Tackle Childhood Anxiety with These Anxiety Scenarios for Students 

Rueben’s dad is late picking him up from soccer practice. He is feeling anxious that his dad might have forgotten about him.

What might Rueben be feeling?
How might his body feel?
What could Rueben do to manage his anxiety?

The situation above is one example of many scenarios that can cause children to feel anxious on an everyday basis. Worries about making a mistake, rejection, hurt, vulnerability, and being afraid… can be commonplace for children.

This set of task cards has been created by a dedicated team of educators to help explore these anxiety-evoking situations with your students in your social-emotional learning lessons. Through a series of guided questions, students can reflect upon each situation and brainstorm how the character at the center of the scenario might manage their anxiety.

One Resource… Many Applications!

Use these task cards to enhance learning through whole-class lessons, group activities, or independent reflection.

Whole-class Discussion

Display the task cards on your interactive whiteboard. Use guiding questions to promote exploration of each scenario, such as:

• Has anyone ever been in this situation before?
• How did the situation make you feel?
• How did you deal with your feelings?

You might like to use a prop that can be passed around to indicate whose turn it is to contribute to the discussion.

Group Drama Activity

Divide the class into groups and provide each group with a task card. Have the students develop, rehearse, and present a group roleplay that summarizes the scenario and includes strategies for how the character in the scenario might manage their anxiety.

Individual Reflection

Encourage the students to add an additional card to the pack by writing about a scenario that made them feel anxious. Students could share these with the class if they feel comfortable in doing so.

Easily Prepare This Resource for Your Students

Use the dropdown icon on the Download button to choose between the PDF or Google Slides version of this resource.

Print on cardstock for added durability and longevity. Place all pieces in a folder or large envelope for easy access. 

To keep the task cards out of pockets or under desks, punch a hole in the corner of each to place them on a binder ring. 

Looking to further explore anxiety (and how to deal with it) with your students? We’ve got plenty more resources to support you in your lesson planning:

teaching resource Managing Anxiety Worksheet (Intermediate) Help older students identify and manage anxious feelings with this self-reflection and action plan worksheet. teaching resource Things I Can and Cannot Control – Sorting Activity Help students identify things in life they can and cannot control with this sorting activity. teaching resource What Is Anxiety? Poster Teach your students to understand and manage anxious feelings with this informative classroom display poster.