April 2011 Issue April 2011 Issue | Page 6

The Anxious Child

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Have your child go to a separate room to get you something like a book for story time. Increase the time of separation by having them color a picture or draw a picure in their room. Once the child has comfort in the above excercise, have the child go outside in the backyard or patio to get a toy then increase the difficulty to drawing a picture.Have your child visit relatives and leave for only 10 minutes and come back. Keep increasing the time slowlyGo to a group for parent and tots. The first couple of times stay by your child, then take a timer and tell your child that you will step 10 steps away from them for 2 minutes. Increase the time slowly.Remember these exercises are hard for your child. It is a good idea to set up a rewards chart giving points for achieving goals and a toy or special time with mom at the end of the week.Just a note that when children are under great stress like going to school, these skills may not be immediately transferable to the classroom. Doing these exercises will make the transition to separating from mom go much faster. There will be set backs and be prepared to step back and try again.

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Exercises for Independence

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