心配の戦士たち: 子どもの不安管理

This fun and empowering class is designed to help students learn about anxiety in a creative and light-hearted way. Students will engage with their worries and fears through play, story telling, creative writing, movement, art, and self-reflection. There will be no quizzes or tests. But, students will be given light homework each week to help take their learning out of the classroom and into their daily lives. 

We will start each week of class with a question in order to promote critical thinking and discussion amongst students. Lecture will be broken up with fun games, music, and other activities to keep kids engaged. Each child will be given a journal/workbook to go along with the course. Workbook pages will be given in sections to help children follow along with the class and stay present rather than jumping ahead. 

Week 1: What is Worry?
The first class will begin with student introductions and discussion based on the question "What is Worry?". Students will learn how to define, label, and recognize worry and anxiety in themselves and others. During the last portion of class, students will be asked to draw a picture of their personal "what if monster" and "worry warrior" in their journals. 

Week 2: Why Do We Worry?
Class will begin with students asking themselves "Why Do We Worry?" and discussing their answers as a group. Students will then receive a brief introduction to the human brain, limbic system, and fight, flight, or freeze response. Students will be given a creative writing exercise at the end of this class to help them process and express what they learned.

Week 3: Where are Worries Anyways?
Class will begin with the question, "Where are Worries Anyways?".  Students will be asked to contemplate the nature of worry and where it happens (first in their imagination then leading to physical sensations in the body).  After discussion,  students will learn about the human mind, examine their thinking processes, and discover ways to recognize and replace unhealthy thinking with positive, healthy self-talk. We will also discuss the mind-body connection, giving students a chance to reflect on how they experience anxiety in their bodies. 

Week 4: When Do Worries Happen?
Students will start class by discussing this week's question,  "When Do Worries Happen?".  Worries are about the future, but they happen in the present moment. Students will be introduced to mindfulness as a tool to stay present and reduce worry. They will learn deep breathing and movement exercises to help focus their mind and calm their bodies. 

Week 5: Who is the Worrier & Who is the Warrior?
Class will begin with discussion on the questions "Who is the Worrier?" and "Who is the Warrior?". Students will recognize that the one who worries and the one who overcomes the worry are both parts of themselves. They will learn how to listen to the worrier to recognize a problem and let the warrior take over and do the problem solving. Students will play a fun battle game with their "worrier" and "worry warrior" to help them process and integrate their learning. 

Week 6: How Do We Manage Worry?
The final class will begin with students sharing ways that they personally deal with their worries and discussing some of the coping skills they have learned throughout the course. Students will be empowered to create their own worry toolkit to help them remember to use their coping skills when they feel worried.