This week is Children’s Mental Health Week (7-13 February 2022).

Here are a recommended list of books to explore with your child if they are experience any worries or anxieties.

Wherever Jenny goes, her worries follow her — in a big blue bag. They are there when she goes swimming, when she is watching TV, and even when she is in the toilet. Jenny decides they will have to go. But who can help her? A great book to use with anxious children as it helps sort worries through and make them seem more manageable. It emphasizes that we all have worries and what to do about them.

Little Bear is a worrier. He worries about everything! But with Mama Bear’s help, he soon learns his worries are not so big after all.
Through this engaging and beautifully illustrated story, children will learn that everyday worries and fears can be overcome. It just takes a willingness to share with a helpful listener, and an understanding that making mistakes is how we learn.
Also included are helpful Discussion Questions for parents, caregivers and educators, and extra hints to help children manage anxiety.

A fantastic book to help children understand what actually happens in their brain when they experience anxiety. Kids can do amazing things with the right information. Understanding why anxiety feels the way it does, and where the physical symptoms come from, is a powerful step in turning anxiety around. This book is an amazing resource for kids 5 years and above who feel anxious and overwhelmed by those feelings.