Worry jar worksheet

Looking for simple ways to help your child's worries and anxieties? This worry jar worksheet is a great place to start.

This practical tool helps your child to cope with their fears and worries and creates and opportunity to 'park' their concerns every day until they complete this activity. 

• Simply download and print this worry jar worksheet and ask your child to write down each of their worries in the spaces provided. 
• Once they have added each of the things that are causing them some concern and anxiety, ask them to put the sheet away, as you can return to this during ‘worry time’.   
• Schedule a period for your worry time. This is a period within the day that your child freely expresses their worries, and concerns. This way, thoughts and worries can seem much less overwhelming and can help them to manage their anxieties more effectively. Ask your child whether they prefer to spend their worry time alone, or with your support. 
• Reflect and accept: Identify which worries may have an immediate solution, and help them to explore their feelings around each of them. 
• Also encourage them to identify those worries that exist outside of their control. By helping them identify what they can and can’t change it will enable them to let go of worries about things that cannot be controlled. 
• You can encourage them to also use our gratitude journal to counterbalance their worries with positive thoughts.  

Worry jars are a great way for children to manage overwhelming worries and thoughts, and to gain perspective on what can and cannot be changed. The worry jar activity can be used to create a way of discarding their worries through labelling, reflection and acceptance.

When used alongside designated worry time, this worksheet can help your child park anxious thoughts and worries and manage the impact of stress more effectively.