Scared and Brave for Halloween Week

6-C on their way to the Parade!

Halloween week seemed like a good one to address the topic of being scared and worried.  Children of all ages get scared to some degree; what is important is that they know how to express and talk about the feelings that result.  With 6-C,  I read the book, Sometimes I'm Scared, and used "Onionhead" feeling cards to talk about such feelings as sad, lonely, and nervous and then their opposites: happy, outgoing, and safe.  The book addresses common childhood fears such as being scared of the dark, a thunderstorm, or a spider.  Kids hear that they are not alone in their fears and that there are concrete ways to feel better.  It also addresses one's imagination and how that can "take over" and cause stress by imagining things are worse than they really are.  We went through seven steps to take to feel better:

1. Understand your feelings
2. Practice mindful breathing
3. Picture happy things in your mind (replacing the scary ones)
4. Pretend to be what scares you (a dog, big gusts of wind)
5. Think positive or encouraging thoughts to gain control of the fear
6. Take small steps (get used to something that scares you a little bit at a time)
7. Talk to your parents because "they know a lot about understanding feelings and how imaginations work."

A common fear expressed by the class was being afraid of the dark, and their solutions were to use a nightlight or a bathroom light to feel "peaceful and relaxed."

6-C Girls Feeling Brave on Halloween!