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Can you imagine life without your worst fear??

Most children worry. A fun and easy way to help them process their fears and anxieties is a magazine collage, which takes virtually no time or preparation!

How to do it:

1) Collect magazines lying around your house, glue and/or tape, scissors, and a piece of plain paper.

2) Invite your child to draw a line down the middle of the paper. Tell your child that one side of the paper is about their life with their worries or fears, and the other side of the paper is about their life without their worries and fears.

3) Invite your child to flip through the magazines and cut out anything that reminds them about what their life is- or isn’t- like with their worries or fears, and then glue or tape the cut-outs on the appropriate side of the paper.

4) Be sure to tell your child that there isn’t a right or wrong way to do it, so they can be creative and have fun.

5) After your child is finished, invite him or her to tell you about their collage.

Try not to pry or ask invasive questions. Instead, be comforting, encouraging, and empathic with your child. You can also make your own collage about something you worry about, but be sure that is appropriate for your child to listen to (i.e. not marital troubles). You can use your own collage to discuss and role model how to manage your worries.

Source: Amy Wickstrom, PhD, Marriage and Family Therapist, Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor. The play therapy blog at More Than a Toy (www.morethanatoy.com/blog)