Returning to school as the pandemic stretches on may spark anxiety in young students, but there are approaches parents can use to build children’s resilience. Stanford Children’s Health pediatric and adolescent psychologist Elizabeth Reichert, PhD, talks about how parents can help ensure that budding students of any age — from preschool to high school — are ready to handle anxieties as the school year begins. Read more ›
The young teen years are a ripe time for forming friendships. It’s an age when kids are particularly focused on peer relationships and social status, developing their sense of identity and social skills. Read more ›
For those children that struggle with anxiety in school, in particular, school closures provided a natural escape from having to face their fears. Many with performance anxiety found temporary relief in the transition to open note testing and pass-fail grading systems, and those with social anxiety seized the opportunity to turn off their cameras and retreat from the classroom. Read more ›
Sensitive children are keen observers of the world, but tend to get overstimulated. They often live intense inner lives and are highly creative, but they are wary of new situations and of people they don’t know.
They also easily intuit the moods of others and feel their pain. This empathy draws their peers and sometimes even adults to confide in sensitive children. Later in life, they often go into helping professions like health care and counseling, where their natural gifts are put to good use. Read more ›
Raina wakes up one night with a terrible upset stomach. Her mom has one, too, so it’s probably just a bug. Raina eventually returns to school, but it soon becomes clear that Raina’s tummy trouble coincides with her worries about food, school, and changing friendships.
Dedicated to “anyone who feels afraid, Raina Telgemeier’s funny true story, written for children ages 8-12, is about how she gathered the courage to face — and conquer — her fears. Read more ›
Everyone worries or feels nervous from time to time. Anxiety is a normal human reaction to stressful situations. But for people with anxiety disorders, those fears and worries aren’t temporary. Their anxiety persists, and can even get worse over time. Read more ›
Magination Press was created out of a desire to publish innovative books that would help children deal with the many challenges and problems they face as they grow up.
Written for ages 4 through 18, these books deal with topics ranging from the everyday — starting school, shyness, normal fears, and a new baby in the house — to more serious problems, such as divorce, attention deficit disorder, depression, serious injury or illness, autism, trauma, death, and much more. Read more ›
Social anxiety disorder (also called social phobia) is a mental health condition. It is an intense, persistent fear of being watched and judged by others. This fear can affect work, school, and your other day-to-day activities. It can even make it hard to make and keep friends. But social anxiety disorder doesn’t have to stop you from reaching your potential. Treatment can help you overcome your symptoms. Read more ›
Fifteen million Americans suffer from a diagnosable form of social anxiety, and millions more suffer from less severe but related phobias. Anxiety can be debilitating for people when it starts to undermine their daily lives.
Ellen Hendriksen is a clinical psychologist, a researcher at Boston University’s Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders, and she’s also the author of How to be Yourself, a new book about the rise of social anxiety in America. Read more ›
The early weeks of a school year can rattle even the most self-assured kid — the swirl of new classes, teachers and tribes, and the pressure to try out new extracurriculars, sports and even personalities.
Tween and teen girls face an added challenge because their confidence is already plummeting during those years. Of course, puberty is a turbulent time for confidence in both genders. But girls experience a much more significant, dramatic drop. Read more ›
