50 Calm Down Strategies for Kids of All Ages

TL;DR:

This blog outlines 50 practical calm-down strategies for kids of all ages, blending physical movement, mindfulness, creativity, and sensory play. From yoga poses and bubble blowing to journaling and nature walks, these techniques provide children with diverse, effective tools to manage stress, regulate emotions, and build long-term resilience.

• Physical resets: yoga, inversions, running, jumping, dance, biking.
• Breathing aids: bubbles, candles, pinwheels, belly breathing.
• Creative outlets: painting, pottery, journaling, coloring, crafts.
• Sensory strategies: baths, glitter jars, putty, bubble wrap, massage.
• Mindfulness tools: visualization, gratitude, mantras, calm spaces.
• Connection: hugs, talking, fun family activities.

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Navigating childhood challenges can be stressful, and sometimes deep breathing isn’t the right calm down technique for your child. When your child needs tension relief, try one of these calming activities for kids:

1. Try an inversion. For centuries, Yogis have understood the calming power of bringing the head below the level of the heart. Whether it’s relaxing in child’s pose, bending over to touch your toes, or practicing a headstand, inversions can calm you. Inverting the body has a restorative effect on the autonomic nervous system, which controls our stress response.
2. Visualize a quiet place. Research has shown that visualization is beneficial for a range of populations to reduce stress levels. Ask your child to close their eyes and picture a calm, peaceful place. Then, gently guide them to slowly build up a picture of how it looks, smells, and feels to be there.
3. Drink water. Dehydration can cause a reduction in mental performance. Pour your child a tall glass of cold water and have them sip it slowly. You can try this with them and observe the calming effect this has on your own nervous system.
4. Sing out loud. Everyone knows the sweet relief associated with rocking out to your favorite tune. But the physical act of singing out loud, even if it is off key, releases endorphins. These are the “feel good” chemical in the brain.
5. Do the “Downward Facing Dog” pose. Just like inversions help reset the autonomic nervous system, the Downward Dog yoga pose will do the same. It also activates muscles in the arms, legs, and core. This stretch helps muscles begin to burn additional blood glucose that comes from the body’s fight or flight response.
6. Paint it out. Painting distracts the brain from stressors while making art builds resilience to stress generally. If the thought of dragging out the tempera gives you stress, have your child try “painting” with shaving cream outside. Not only is clean up a breeze, but your child will smell great when they are done.
7. Jump rope. Set a timer for 2 minutes, put on some music, and challenge your child jump to the beat of the song. If your child isn’t able to jump rope, playing hop scotch is a great alternative.
8. Jump high. Challenge your child to a jumping contest to see who can jump highest, longest, fastest, or slowest. This is another great way to get in some exercise to help your child blow off some steam.
9. Blow bubbles. Just like blowing on a pinwheel, blowing bubbles can help your child gain control of their breathing and thus, their mental state. Bonus: Running around popping bubbles is just as fun as blowing them.
10. Take a hot bath. After a long day at work, there is nothing more relaxing than laying in a bathtub of hot water with the lights turned down. The same holds true for kids.
    Use bath time as a chance to help your little one unwind from the activities of the day. Introduce a few simple bath toys and allow your child to relax as long as they need to.
11. Take a cold shower. While the opposite of a hot bath, cold showers have a restorative effect on the body. Cold or cool showers reduce inflammation, improve blood flow to the heart, and lead to a boost in mood. One study on winter swimmers found that regular cold plunges decrease tension, fatigue, depression, and negative moods.
12. Have a cozy drink. It makes sense for so many people to herald September as the beginning of Pumpkin Spice Latte (PSL) season. Drinking a warm drink on a cool day makes your body feel warm, almost like a hug from the inside. Giving your child a warm hot chocolate or warmed milk with a splash of vanilla will elicit the same response.
13. Blow out a candle. Light a candle for your child to blow out. Then re-light it and move it further and further away from them, so they have to take deeper and deeper breaths to blow it out. This is a great way to practice deep breathing, while making a game out of it.
14. Watch fish. Have you ever wondered why there is always a fish tank in hospitals and medical centers? The University of Exeter in the UK did. They found that watching fish swim in an aquarium reduces blood pressure and heart rate.
    Better yet, the larger the fish tank, the greater the effect. The next time your child needs to calm down, take them to the local lake, hatchery, or aquarium for a little fish-watching therapy.
15. Count backwards from 100. Counting gives your child a chance to focus on something other than what is bothering them. Counting backwards offers an added concentration challenge without overwhelming their brain.
