15 Stress Busting Activities For Kids

We adults feel that stress is ruining our day to day life and it is only we who are suffering from so much of stress or anxiety. We then start comparing our life with kids and feel kids have got nothing to worry about or be stressed for. But when we take a deeper look in our children’s life we can know that there are also various factors that might also be causing stress in our kids. Yes! Kids also suffer from stress issues and it is we as parents, teachers or elders, who can guide them in the right way to deal with stress and lead a normal happy life. So, are you interested in knowing some of the stress busting activities for kids? If yes, then you are at the right place. Go through the following array of the article and discover some of the stress busting activities for kids and see if these work out for your children.

Children can often experience stress that might be from school, studies, home works, family, friends, changes in their routine, family disturbances, and many other such situations. One can observe stress in children through some of the physical reactions such as headache or crying, or it can be a behavioral or emotional reaction like shyness or worrying. Reactions to stress can actually vary with the age of a child and with the stage of development.

There are several stress busting activities for kids that might help them cope up with their stress in an effective manner. Let us check out some of these activities below.

1. Practicing Deep Breathing

   It is important for kids to practice deep breathing as deep breathing exercises can actually reduce their stress. Kids with the help of their parents or any other adult need to count slowly to 4 as the inhale, and then again count to 4 as they exhale. This deep breathing exercise must be done for several minutes until your child becomes calm.

2. Regular Exercise To Reduce Stress

   Exercise is known to be a great stress buster for children. Your child can participate in an organized sport, or can simply spend time outside by playing with friends. Regular exercise can really help kids feel less stressed. In case children start feeling stressed they can spend few hours of any active play and that can reduce their levels of stress.

3. Muscle Relaxation In Kids Can Be A Stress Buster

   Children can also get some relief from their stress by using some muscle relaxation exercises. So, yes muscle relaxation is one of the best stress busters for kids. You can make your kids learn to tense and relax each of their muscle groups while they are lying down. The activity begins at the top of their head and works down to the tips of their toes. Kids simply need to tense up each muscle group and then release it and then keep on continuing to the next muscle group of the entire body.

4. Sensory Activities For Kids

   One of the best stress busting activities for kids could be the sensory activities or the sensory plays. These activities can actually have a calming effect on kids, especially when they are experiencing stress. Children can be provided with play dough that offers a wonderful sensory experience. When kids feel stress and they are given the play dough to squeeze, and manipulate they feel less stressed. A stress ball can also work in the similar manner for relieving stress in kids. Apart from these, other sensory activities for kids include water and sand play, and finger printing, all of which are great at reducing stress.

5. Encouraging Kids For Having Their Hobbies

   Hobbies can keep our kids engaged in their favorite things and this would give them a break for their stressful conditions and might provide them a fresh look at their stress situation. So, it is always needed to encourage our kids to various activities and help them find their favorite hobby. Hobbies could be anything from art, painting, music, dancing, reading, or any collection.

6. Journaling Could Be A Stress Busting Activity For Kids

   One of the best stress busting activities in kids could be journaling. It offers a place for children to release their feelings about any of their stressful situation. You need to encourage your children to write about their feelings and their thoughts in a notebook every day. This will help you and your children to figure out various ways to handle stressful situations more easily.

7. Stress Busting Through Visual Imagery In Kids

   Visual imagery is a way for kids to create relaxing and positive images and thoughts that can actually be used to block the upsetting thoughts. Here, kids are made to imagine any favorite place, a special or happy moment, or a relaxing time. This would works as a great stress busting activity for kids.

8. Music Can Get Some Stress Relief In Kids

   One more stress busting activity could be some sort of soothing music that kids can listen to and help themselves reduce stress. Such music can also boost feelings of happiness. Music actually offers relaxation to anyone.

9. Creative Coloring Is A Stress-Busting Technique

   Creative coloring is a stress busting activity for kids and also for adults. There is an amazing tool coloring that relaxes our mind. You can purchase this for your kids who are feeling low or stressed and let them remain engaged in creative coloring for some times till they feel relaxed.

10. Spending Time Outside With Nature

    Nature is a great medicine for all. Spending time outs with nature could help in releasing stress. So, if you feel your children are stressed then get them outside and tell them to go for a walk with the nature, let them watch the sun rise or the sun set, allow them to collect natural things from outside such as rocks, leaves, and so on. This would actually be a great stress busting activity for kids.

11. Early Bed Time Could Reduce Stress

    It is important for kids, in fact everyone to have good night sleep. Kids should have early bed time and an uninterrupted sleep that would actually work as an excellent stress buster.

12. Talking About Stress

    It is very much essential for us to talk about stress with our kids. We can use stories and books to talk about stressful events and also let them know about how to deal with the daily stress.

    Apart from this, it is also important for the early educators to teach kids valuable life skills, such as critical thinking, sharing, and independence. Teaching kids on various ways to handle stress could also help kids release their stress of daily life.

13. Giving Your Kids Some Control Over Their Life

    One more stress busting activity for kids would be giving them some control over their life. For example, choosing their own outfit for a day, or trying to make their own breakfast at times (in case of older children), and so on. Kids have less stress when they have some sort of control on their lives.

14. Spending Time With Kids

    A child psychiatrist at McMaster University in Canada, Dr. Jean Clinton has explained in the Global New report that the emphasis must be on remaining present in the daily lives of our kids; though there are many heated debate in the quality time versus quantity time with kids spent with the kids. ⁽¹⁾ We need to spend enough time knowing our kids, talking to them, listening to them and making them grow in a much flourished and confident manner. This way they would have less stress in their life.

15. Maintaining Healthy Lifestyles

    It is very much essential for your kids to maintain a healthy lifestyle so as to deal with stress. They need to eat nutritious daily meals and healthy snacks throughout the day that would help them get energy for their day’s work. Apart from diet kids also need quality and uninterrupted sleep and rest so that they can think properly and prepare themselves to face the new day.

Final Thoughts

So, next time when you find your child is struggling or having any sort of stress, try out some of the above mentioned stress busting activities for kids and see if you can notice a reduction in their stress levels.

NOTE: In case your child’s stress is turning out to chronic anxiety or in case stress is impacting their sleep, daily routine, school or home works, health and their happiness then do not delay in consulting with your pediatrician or consult with a therapist who works with the kids. These expert professional can actually help you and your child learn some better ways to deal with stress and manage anxiety.

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