Anxiety is one of the most common mental health disorders in children. It can manifest itself and often makes it difficult for kids to focus on schoolwork or enjoy social activities. If your child has anxiety, it’s tough to know how to help them. Luckily, there are a few strategies that have been effective in calming anxious children.

Take a Walk Outside

One of the most effective ways to calm your child down is by taking them outdoors for a walk. It would help if you chose an outside environment with plenty of natural light. Fresh air isn’t stimulating with lots of stimuli or noise. Children enjoy walks through forests and grassy fields. Also, along beaches with calming sounds like water from rivers flowing into lakes or waves crashing on shores. These outdoor settings often help kids relax without being distracted by electronics. These can trigger unwanted stressors if they feel overwhelmed while trying not to be anxious during playtime at home.

Draw or Write

When kids are feeling anxious, one way to help them calm down is to do some creative activities, like drawing or writing. This can be a great way for children to express their feelings and work through any worries. Not only does this activity help with anxiety, but it’s also been shown to improve focus and concentration skills.

There are many ways to encourage your child to engage in creative writing or artwork. Some parents find it helpful to provide prompts for their kids. “For instance, draw a picture of what makes you happy” or “write about a time when you felt confident.” If your child enjoys reading, there are plenty of books for children dealing with anxiety and depression.

Listen to Music

Another great way for anxious kids is listening to calming music. You can find a lot of songs that are specifically designed with relaxation in mind, such as classical or jazz tunes. These have been shown to reduce stress levels and help people feel more at ease. Listening may also be beneficial because children can express their emotions through the lyrics.

If you’re not sure where to start, there are many compilation albums of relaxing music designed for kids. You can also search online for lists of recommended songs or create a personalized playlist with your child. It’s important to make sure that the music is at a low volume so that it doesn’t become overwhelming and further stimulates any anxious feelings.

Some parents find it helpful to have their children listen to music before bedtime, as it can help them calm down and fall asleep more easily. Try different calming activities until you find what works best to help your anxious child feel better.

Mindfulness Meditation

This is another great way to help children relax and cope with anxiety. It’s important because it teaches them how they can focus their thoughts on the present moment. But also because it reduces stress levels by helping kids focus less on things like schoolwork or social issues. The best part about practicing mindfulness techniques at home, though? Many apps available today make this type of activity fun and easy. You don’t even have to go outside; sit cross-legged wherever you feel most comfortable. Close your eyes while listening as an instructor guides you through different exercises.

There are also several unique books that you can check out from your local library on mindfulness meditation for kids. These usually have accompanying audio CDs so that children can practice along with an adult’s voice. Mindfulness mediation is one activity that should be practiced regularly when helping kids with anxiety. Thus, to see the best results, aim for at least 15-20 minutes per day.

Sensory Play

Another great way to help kids with anxiety is by engaging them in sensory play. Sensory play allows the child’s mind to get some relief from all this stimulation. This is because they aren’t focusing so much attention on their environment. But using other senses such as touch or smell may calm those jittery feelings caused by overstimulation. Children also love things like slime and water beads. Both provide tactile sensory input while being fun activities at home too.  And finally, there are our tried and true stuffed animal friends that provide comfort because they look like animals and are was soft as a pillow.

Conclusion

If your child is struggling with anxiety, don’t worry. There are ways you can help. No matter what age they may be at—preschool or elementary school-aged kids all need support when trying something new, so never give up hope. Remember that every child is different. Some children respond better to one calming strategy than another, depending on their individual needs and personality traits. Try these strategies today to help anxious children feel calmer at home.

Keeping children active has become somewhat of a challenge nowadays. Everywhere you look, you may find a child sitting with a device in hand, no longer running and playing like in the old days. Another concern is that living spaces are becoming smaller by the minute as parents struggle to afford large houses with gardens.

People became painfully aware of how small their living quarters were during the pandemic.  Children need physical activity to strengthen their bodies and minds. And being able to play some fun games at home to do just that may be the perfect solution for parents.

