Little Tin of Teenage Worries

In addition to the popular Little Tin of Big Worries also available is the Little Tin of Teenage Worries aimed specifically at teenagers and the issues they face. The cards address 70 common teenage worries grouped into seven main areas:

1. Social Networking:

   • Concerns about online bullying
   • The pressure to have a certain number of followers or friends
   • Balancing screen time with real-life interactions

2. Peer Pressure:

   • Decisions about alcohol and drug use
   • Feeling pressured to engage in risky behaviors
   • Coping with peer expectations

3. Personal Issues:

   • Dealing with acne or body image concerns
   • Coping with constant tiredness and stress
   • Managing financial worries

4. The World Around:

   • Fears related to violence or crime in the community
   • Worries about personal safety
   • Coping with stranger danger

5. Home and Family:

   • Adjusting to parents' divorce or separation
   • Coping with a parent losing their job
   • Balancing responsibilities at home

6. Relationships:

   • Challenges in finding a boyfriend or girlfriend
   • Dealing with falling out with a friend
   • Coping with a breakup

7. Career and Working Life:

   • Fears about choosing the right college or university
   • Worries about job prospects
   • Navigating interviews and public speaking

There are also seven strategy cards with ideas on how to handle the concerns and to help players decide on an appropriate way to tackle each individual worry. The strategies are:

1. Can I ask someone for help?
2. Are there any positives to this?
3. Do I have all the facts or do I need more information?
4. How likely is this to happen?
5. Is it my worry or does it belong to someone else?
6. Is there anything I can do to stop this happening?
7. Let it go

To use the Little Tin of Teenage Worries lay the seven Solution Cards out on the table and discuss the meaning of each. Then place the Worry Cards in a pile face down and the players take it in turns to pick up the top card, discuss the worry, and decide on which Solution Card is the most relevant.

These cards are ideal for a range of establishments in addition to schools and colleges as although they cover everyday issues that all teenagers face, carefully selected cards can also be used to tackle a variety of mental health problems. The cards can be used with an individual student who is suffering from anxiety or for groups asking each student to find the best solution to the worry. What also works well is to pair up the students with one being the ‘worrier’ and the other being the ‘adviser’. You could also have a third person being an ‘observer’ who listens and makes notes and reports back to the rest of the class. There are teachers’ notes to explain these different uses of the cards.

Contents: 70 worry cards, 7 solution cards, teachers’ notes

Ages 11-19