Teen Courage Builder Activities

Courage Board

• Help your teen build bravery and conquer her fears with a courage board she can look at every day. Have her make a list of what she fears and find or draw pictures to represent each one. Next, get your teen thinking about what will be necessary to tackle each item on her board. For example, if she̵7;s terrified of speaking in front of a group, she might come up with ideas such as giving a presentation in front of a mirror, then doing the same for parents or best friends. If she̵7;s afraid of heights but wants to go rock climbing some day, she might come up with courage-building ideas, such as swinging higher on the park̵7;s swings or starting out climbing just a few feet up at an indoor climbing facility. Have your teen post the board of her courageous activities and her ideas on her wall, and encourage her to work through the steps, marking off each one she accomplishes toward her goal.

Talk and Share

• Encourage your teen to talk about his fear to help him work toward conquering it. You can start a dialogue by asking him about his fears or, if you worry he will be reluctant to share on his own, start by sharing some of your own past and present fears. You can talk about what you were afraid of when you were his age and other fears, such as the fears of parenthood, and talk about the ways you have overcome some of them. Don̵7;t be afraid to admit that you still have fears you̵7;re working on conquering, too. You can take a trip down your teen's memory lane, talking about fears he had as a younger child and how he overcame them. Use specific examples, such as "Remember when you were afraid to sleep in the dark but wanted to go on a camp-out" or ̶0;You used to be terrified of clowns but really wanted a circus birthday party," and then leave it to your teen to explain why he no longer fears those things.

Courageous Role Models

• Use historic figures and your teen̵7;s idols and heroes to help her understand the importance of courageous characteristics. Start with a list of people from history she would describe as courageous, such as Mother Teresa, Mahatma Gandhi, Anne Frank, Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, Nelson Mandela and Amelia Earhart. Encourage her to do some research to create a list of the ways those people demonstrated courage. Next, have her make a list of people in popular culture, politics and everyday life she feels is courageous, with examples of their courageous behavior. Alternatively, have her look for a courageous role model from the past or present and research their life, the challenges they overcame and the results of their courage. Help her create a collage of pictures and information about the role model's achievements. Highlight words that will help to make your teen feel empowered, such as "confident," "brave" and "groundbreaking."

Courage Practice

• Let your teen take on a new role or try out a new task in the comfort of his home to work on courage-building. Help your teen role-play to find his way through a tough circumstance. If he's worried about dealing with a bully at school, act out the scenario with him, encouraging him to use courage and his critical-thinking skills to find a non-violent solution. When an oral presentation in history class is imminent, become a nervous public speaker̵7;s audience in the living room, giving him the opportunity to tackle his fears on a smaller scale before braving the entire class. College, job and volunteer interviews can be nerve-wracking, but you can help him build up courage and feel confident about sitting across from a potential employer or application board with a mock interview at home first. Let your teen know that you̵7;re available anytime he wants to run through a scenario with you so he can feel more comfortable braving new circumstances.