75 Simple and Engaging Calm-Down Techniques for Kids
Discover 75 easy and engaging ways to help your child calm down and enhance their emotional regulation skills, backed by science. Keep reading to learn about these techniques and download your free printable, so you’re prepared for when your child experiences anger or anxiety.
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In the realm of children’s emotional development, no skill is quite as crucial—or as predictive of future success—as emotional regulation. Given your child’s developing nervous system and still-growing frontal cortex, it’s understandable that they often struggle to manage their emotions and feelings effectively (and let’s be honest, even many adults are still working on this skill!).
As a parent, one of the best ways to nurture an emotionally intelligent child is by introducing them to various calming strategies. These strategies guide your child in building strong emotional regulation skills.
You might think these skills will develop naturally over time, but in reality, they require a good deal of practice, repetition, and guidance. Through trying different approaches, your child will learn to consistently use healthy coping and calming techniques when faced with intense emotions.
You may wonder what sets these calming strategies apart from others you’ve tried before. These methods are effective because they are research-backed and:
1) Are rooted in the neuroscience of emotional regulation, explaining how your child’s brain processes stress and strong emotions.
2) Include activities that involve co-regulation, which means the child receives supportive interaction from a caregiver to help return to a calm state.
3) Focus on physical activities that provide calming sensory input to the brain and nervous system.
Check out or PIN for later: Anger Management for Kids: A Therapist’s Tried-and-True Secrets to Calming Down
Let’s start with a powerful tool: breathing exercises. They’re the quickest and most effective way to calm your child’s stress response system.
Encourage your child to write a letter expressing their feelings or addressing a challenging situation they’re experiencing.
Essential oils can be incredibly calming, as the brain’s olfactory center is closely linked to areas controlling emotions. Here are some safe, kid-friendly scents we love!
‘Squeeze balls’, putty, and squishy toys work wonders by providing calming sensory input to the brain. Give them a try to see the effects!
Animal watching can teach mindfulness to kids in an enjoyable way.
Hanging upside down is a proven method that quickly impacts the autonomic nervous system, helping to calm the body’s stress response.
Engage in the “5-4-3-2-1” exercise—identify five things you can see, four you can hear, three you can touch, two you can smell, and one you can taste. This exercise encourages grounding through sensory awareness.
Simply holding natural objects or watching nature documentaries can have a calming effect on the brain.
This is one of the simplest and most effective ways to provide calming sensory input to the brain.
Related Reads:
– The 50 Most Effective Anger Management Tools for Kids
– 10 Anxiety Symptoms in Children Often Overlooked by Parents
Focusing on gratitude can help soothe and deactivate the emotional center of the brain.
The “prone position” is another technique that helps regulate the nervous system.
(Explore 40 Benefits of Outdoor Nature Play for Kids)
Engaging in a specific task helps activate the brain’s thinking center (frontal lobes) while calming the emotional center (amygdala).
Read or PIN: The Best Ways to Support an Angry Child
There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to emotional development in children. Each child’s needs to calm down can differ, influenced by their development stage, the season, and their age.
A key part of raising an emotionally intelligent child is teaching them how to care for their brain and body during emotional highs. This list of calming techniques is a solid foundation to start with!
Download your free printable list of calming strategies! It’s tough to remember 75 things (especially with kids!), so let’s simplify it for you.
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This post was first published on January 30, 2020, and has been updated.
About Angela Pruess LMFT
Hi! I’m Angela, a Licensed Children’s Mental Health Professional, Positive Parenting Coach, and mom to spirited kids who teach and challenge me every day. I believe every child deserves to live their best life and that emotional health is the key to lifelong success and happiness. Learn more about me and the Parents with Confidence manifesto.
