The Very Hungry Worry Monsters

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Worry Monsters are used to help children who have suffered from abuse, neglect, or other serious problems, to resolve their worries, and they're very popular with children. For an even better way to find KS1 resources, discover tailored suggestions, and much more - visit the KS1 resource HUB! GO TO KS1 HUB

You may well have heard of worry monsters – but have you heard about the many ways you can use them? Sometimes having a lot of worries whirling around in our minds can escalate them and make them seem worse than they are. There are a few worry monster picture books around, but definitely my favorite that I’ve seen is The Very Hungry Worry Monsters, by Rosie Greening. Express their feelings by writing them on a paper (they can also make a drawing, or you can help them write it down) These pebbles can become a permanent feature whenever you feed the worry monster. 4. Scavenger Hunt – What Can We Feed It

Use examples of kids who may be mean or bossy at school to illustrate the idea of the worry monster in their head. Just as you would walk away from the bully at school, and not listen to them, you do not have to listen to the one in your head. Naming the Worry Monster By understanding a child's worries, you can then do more to help them manage their worries and concerns. Worry dolls are one great option for bedtime, and I’ve written a whole article about different strategies you can employ with worry dolls, that you can read here. For all of us, dealing with worry required lots of repeated thinking about key issues. 8. Homemade Stress Ball Monsters What you actually feed the worry monster can add an extra element of interest and engagement for the children.

I saw someone convert a simple basket into a worry monster. All they did was to paint some teeth around the upper rim of the wooden basket. This made it look as if a monster had its mouth open wide to the ceiling. In October of last year, I introduced the worry monster to the children. I explained that if the children were worried about something or they wanted to tell me something and were afraid/didn’t want to tell me in front of others, they could write a worry and put it in the worry box. I explained that I would read the worries after school each day and we could then decide what to do next. After a few weeks, the worry box became part of the classroom – children began to realise that telling tales were not dealt with (unless they were serious) and so began to use the worry box in a more sensible way. Introduce it to the children. Then pass round some kind of simple object for the children to put in its mouth. It could be some wood slices, for example.Once your child has named their worry monster, have them draw a picture of what they imagine it looks like. Encourage them to be creative and take their time, adding colors and details. Below is the worry monster, Sam, that my daughter drew in second grade. Hang this image in a visible location, reminding everyone in the home that the worry monster is the anxiety, not your child. For a child, it is normal to experience worry, particularly as they begin to explore the world and develop their own sense of identity. Children may worry about many different things, and whilst these worries might seem harmless to us as adults, they can cause a child a great deal of distress. Sometimes these worries can be so upsetting that it can affect their day-to-day activities, making them harder to carry out or enjoy. For example, they might be worried about an upcoming test at school which may lead them to want to avoid attending, or they may be concerned about a friend’s upcoming birthday party. Simply create some kind of worry monster. My friend Kelly’s daughter made one that looked like this: Park feelings or emotions that they may not be able to cope with at the present moment until they are ready to deal with them.

The idea behind all these activities is not that convince children that worries don’t exist. Far from it! It is more to get them to think about and process worry in a logical way. And then start a story. The way to include worry in the story, is to get the children to visualise something their worried about, and somehow trap the worry.

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For some children – just writing the worry was enough, for others they needed a minute or two with me to chat through something (I usually spoke to them quietly at my desk while correcting their copy or brought them outside while the other children were working.) It’s a good idea to use the worry monster pretty soon after the hunt for added motivation and engagement. 5. Make A Worry Monster Then you can ceremonially place the pictures into the mouth of the worry monster, maybe talking them through as you do so. For an even better way to find KS2 resources, discover tailored suggestions, and much more - visit the KS2 resource HUB! GO TO KS2 HUB