Calm And Collected: 7 Stress Relief Activities For Kids
If you believe that stress is something only adults have to deal with, you could not be more wrong. While we adults have to balance work, family, and relationships, kids have to deal with school performances, exams, sporting events, and presentations that can be equally stressful and anxiety-inducing. There is also bullying and other forms of social pressure that they have to struggle with every day of their lives. Even though it may seem like they have everything under control or their stress is short-lived, how do you know for sure? Does your child have all the tools that they need to deal with stress and anxiety? Keeping a watchful eye on them might be helpful, but an even better solution would be teaching them various mechanisms to cope with their feelings of stress. In this MomJuncction article, we bring you 7 stress relief activities for kids.
1. Backward Counting Or Reciting
This is one of the easiest activities that you can teach your child to use in stressful situations. Depending on their age, you can start with something simple such as counting from 1 to 10. Or increase the complexity of it by asking them to recite the alphabets or the numbers backward. Remember that it doesn’t always have to be numbers or alphabets. For example, if your child has a fascination with penguins, you can ask them to list out the different types of arctic penguins as a stress relief activity.
2. Ask Them To Check In With Their Senses
If your child feels overwhelmed, ask him/her to find a quiet corner and check in with all the five senses – sound, sight, smell, touch, and taste. It can help your child to take the focus away from their anxious thoughts and focus on the sensory inputs he is receiving from his surroundings.
3. Mindful Breathing
When we are under stress or overwhelmed, our breathing pattern may vary. We often find ourselves struggling to breathe and taking short shallow breaths which does nothing but intensify our feelings of stress. This is when you can practice mindful breathing by slowly breathing in through the nose and holding it in for a few seconds before releasing it through your mouth.
4. Yoga
Yoga has several health benefits, but what most of us oversee is how helpful it can be for our overall mental wellness. It is said that doing even 15 minutes of yoga every day can have a positive impact on your emotional wellbeing. It can calm our mind and body by making us feel relaxed and happy. Teaching your kid how to do yoga can be an amazing stress buster for them (1).
5. Writing Journals
Nothing feels better than writing out your feelings on paper. Once it’s out there, you will feel like a weight has been lifted off your shoulders. Kids feel the same way. Once they get their feelings down, they can find ways to work through their problems.
6. Make Your Own Stress Balls
This needs no introduction as the very purpose of stress balls is to reduce stress. Having a stress ball in their hand will shift their focus away from stressful thoughts. And while you can get these online or from a store, you can also make one with your child and turn it into a fun activity.
7. Art Therapy
Whether it is drawing, painting or any other form of art, it can help your child deal with stress, depression, and anxiety more effectively. Art can help children to deal with their feelings in a healthy way. If you are considering art therapy for your child, make sure you get them enrolled into something they truly enjoy and love (2).
Teaching kids how to deal with their feelings in a mature and healthy way will help them to be more mindful of their emotions. Teach your kids the above activities and we’re sure there will be at least a few that they will stick to in life.
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