Back to school students go with a new normal. Prior to COVID-19, The Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention estimated that ⅕ children would be diagnosed with a mental health disorder annually. More than ever, mental health is a concern for children especially due to the aftermath of the pandemic. As a result, families have lost their homes and jobs. Children were isolated more than ever while also in some cases taking on more responsibilities within the household caring for siblings and trying to navigate the new expectations of schools while learning skills through a screen. Unpredictability and uncertainty have haunted our students through this last school year causing an increase in anxiousness and worrisome feelings.
Parents and educators could benefit from the following activity. The purpose of this exercise is that in any challenging situation, there are components we can control and others we cannot control. Anxiety and nervousness frequently come up when we focus disproportionately on the parts we can’t control while neglecting to think about the things we actually can change. This is a simple activity to help students identify what is and is not in their control. It would be a good idea to print these cards out and laminate them so the child can write “Can or Cannot'' at the top. Understanding whether or not you can control something can be helpful for kids with anxiety, anger, distractibility, motivation, or other concerns.
Click the card image below for (26) Free reusable cards.
