This teacher and counselor activity guide is designed to accompany the My Anxiety is Messing Things Up chapter book, an empowering story about managing and overcoming stress and worry.
The guide includes text from the story, along with clarifying and probing questions and suggested activities. The questions and activities allow you to support readers as they identify their own anxieties and learn healthy coping strategies.
The story centers around Oscar, a young boy wracked with worry.
He’s so afraid of falling short of expectations or disappointing his parents, his teachers and his pals, he can’t sleep. He tosses and turns every night. The more sleep he loses, the moodier and more irritable he becomes. Exhausted and stressed, Oscar lashes out at his best buddies. Now his anxiety is topped with feelings of guilt and shame.
When a caring teacher notices Oscar’s distress, she invites him to join a special, discreet group for students who struggle with anxiety. What will he do? Is Oscar too embarrassed to seek help, or is he so tired of being tired, he’ll try anything for some sleep and relief?
My Anxiety is Messing Things Up chapter book and counselors guide are from author and school counselor Jennifer Licate, whose popular Navigating Friendships series also includes I Lost My BFF, He’s Not Just Teasing!, and Am I Weird?
About the Author
JENNIFER LICATE is an award-winning children’s author who has worked as a school counselor for more than a decade. She currently splits her time between two schools, enjoying the dynamic of working with children from kindergarten through grade 12. Counseling children of all ages (as well as raising two kids of her own) has taught Jennifer a universal truth: all children want to be loved, valued, and respected for the unique individuals they are. She channels this truth and her love of counseling and creativity into captivating stories that help children navigate the challenges of growing up. She is the author of several popular titles and activity guides, including He’s Not Just Teasing!, I Lost My BFF, and Am I Weird? These storybooks comprise her award-winning Navigating Friendships series which feature compelling young characters who are learning how to fit in, overcome fears, and find inner strength.
Published by Boys Town Press
ISBN: 978-1-944882-90-7