How to Help a Child with Social Anxiety?

The story “Teacher Helped Moon When She Felt Scared in Class” is for kids aged 4 to 10. In this story, we see how Moon’s teacher helps her when she feels scared in class. This story is a great way to help children with social anxiety understand that they are not alone and can handle any situation.

 

Social anxiety in children is often misunderstood for shyness, being introverted, etc. As parents, teachers or caretakers it is very important for us to understand the causes and to spot the signs and symptoms. Social anxiety in children could manifest as constant worry about performing, going to school, interacting with peers/ teachers, attending social events, being the center of attention, etc. We should try to help them through this phase with love and patience, rather than by punishing or scolding.

A Quick Look Inside


social-anxiety-story-for-kidsReading stories like this can help children understand how others experience difficult situations.

Children are naturally social creatures, but sometimes they experience feelings of anxiety in social situations. The story shows how a teacher can help a child feel less scared and more at ease in class.  

This book also comes with some quick tips which kids can use in their daily lives to handle social anxiety. 


Symptoms of Social Anxiety/ Phobia

As per psychologists and therapists occurrence of a couple of symptoms for a certain period of time (usually six months) could hint at social anxiety in a child. Some of these symptoms are:

  • Intense discomfort and fear in social situations or about upcoming performances/ events due to fear of being judged.
  • Being the center of attention feels overwhelming, makes them overly self-conscious and causes too much stress and anxiety. So, they avoid such situations altogether or get distressed in such situations.
  • The fear of humiliation or judgement is out of proportion, and they have too many negative thoughts/ expectations.
  • Excessive fear and anxiety hinder day-to-day activities and quality of life.

Read our post on social anxiety to understand all about it, spot the symptoms and to know how to support.

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