Worry dolls are one of my favorite culture lessons for the little ones. It allows for some personal connections and relationship building, and also brings a little magic into the classroom. I have used worry dolls with kids in K-4, and as a brief cultural lesson for the older kids (usually when talking about good luck and anxiety, particularly before quizzes.)
We talk about the Guatemalan tradition of worry dolls and how they are used, and then create our own on paper. (Although much of this cultural lesson is in English, most classes can understand the basics in Spanish... and they know the animal words necessary to understand when I tell them about my childhood fear of dogs!) Kids decorate their dolls, and write what they are worried or scared about on the back of each doll. We hide all the dolls together somewhere in the classroom, and check on them the next day. Sometimes they just disappear with all our worries... and sometimes there is a note in their place that tells each student "¡No te preocupes!" (Sometimes these notes are even in color... it depends on how much time the worry dolls had, and if they could use a color printer. Worry dolls apparently don't get a lot of prep periods, either.)
Especially in the older classrooms, the students almost always are convinced that I took the dolls - but most of them say that it made them feel a little better, anyway. Students write in their culture journals comparing this tradition to the ways their own families comfort them when they are sad.
Depending on your students, I would caution against extended group sharing what students are scared of. I always focus on sharing what makes us feel better when we are scared - not the things that scare us. (Why have these kiddos seen so many scary movies?) Back in Detroit, this lesson led to at least one referral to child protective services, based on the troubling fears one kindergartner expressed. This can be a very real window into your students' lives - and not everything there is pretty.
Some resources:
- My simple worry doll templates - for students to make their own in class. (4 per page.)
- I bought my worry dolls at Ten Thousand Villages, but there are other fair trade options available. (For example, from the Hunger Site.)
- El Misterio de los Muñecos Quitapenas - Article (beginning and advanced versions) and related media from the wonderful Veinte Mundos magazine.
- Worry Dolls - Article in English (to send to parents) with instructions to make your own at home.
- Silly Billy - A sweet book (in English) about worry dolls. (Find a review and preview from Alexandra Asophie here.)