Here are some indoor games your kids can play at home that could improve their physical health and more:

1. Do-It-Yourself Obstacle Course

The simplest things in life could turn out to be the best, as in the case of a roll of tape and string. These two uninteresting items could quickly turn a hallway into an obstacle course of note. Just tape some line in place from one wall to the other and watch the kids have hours of fun.

All major muscle groups are involved in navigating through the obstacles, and of all of them, the core muscles could get a great workout. The movement of the head in all directions could assist the body’s sense of balance to develop too.

This helpful site may have similar activities to try at home, and the valuable fitness information should spark even more ideas for the whole family.

 2. Rolling With The Nose

Crawling can be therapeutic and rehabilitative to the body and brain. The core muscles play a crucial role in supporting the body, and it makes sense to include many activities daily that’d promote this muscle group.

Children love to have races of any kind, and including some physical activity while doing it could give their wellness a significant boost. Tape a start and finish line on the floor, as long as it’s family-friendly flooring, give each child a tennis ball that they need to push to the finish line with their nose, and watch the action unfold.

There’ll be belly laughs for sure with this easy and fun physical activity. Everyone will soon see that crawling isn’t an activity reserved for babies only.

 3. Making Chores Fun

Ever wish you could have some help around the house? Why not give the kids some chores to do for the day while blasting some fun tunes to dance through them!

Doing chores usually wouldn’t get children excited, but the health benefits they get from doing them are incredible. Heavy work activities like pushing, pulling, and carrying could build muscle mass and develop their tactical sense. Focus on making it fun and dance the day away together.

4. Indoor Skating

Speaking of chores, a game that could be added to the fun day could be indoor skating. Get the children to skate around the room using old rags or dryer sheets, and you’ll have a perfectly polished floor as quickly as saying snap.

The skating motion is a great way to exercise the leg muscles and get them off the couch for more productive activity.

 5. ‘The Floor Is Lava’

This game is more than a funny trend on social media as it has health benefits. Put some cushions on the floor or tape some paper rocks in place for children to move over. Focus and attention are developed by finding the best route from one side of the room to the other while their bodies get a workout from stretching and reaching for that next safe spot.

 6. Bean Bag Toss

These versatile bags are easy to make at home with around 30 grams of dry rice, corn, or wheat sewn in-between two patches of fabric around 2 inches on all sides. Because they’re relatively harmless to home décor, the bags can easily be tossed around the room for various activities.

Improve upper body coordination and grip of the hand muscles by including this activity at home. Give children a target like a bucket to aim for and see how many bean bags they can successfully toss to the other end of the room.

Fine motor control of the hand muscles is necessary for their development and academic success. Without these tiny muscles and the coordination of their shoulders and arms, children would struggle to hold a pencil, let alone write.

 Bringing It Home

Physical activities don’t have to be a bore, and they can be fun for all ages. Instead of being couch potatoes, kids can get up and get their daily exercise and have fun while being at home. Mix it up by having a different activity each day, and children will never even notice that they’re getting a workout!

We’ve discussed indoor games at home.  Now, explore games kids can play in your backyard on a trampoline.

Google is helping kids to be Internet Awesome! Through fun interactive Google online games, kids can learn how to be better digital citizens by learning important lessons about online safety. Access to this amazing world can happen at home or in school. These Google games take kids on a journey to “play their way” to being awesome people on the internet.

We all need to be prepared to make smart decisions while online. It doesn’t just happen. It takes education on how to safely explore the world.

See what’s new on Amazon Video Games.

The Google ‘Be Internet Awesome’ Program

Google is makes learning fun while playing a free online game they developed. Simple common sense lessons are learned, such as how to focus on positive online activity, instead of negative comments and hurtful attitudes.

Deciding not to engage or contribute to the hate that divides us is a choice. The multi-level Google game teaches kids what to do instead and where to safely do it. Kids can start their exciting journey now to Be Internet Awesome.

Apart from kids playing the actual game itself, Google has provided helpful resources for adults to join in the adventure to re-enforce what is being learned online. These include downloadable guides for families and printable classroom activities for teachers. We’ve provided a link to these Google resources near the end of this article.

