Calm Down Strategies for kids are no doubt one of the most common search for parents. Parents can’t escape themselves from their child’s sudden meltdowns. A child goes through lot of emotional turbulence in a day. And they are not matured enough to react like an adult to those emotions. Sometimes children are confused how to react to some situations and then they outbursts their emotions. Such situations become difficult for parents to handle every time.
Every problems have a solution, in this post I am going to share ten effective calm down strategies for kids we should practice during a child’s meltdown moments. We have to understand that a child cry, shout or yell as they are unable to handle their emotions not to annoy their parents. It is the result of a child’s inability to control his/her emotions. As being a parent we help our child to develop or learn the basic skills of life, we have to also make them learn how to calm down during tough times.
10 Effective Calm Down Strategies For kids To Use
It is always important to understand the root cause of a problem. Understanding your child’s cause of tantrums or meltdown is the first step to deal with the problem. Children undergoes various emotions before they show tantrums or crying. They have overwhelming emotions like fear, anxiety, tiredness, hungry, disappointment, shame etc. So being a parent what we can do is to help them to learn how to calm down. Here are the 10 effective calm down strategies for kids that will help them to soothe themselves during their high tides of emotional outbursts.
1) Deep Breathing
Deep breathing is one of the most effective way to relax the nervous system. It works amazingly not only for children but for adults too. Mindful breathing helps to calm down and reduces the stress. So when you observe your child’s temperament is on peak, ask him/her to sit down and practice deep breathing. And ask your child to do counting while breathing so that they can do mindful breathing. It will help them to clam down within few moments and advise your child to do this whenever they feel restless.
2) Give A Tight Hug
Parent’s hug works like magic for a child. Often a child cries or shout just to seek attention and love from parents. Sometimes they feel they are ignored, not loved and they don’t understand how to react to these emotions. Give a tight hug to your child and express your love to your child. It will make them feel special and happy.
3) Backward Counting
Our emotions stays for few moments in our brain, that goes same for kids. Hence to calm down we need to divert their mind for few moments. Backward counting is a full proven method to calm down a child. Back counting shifts the focus of your child for sometime and this way it helps them to sooth down. It takes away the anxiety from children and make them feel relaxed. There are many fun ways to teach back counting to children.
4) 3-3-3 Calm Down Strategy For Kids
3-3-3 is very effective technique to deal with children feeling anxious or restless. In this method ask your child to look around and name 3 things he sees. Then, ask him to say 3 sounds he hears. And the last part say him to move 3 parts of his body like fingers, arms or legs. This method will help children to connect to the present moment as they were focusing on this mental trick.
5) Positive Affirmations
Positive affirmations help to get rid of negative thoughts and feelings. And the first step to calm down a child is to make them feel positive. So use positive phrases for your child to promote positivity in him. Your positive words for your child will not only help them to calm down and feel good, but will also boost their self confidence and emotional well being.
You may like to read : 10 Ways To Raise A Happy Child : Art Of Happiness
6) Go For A Walk Or Outdoor Activities
There are myriad of reasons for a child to shout, irritate and feel frustrated. Most of the time it has been seen when a child spends much time inside home, they start feeling low and get frustrated. So this of situation the best way to deal with your child is to take him out for a work or any outdoor activities. This will make them feel fresh and energetic.
7) Play Board Games Or Puzzles
Playing with your child is one of the simple yet effective way to calm down your child. As a child always love his parent’s attention and love so playing with them will make them feel happy. Playing with kids will uplift their mood in no time. This therapy will shift their anger, relax their nerves and they will start enjoying the moment. Play any board games or puzzles that your child loves playing.
You may like to read : Best Word Games For Kids To Improve Vocabulary
8) Drawing And Coloring
The therapy of art i.e drawing or coloring relaxes our body and regulates the emotional state. Art is a tool that helps us from anxiety and stress. You can give paper, pencil and colors to your child and let them draw whatever they want. This will drift their focus to something creative. His energy is used in creativity and this will reduce his stress and anxiety.
9) Listening Music
Scientific studies have shown music has the capacity to uplift or boost mood. A cheerful music can uplift a child’s mood. Listening to music produces hormones like serotonin and adrenaline which are the happy and feel good hormones of our body. Using music can be a great help to deal with your child’s anxiety.
10) Drink Water
Water has natural calming attribute. Scientific researches have proved that being in and around of water can calm our body and mind. Dehydration in children is a common cause of tiredness and being cranky. To keep our mind and body working, it needs water to stay hydrated. So encourage your child to drink 6-8 glasses of water everyday to maintain the balance and stay energized for the entire day.
Wrapping up
We should keep encouraging our children and support them to overcome all the obstacles of their life. They are like plants who need proper environment to grow healthy. So parents know the best for their children. Practice these tips whenever your child needs to clam down. I am sure there are many more calm down strategies for kids, I will be glad if you share them in the comment section so that other readers can get help too.
Happy Parenting!!
