Tips for Taking Anxious Children Out on Visits
Preparation is the key! The more you prepare your child, the easier it will be for them to deal with the new situation e.g. visiting the doctors, hospital, dentist, hairdressers, a party, shops, etc.
* Always visit yourself first to make assessments – you know your child best.
* Take photos of the place; staff; rooms your child will be visiting.
* If outdoors take photos of places; equipment, etc.
* Look at photos on a website if they have one e.g. theme park.
* Share photos with child and talk about what will happen.
* You could make up a social story or visual timetable to help explain what is going to happen.
* You could try role play, e.g. being a dentist and getting your child to open their mouths, etc.
* Watch progs of children visiting these places e.g. ‘Something Special’; ‘My Story’; ‘Down on the Farm’; ‘Get Well Soon’; ‘Let’s Celebrate’; ‘Topsy & Tim’; ‘Wooly & Tig’ from CBeebies website.
*Look at any books describing the event / place.
*Take photos while you are there as a reminder for your next visit.
*Think about your journey there and possibly plans for lunch and share with your child.
*Keep to your other routines as far as possible.
*You need to try and stay calm and consistent! Try not to let it show if you are worried too!
*Routine is important to children because they crave safety and security, so knowing that things are going to happen in a particular way makes them feel in control.
*As adults, we can deal with change better because we can anticipate what that change will be like by finding out everything we want to know about it beforehand, and by using our previous experiences to imagine what it will be like.
*Our children often don’t have the language and understanding to help them anticipate what the change will be like and only have very limited experiences to refer to, so even what seem like very small changes can turn their world upside-down.
Bereavement
The term ‘bereavement’ refers to the process of grieving and mourning and is associated with a deep sense of loss and sadness. It is a natural process; however, its effects can be overwhelming.
The normal grieving process consists of different stages:
*Shock/disbelief; Denial/anger; Bargaining/depression;
*Growing awareness and Acceptance
*Everyone copes with these stages in a different way.
There are many agencies who can support at this difficult time; view the following websites.
Bereavement Websites
Gingerbread – Support for Single Parents
Turn 2 Us – Benefits, Grants, Financial Advice
Useful Books for Children with General Growing Up Issues
Everybody Poos by Taro Gomi – This children’s book has a no-nonsense approach to the bodily function to encourage children not to be ashamed about potty training. ISBN-13: 978-1845072582
Growing Up – Its science! – It’s science is a series of books that introduces children to the science that surrounds them in their everyday world. A simple, friendly text works closely with top-quality photography to open up a new area of learning. ISBN-13: 978-0516264486
Hair in Funny Places by Babette Cole – Girls and boys are always curious and sometimes even alarmed by the behaviour of their bodies as they grow up. Puberty being a particularly unsettling time, ISBN 0-224-04763-9
Mummy Never Told Me by Babette Cole – What are tummy buttons for, and how do they get there? What does the tooth fairy really look like? Why do grown-ups have hair in their ears and up their noses, but sometimes none on their heads? Why do Mummy and Daddy lock you out of their bedroom, and where do they go at night? ISBN 0-224-07001-0
Mummy Laid an Egg! by Babette Cole – Mum and Dad decide it’s time they told the children about the facts of life. ISBN 978-0-099-29911-0
Everybody Poos by Taro Gomi – This children’s book has a no-nonsense approach to the bodily function to encourage children not to be ashamed about potty training. ISBN-13: 978-1845072582
Growing Up – Its science! – It’s science is a series of books that introduces children to the science that surrounds them in their everyday world. A simple, friendly text works closely with top-quality photography to open up a new area of learning. ISBN-13: 978-0516264486
Hair in Funny Places by Babette Cole – Girls and boys are always curious and sometimes even alarmed by the behaviour of their bodies as they grow up. Puberty being a particularly unsettling time, ISBN 0-224-04763-9
Mummy Never Told Me by Babette Cole – What are tummy buttons for, and how do they get there? What does the tooth fairy really look like? Why do grown-ups have hair in their ears and up their noses, but sometimes none on their heads? Why do Mummy and Daddy lock you out of their bedroom, and where do they go at night? ISBN 0-224-07001-0
Mummy Laid an Egg! by Babette Cole – Mum and Dad decide it’s time they told the children about the facts of life. ISBN 978-0-099-29911-0
Bad Habits by Babette Cole – Lucretzia Crum is a little monster with big bad habits. Now she wants to have a birthday party. But all the big monsters turn up and they’re really, really bad! ISBN 0-14-056451-9
The Bad Good Manners Book by Babette Cole – Good manners, bad manners, no manners at all! Babette Cole’s hilarious tips on being an angel – or a little devil. ISBN 0-14-055480-7
The Silly Slimy Smelly Hairy Book – by Babette Cole – Here is Babette Cole at her hilarious best in a rollicking uproarious book containing four of her most zany titles. ISBN 0-224-04767-1
The Un-Wedding by Babette Cole – Stuck with problem parents who can’t stand each other? Think it’s your fault? Don’t know what to do about it? The beleaguered brother and sister in The Un-Wedding orchestrate a deliciously satisfying solution to these common domestic difficulties. ISBN 0-679-88898-5