Worry Wise Group Activity

My second graders discussed Julia Cook's Wilma Jean Worry Machine that talks about many different common worries. In the book she encourages writing down worries and putting them in a "worry hat." I prefer to have the members write their worries on a worry tree. We talk about what is currently worrying them and when they start thinking "what if" thoughts about their anxieties they can imagine just hanging them on their worry tree.  Most of the members quickly identified and wrote down 5 worries and marked them with a glitter leaf. They also each wrote one worry they used to have (marked with a bird) that no longer concerns them (it flew out of their mind).  They can take these home and share their worries with a trusted adult.