Helping Kids Handle Worry During the Pandemic

*Products mentioned in this post are not sponsored but something I found very helpful and wanted to share*

Worry is natural when you face the unknown.  Regardless of your age or even your experience, the unknown is scary.  A change in your routine makes you feel unbalanced.   This is especially true for kids.  While kids are resilient, this isn’t to say that the sudden changes of the current pandemic going on doesn’t affect them.   How do we, as parents help?  After all, this is a first for us too.

Understanding that kids feel the pandemic stress too is the first place to start in understanding why they may be more clingy or reverting to behaviors from earlier in childhood such as bedwetting, tantrums, or thumb sucking.  There are things that can help though, such as talking with them about how they’re feeling.  Finding a new hobby or way to be creative can help them focus on something positive.  It’s been proven that for kids and adults exercise is very beneficial when it comes to not only physical health but mental health as well. It seems hard right now, but perseverance through this is building kids grit and will make them stronger.

Now that school will be starting back, I wanted to find a way to help ease the kid’s concern about going back with mask, and sadness about not getting to visit with old teachers or interact with friends as much.  It’s going to be different than prior years and I don’t want their worry and fears to contribute any more than what it already is to their learning process.

I follow Vickle Pickle Boutique on Instagram and saw that she was offering “worry stones” for kids that come in adorable tin containers.   The best part was she not only had one for girls but boys as well.

Worry Stones from Vickle Pickle Boutique

 

I decided to get one for each kid as something small they’d be able to carry with them as a reminder that things will be ok.  They were so surprised when they opened them and read the message inside.  I thought they would like them, but their reaction was so much sweeter than I anticipated.

My six-year-old will stick his in his pocket when he’s having a bad morning so he remembers that he doesn’t need to worry, things will turn around.   I only know this because one day he had gotten mad and was sitting on the couch huffing when he reached in his pocket and pulled out the stone feeling it with his hands.

My daughter, who is very analytical and very much an overthinker which then sometimes leads to worry and fear has found that it’s a small reminder to stop letting worry in.  She’s nine, but sometimes her little brain seems much older in the things it contemplates.  She likes to hold hers, or carry it with her so that she says ‘when I’m not feeling too happy so it reminds me to smile.’

I love the stones because they are not only pretty, as well as small, but can be stuck in a bag or backpack easier than a stuffed animal or blanket.  If you’re looking for a small reminder for your child, I think that this is definitely worth checking out and it’s something they can have for a long time than will mean something even beyond this pandemic and childhood.

If you’d like to hear more about the story behind the stones, check out “Woman Starts Vickle Pickle Gratitude Stone Business” from Staten Island Advance.

Don’t forget to check out Vickle Pickle Boutique on Instagram!  Also, she has Gratitude Stones that are great gifts for everyone!