16. Repeat a mantra. Create a mantra that you and your child can use to help them calm down. “I am calm” or “I am relaxed” work well, but feel free to get creative and make it something personal to you and your child.
17. Breathe into your belly. Most of us breathe incorrectly, especially when we are in a stressful situation. But breathing can be both a fun and relaxing activity for your kid!
    Have your child think about their belly like it is a balloon. Tell them to breathe in deep to fill the balloon and breathe out to deflate it. Repeat this simple process 5 times and notice the effects.
18. Shake a glitter jar. “Calm Down Jars” have been making their way around Pinterest for a while now, but the concept behind them is sound. Giving your child a focal point for 3-5 minutes that is not the stressor will allow their brain and body to reset itself.
    This is a fun and easy calming toy for kids who are struggling. You can make these jars by filling sealed canning jars with colored water and glitter or glitter glue.
19. Go for a run. Running reduces stress and can sometimes be more effective than a trip to the therapist’s office. Going for a 10 minute jog not only affects your child’s mood immediately. Its effects can help them cope with stress for several hours afterward.
20. Count to 5. Just when it seems as though they “can’t take it anymore”, have your child close their eyes and count to five. This form of 5-second meditation offers the brain a chance to reset itself. After this, they may be able to look at a situation from a different perspective. It also gives your child a chance to think before they act in a volatile situation.
21. Talk it out. For children who can verbalize their feelings, talking about stressors helps them both process and share. The trick is to resist the urge to “fix” the problem. Your child needs you to listen and ask appropriate questions, not offer unsolicited advice.
22. Write a letter in the voice of your BFF. We would never talk to our best friend in the same critical way we talk to ourselves. The same is true for our children. Tell them to be kind to themselves, and ask them what they would tell a best friend to do in their situation.
23. Decorate a wall. We’re not talking about paint and decor, but poster tack and pictures can let your child create large-scale art in any space. The creative process is what is important, not the result.
24. Create a vision board. Have your child cut out words and pictures from magazines that speak to their interests, desires, and dreams. Then have them glue these pictures and words onto a poster board to display in their room.
    The process of creation lets them think about what they want from life. Displaying what they love will also help them focus on what’s important when they’re upset.
25. Give or get a bear hug. Hugging allows your body to produce oxytocin, a naturally occurring hormone in your body necessary for immune system function. A 20-second hug will reduce blood pressure, increase feelings of wellbeing, and reduce the physical effects of stress. The best part is that both you and your child will reap the benefits!
26. Walk in nature. According to Stanford scientists, walking in nature improves cognition and reduces stress. Even taking a 15 minute walk in nature can be just what your child needs.
27. Envision your best self. This is a great way to motivate your child to work toward a goal. Have them write where they would like to see themselves in a week, a month, or a year, with this specific goal in mind.
28. Blow on a pinwheel. Like the candle exercise, blowing on a pinwheel focuses more on controlled exhalation rather than deep inhalation. Tell your child to make the pinwheel go slow, then fast, then slow to show them how they can vary the rate at which they blow out the air in their lungs.
29. Squish some putty. When a child plays with putty, the brain’s electrical impulses begin firing away from the stressors. Try a store-bought putty or make your own.
30. Take up pottery. Working with clay sparks electrical impulses in your child’s brain, much like putty does. It also has the added benefit of being “active learning”. This is a powerful condition that allows your child to learn through exploration.
31. Write it out. For older children, journaling or writing their feelings down can have a profound effect on their mood. This is especially true if they can do so without the fear of having it read.
    Give your child a notebook to keep in a safe place and allow them to write about how they feel. Assure them you will not read it unless they ask you to.
32. Gratitude, gratitude, gratitude. A cousin to “write it out”, gratitude journaling has links to better performance in the classroom. It also leads to a reduction of stress outside learning environments. Having a separate “gratitude notebook” will give your child the freedom to keep rants and thankfulness separate.
33. Name your emotion. Often when children become overwhelmed, it is because they have difficulty identifying the negative thoughts they are having. No matter what emotion your child struggles with, you can help them name and talk back to it.
