H is probably going to be a worrier like me. I’m really bad at talking about my problems until I hit THAT point, then there’s no stopping me. Unfortunately this means that often I’ll mention something and I’m sure my friends think I’m moaning… but hey.

Anyway, H seems to also be like me and with school on the horizon and her nursery days spent having best friends then not any more (god, she’s SO like me), and occasional days when she really doesn’t want to tell me what’s wrong, I decided that we’d make some worry dolls. I then worried about this – of course – as she’s very very young, but my rational thinking was that if she had something she’d express her worries to, then this was a good thing emotionally.

So we kept it simple. She’s got plenty of craft supplies so we raided the lolly stick collection. We selected one of each colour and got her sticker collection out too. Then it was a case of naming them – now, she can’t read but I can; she has a good memory, I don’t. So I wrote their names on each stick.

We both drew faces on them and added a sticker to try to personalise them a bit before I got an old Innocent Smoothies carton and cut it down to size, then found some fabric scraps (a nice red with sparkly spots on) and covered the box – the dolls live there.

That was it. Nothing too fancy, and everything we  had around. I then demonstrated how I’d tell a ‘doll’ one of my worries and place it in the box, (I think I was worried that Peppa Pig might not come on tv in time or something) and H followed, mentioning friends at nursery and how worried she was they wouldn’t be her friend any more (SOB!). But it was good – she wouldn’t talk to me about it (and just wanted cuddles), but wanted to share her problems with her worry doll.

It’s an easy one to do anyway. More importantly, H understands what they’re there for – and if she can’t talk to me, hopefully she’ll share her worries with these…