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The group will play a game in which they talk about how they would overcome fears.

Age range: 3-6

Theme Area: Coping with Fears

Learning Goals:
Children will think of ways to face a variety of fears.
Children will listen to others.
Children will learn that it's important to not give up when trying to accomplish a difficult task.

Materials Needed:
Paper
Scissors

Directions:
Invite a small group of children to join you to play a game called "In Your Dragon Shoes". Beforehand, cut shoe shapes out of construction paper. (Five shoes, plus one for each child). On five of the shoes, write one of the following situations:
Cassie has to sleep at her friends' house.
Max has to go to a new school for the first time.
Ord has to go into a dark cave.
Emmy loses her friends in a Knuckerhole.
Ord meets a beetle.

To play the game, place the cards down on the table. Pick a child to start the game. Have that child choose a card. Then read the words aloud to him. Say, "Now it's your turn to get into Cassie's dragon shoes. How would you feel if you were Cassie? What would make you feel better? What could your friends do to help you?"

Have children take turns choosing cards. Each child should tell how she would feel in those dragon shoes. Discuss what strategies might help someone overcome a similar fear.

When you're finished, take out the blank cards. On one, write the thing that you are most afraid of. Help children write about their fears on the other cards. Then swap cards.

Have children talk about how they would feel if they were in their friend's shoes.

Following Up:
Read books about overcoming fears, such as The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark by Jill Tomlinson, and Some Things Are Scary by Florence Parry Heide.
Ask children to act out ways that they might face the things that they are afraid of.

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