    For instance, ask your child “is Mr. Perfect bothering you again?”. You can work together to help them challenge their perfectionism, rather than fight them over it.
34. Rock in a rocking chair. Rocking in a chair provides non-weight-bearing strengthening to the knees and core. Its repetitive nature also offers stress relief. Rock with your child or allow them to self-soothe their frenzied emotions by rocking on their own.
35. Push against a wall. This trick is perfect for allowing the body to release stress hormones without going outside or even leaving a room.
    Have your child try to push the wall over for 10 seconds, 3 times. This process allows the muscles to contract in a futile attempt to bring the wall down. When they relax, they release feel-good hormones.
36. Crinkle tissue paper. Babies are inherently aware of this trick as one of their favorite things to do is crinkle paper. This isn’t just about the noise—the textural changes in your child’s hand will spark sensory feedback to the brain. This creates pathways away from the stress areas of the brain.
37. Pop bubble wrap. Anyone who has received a package in the mail knows the joy of popping row after row of bubble wrap. The same material is available at most retailers and dollar stores. You can cut it into manageable pieces for stress-relief anywhere, anytime.
38. Roll a tennis ball on your back. An old physical therapy trick, rolling a tennis ball on your child’s back will give them a gentle massage. This is excellent when they are most in need of a calming touch. Focus on the shoulders, neck, and lower back as these are typical places where the body holds tension.
39. Roll a golf ball under your feet. Rolling a golf ball under your child’s feet can not only improve circulation but also stimulate pressure points. This relieves stress and relaxes feet and leg muscles. Roll over the entire sole of your child’s foot using various pressures for maximum benefit.
40. Go to your calm down space. Having a designated “Calm Down Space” in your home gives children an opportunity to retreat when they feel out of control. Then they can rejoin the group when they need to.
    Making this space comfortable is important. This way, your child will want to visit it.
41. Play music. Music has a profound effect on mood, sleep, stress, and anxiety. Use a variety of musical styles to set the tone in your home, car, or your child’s room.
42. Have a dance party. Adding a physical component to your musical enjoyment gets your kids moving and is a fun way to be active. Crank up the tunes and have a dance party in your living room when your child is in a bad mood and watch their mood transform.
43. Do a primal yell. Sometimes all of your child’s emotions are simply too much to contain in their body. Have them stand with their feet shoulder width apart. Then have them imagine their feelings boiling up from their toes through their legs and body, and out of their mouths.
    They don’t have to yell words, or even maintain a certain pitch, just whatever comes out that feels good to them.
44. Change the scenery. How many times have we thought to ourselves, “ just walk away,” when confronted by a big emotion? Your child may simply need a change of scenery to calm down.
    If you are inside, head out. If you are outside, find a quiet space indoors. Either way, change the scenery and you will likely change the mood.
45. Go for a walk. People go for walks to clear their heads for good reason. Fresh air and exercise are restorative while the rhythm of walking has a self-soothing quality. Taking your child on a walk may even help them open up about what’s on their mind.
46. Plan a fun activity. When you are in an anxious moment, it can seem as though the walls are closing in and the world will come to an end. Some children need to focus on what is ahead of them to reset their internal dialogue.
    Plan something fun to do as a family, and let your child have a say in it. Any topic that will get them focused on a future something to look forward to can be helpful.
47. Knead the bread. Grandmothers around the world will tell you that the process of bread making is a tremendous stress relief. Simple recipes are abundant online that allow your child to get their hands dirty turning and pushing dough. The best part is that at the end, you have homemade bread to show for it!
48. Make a bracelet. Crafting in general can facilitate a state of “flow” or a state characterized by complete absorption in an activity. You can extend the same concept to to knitting, crochet, folding laundry, or any activity where your child “gets in the zone”.
49. Get on a bike. Bicycling for children has largely become a thing of the past. With the introduction of bicycle lanes and paved trails in urban areas, bicycling is safer than ever.
    Biking can be a powerful form of self-soothing. Not only is it easy on the joints, it also promotes balance, exercise, and can be a family activity.
50. Take a coloring break. Restaurants give children coloring books for good reasons. This gives them something to focus on and can be a great mindfulness activity that reduces anxiety. Make a trip with your child to pick up some crayons and markers and get them excited about a coloring adventure.

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