We live in an unusual, sometimes frightening time, and it’s only natural that your little one may be a little stressed out. Now that school is back in session, that stress may have doubled -- but don’t worry! Here are 5 fun, anxiety-busting activities the whole family will enjoy.
1. Calm Down Jars
Using warm water, glitter, glue, and a jar, kids can create a simple sensory object that can aid in stress reduction. Children can focus on the dancing glitter, practice deep breathing, or simply distract themselves by shaking the jar. Calm down jars offer a simple introduction to mindful practice -- consciously focusing on a present moment or object without worrying about the looming, larger concerns in your life.
2. Worry boxes
Worry boxes are exactly what they sound like -- kids can make little boxes, write down their worries, and put those worries away in the box. This symbolic exercise affords children a sense of control over their anxieties, allowing them to create boundaries for intrusive thoughts and stressors and putting them out of sight for a while… and maybe out of mind, too.
Slime isn’t just fun to play with -- it can be therapeutic, too. Manipulating slime can be an enjoyable source of sensory stimulation for little ones.
Playing with slime can also give children a sense of control over their environment. COVID totally transformed the way children interact with their peers and environment -- it changed what behaviors are acceptable or unacceptable, where they can go, who they can be around, etc. -- and retaining a semblance of control can help ease a troubled mind.
Plus, slime is just fun.
Blowing bubbles can help children practice deep breathing, which regulates anxiety. Bubbles can’t be formed by sharp, violent exhalations; they can only form when the blower is gentle and deliberate. This simple deep breathing exercise can help children regain a sense of control over their own physiological response to anxiety or stress.
Kids -- and adults -- can also visualize their anxieties flowing into the bubble. When the bubble pops and disappears, so does the image of whatever’s bothering the blower.
5. Coloring
Children can use coloring as a gateway to mindful practice: when you color, you give in to “the moment” and shut out big, intrusive thoughts as you devote yourself to this simple activity. Extraneous thoughts are pushed to the side, allowing children to “meditate” while coloring.
Looking for more fun activities? We’ve got you covered:
- 8 Activities for Treating Anxiety in Children
- 10 Therapist (and Child)-Approved Activities to Support Kids with Anxiety
- 31 Days of Sensory Play Ideas. Kid Approved!
Why these activities can help:
- 9 Reasons Kids Calm Down Coloring
- Amazing Benefits of Making Slime with Kids
- Blow Anxiety Away on a Bubble
- What Is Mindfulness Coloring?
- Why is my kid obsessed with slime?
- Why Putting Worries in a Box (or Jar) Calms Anxious Kids
Youth Services Librarian Chris