The Worry Sorting Activity: What Can I Control? is a free, printable anxiety pdf worksheet for children that helps young minds explore and manage their worries in a structured, visual, and empowering way. This child-friendly resource is designed to support emotional regulation, mental wellbeing, and the development of healthy coping skills by teaching children to separate worries they can control from those they cannot.
Children are guided to write or draw worries they can manage inside a hand illustration and use a “toolbox” circle to plan a small, realistic action step. This promotes a sense of agency, builds problem-solving skills, and encourages a solution-focused mindset. On the opposite side, children write or draw uncontrollable worries inside floating balloons, learning to let go of anxiety about things outside their control—an essential skill for managing stress and emotional overwhelm.
This engaging resource is:
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Ideal for teachers, school staff, therapists, social workers, and parents
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Suitable for use in classroom activities, 1-to-1 sessions, calm corners, therapy rooms, and emotional literacy lessons
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Perfect for supporting children dealing with anxiety, stress, ADHD, or low emotional resilience
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Recommended for children aged 5 to 11 (KS1 and KS2)
This printable is grounded in CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) principles and is an excellent tool for promoting self-awareness, mindfulness, and emotional intelligence. It can be used as part of a broader social-emotional learning (SEL) curriculum or as a standalone activity to support children in understanding and managing their internal experiences.
Whether used in schools, at home, or in therapy, this free PDF worry worksheet for kids offers a gentle yet powerful approach to reducing anxiety, promoting calm, and building emotional strength in young learners.
Print out the resource today – a mindful, therapeutic activity for managing anxiety through creativity and reflection.
