Children Make Their Very Own Worry Dolls

A problem shared is a problem halved, or so goes the old adage. As many families have lived through worrying and apprehensive times over the last year, this adage holds very true. Even children are not removed from the stress and restrictions that are currently part of our daily lives. It seems the timing was perfect for the Mendham Township Library to host an event where young readers could participate in a craft, learn something new about a different culture, and have fun while chatting with one another if something was on their mind.

“Make Worry Dolls” was a Zoom event initiated and hosted by Ms. Rachel Harrison, Director of Youth Services at the Mendham Township Library. Children were invited to join the craft Zoom to make their very own worry dolls along with Ms. Harrison. Mrs. Reed, Grade 1 Teacher from the local Mendham Township Elementary School (MTES), read the event notice and thought this activity might be fun for her class of first graders. Happily, Ms. Harrison and Mrs. Reed collaborated together to create a special time for these young craft makers.

Prior to the craft Zoom, Mrs. Reed's class took the opportunity to learn about worry dolls. They discovered that worry dolls originated in the highlands of Guatemala. Legend has it that if you whisper your worries to these tiny dolls before bed and put them under your pillow, your worries will be gone when you wake up. Worry dolls are traditionally made out of wood or wire and decorated with fabric and other materials.

In addition, Mrs. Reed's class also spent some time reading about what to do with worries when we have them. They enjoyed reading: “Ruby Finds a Worry,” by Tom Percival, "Wemberly Worried,” by Kevin Henkes, and “Wilma Jean - The Worry Machine,” by Julia Cook. These young students chatted about their own worries and discovered that many first graders tend to worry about the very same things!

Mrs. Reed and her students logged into Ms. Harrison’s craft Zoom after school from their homes, where some siblings even opted into the fun. They are hopeful that their new worry dolls will help ease their worries and allow them to focus on happier things.