spend time discussing how that action helps our mental health. Bonus points if they can talk about their own experiences! When I Feel Happy Vs When I Feel Sad Help young children explore the emotions of happy and sad – what do they look like when they feel happy or sad? Can you ask them to tell you what makes them feel happy and sad? Remember, all feelings are normal and valid! For older children World Mental Health Day Colouring – Brains Are Important Enjoy this free World Mental Health Day 2023 colouring sheet with an important reminder. Mental Health Is A Universal Right Worksheet This year’s theme is ‘Mental health is a universal human right.’ Let’s get young people thinking about how we can make mental health a priority across the world. My Mental Health Improvement Plan If you have a young person who is struggling, help them to fill in a Mental Health Improvement Plan. Get your pre-teens and teens thinking about areas where they can improve and look after their mental health. Our Mental Health Pledge Make a mental health pledge for your school, classroom, home or workplace this World Mental Health Day! Some examples of pledges could be:

• We promise to look out for each other, be kind to each other and be honest about our feelings.
• We pledge to make mental health a priority all year round, not just for World Mental Health Day!
• We pledge to support every child and staff member in our school and ensure their wellbeing is our top priority.

We have lots more resources for members! Care to join us? Check out a plan and start downloading straight away.