10 Stress Reducers for Kids

Life is full of potential stresses. The every day variety, like time crunches and spilled milk… and those bigger life stresses, like divorce, selling a home, accidents and such.

Kids get stressed too. And sometimes when a child is stressed they act out in ways that cause more stress. It might help if we add some stress reducers into their environment and explain to them the basic ways to help themselves feel better when they’re angry or upset.

Deep Breathing (practice together with them when they’re NOT stressed so it will become an easy thing to do when they ARE stressed)

Self-Talk (“I can wait for my turn”, “I can listen carefully”, etc.)

Ask for Help (“I need help!”)

Here are some tangible tools you might want to use:

• a slinky toy
• Hair gel and glitter sealed with tape inside a Ziploc plastic bag. Put a second bag over the first, top to bottom, and seat it with tape, too. Do not overfill, leave space for the mixture to move around when child squeezes the bag.
• A quiet place with pillows, stuffed toys, and favorite books.
• Use a Homedics SS-3000 Soundspa Lullaby, a musical night light that rotates images from one of three revolving discs while playing a choice of soothing natural sounds or lullabies. Retail cost is around $20 – and really, this is one of those very useful things that parents often pack or giveaway when their child outgrows the crib… don’t. It’s just as soothing for a 4-6 year old as to an infant.
• Back rubs
• a fish tank
• Slime. You’ll need 8 oz. of white craft glue like Elmers, 2 cups of water (divided), 1 1/2 tsp. borax powder (available in the laundry section of most grocery stores), medium bowl, large bowl, spoon, plastic container with lid.
• In medium bowl, combine the glue and 1 cup water, stirring constantly
• In a large bowl, combine the remaining water and borax powder. Stir until dissolved.
• Pour glue mixture into the borax mixture, stirring constantly. A glob will form as you stir. That’s your slime!
• Store in sealed plastic container. Do NOT pour Slime down the drain. Avoid contact with the eyes and mouth.

I hope some of these ideas relieve some of the stress at your house too! Please feel free to share any ideas you have about what helps you or your child relieve stress!