Guatemalan worry dolls date back to Mayan traditions and are similar to many amulets around the world, in that they are thought to soothe your fears and anxieties. Unlike most amulets, worry dolls were often made specifically for children, and in Guatemala they may still be used for this purpose. These little wooden dolls, an inch (2.54 cm) or less in length, usually come in a box or bag in sets of six.

Worry dolls are dressed in remnants or scraps of clothing, and made of small splinters of wood for the doll body. They are inexpensively ordered on the Internet, or you and your children can make your own. They may serve an anxious child very well. In fact, some hospitals use them for children who have major illnesses, much in the same manner that dream catchers are used to chase away bad dreams.

The Guatemalan traditions is to use one of six worry dolls each night. The child (or the adult) tells a worry to the doll, then puts it under her pillow for the night. If a family is large and children all have worries, they may share a bag of worry dolls so each child has his or her own. Alternately each child has their own bag of worry dolls and for six nights in row they tell a worry to one of the dolls before slipping it under their pillow.

Each doll will combat the worry overnight, hopefully providing the child with better sleep. In modern use, this is not considered a “magical” element, but more comparable to many of the myths we have for kids. It’s also a good sense way to help anxious kids voice their worries, which may help promote better sleep.

Similar to the tooth fairy, parents will remove the doll during the night, symbolizing that the worry is gone. This doesn’t necessarily mean that the child’s worry is gone, and it’s important not to minimize a child’s strong anxieties. Parents who want a child to keep dealing with anxiety might want to skip this removal process, and just let the child know the doll is taking care of the worry at night so that the child can get a good night’s sleep.

If you want to make your own worry dolls, there’s very little need to be artistic. Wooden, knobbed clothespins make larger worry dolls, and could be a great craft to do with a child. Simply glue “clothing” onto the doll, and perhaps draw a mouth and two dots for eyes. You can certainly make more elaborate dolls, but if the child is involved in the process, he or she may feel even more connected to the dolls, and they may really work for the child.

From a psychological standpoint, using worry dolls is quite sound. Intention, faith and belief can all play a role in a young person’s ability to shed anxiety, especially when it is mild or moderate. Severe anxiety may not be well addressed by the worry dolls because it may be of chemical origin and thus require psychiatric treatment. But for the child with occasional worries, worry dolls may be just the thing to help them to more restful nights.