Learn the Internet Code of Awesome

This Google game, as well as other online games that can even teach kids coding, can equip players with life long tools they can build on. 

Playing games has also been proven to help players deal with emotions related to feelings of anxiety. 

You can have more fun by exploring Doodle for Google Games, which are part of the Doodle for Google Contest.

Here are the five educational focal points kids will learn throughout their online quest to be internet smart, alert, strong, kind and brave.

How to be Internet Smart

It starts with learning how to ‘share with care’. Toys in the offline world are shared with friends we trust. So why be careless about sharing our personal information and pictures on the internet? These can easily end up in possession of those we don’t know if we are not careful.

Be Internet Alert

Don’t ‘fall for fake’ by becoming aware that things online are not always as they appear. Information needs to be ‘fact checked’ from reliable sources. Social media is a powerful resource to connect us with others, but can just as easily be used to spread incorrect information.

Be Internet Strong

Are your secrets secure? Exactly what personal information is at risk with anyone that is interacting online? It’s an important lesson in protecting personal privacy. Knowledge in safe practices translates in the power to protect oneself. This is just as important for kids as it is for adults.

Be Internet Kind

Google games helps kids learn responsibility online while instilling a valuable belief that it’s ‘cool to be kind’. It not only benefits others and makes them feel good, positive benefits come back to make our own lives better as well. Collectively, kindness makes whole world a better place both offline and as a good digital citizen. 

Be Internet Brave

Talking to someone we trust can often be the most brave thing of all when facing a difficult situation online. It may be cyberbullying or a simple problem of how to react to something a child comes across online. We operate in a digital world but the most valuable conversations happen in person, whether at home or at school.

Use our Safe Game Tool to find Safe Games to Play Online

Google Internet Awesome Resources

The Google interactive game consists of four levels of learning and takes place with Interland. Kids will learn digital safety while having fun.

Educators can download the Be Internet Awesome Curriculum. This includes lesson plans and the ISTE Seal of Alignment and activities that reinforce what kids are learning through the Google game.

Parents can download the Be Internet Awesome Pledge. This will begin a conversation about online safety. Playing the game online while interacting with parents and siblings offline can open the door to discussion and questions being answered.

Get access now to these resources and learn how Google is helping kids to be safe internet explorers of the online world.

Gamification

Games do more than entertain when gamification is in play.  It’s more than game-based learning where learning is implemented more deliberately.  It can also enhance learning by teaching life skills through simulator games. 

Seasonal depression is tough for anyone to deal with — but it’s especially tough on kids. That’s because kids usually don’t understand concepts like seasonal affective disorder (SAD) or vitamin D intake, and the winter seems to drag on forever for them.

But the reality is that they will probably suffer from some amount of depression until winter ends.

That doesn’t mean you should lose all hope. Just like the rest of us, kids can mitigate their symptoms of seasonal depression with a good, healthy diet and a few engaging activities that keep their minds stimulated.

Here’s a short guide to encouraging your child through SAD.

Identifying Seasonal Affective Disorder

Nobody is quite certain of what causes SAD, but medical experts know that children who have a family history of SAD are more likely to suffer from the condition. Symptoms of SAD are usually quite easy to spot once you know what you’re looking for, and include:

• Irritableness
• Constant tiredness
• Lack of energy
• Difficulty functioning

Of course, we all display these “symptoms” once in a while, but you should only start to consider seeking a SAD diagnosis if they seem to persist for two weeks. This diagnosis will get you the medical help you need and will help everyone in your family understand why your child may be “acting up” in the winter months.

Eat Nutritious Foods

Combating seasonal depression can be tricky. Hopefully, after you receive a diagnosis your doctor will give your child a treatment that replaces the vitamin D that they have not received through sunlight.

But, you must also ensure that you provide your child with a nutritious, well-balanced diet. That’s because poor nutrition, particularly at breakfast time, is amongst the biggest mistakes a schoolchild can make. Children who don’t eat breakfast are more likely to feel tired during the day and will have a hard time focusing at school. This will compound the problems they are facing while dealing with SAD.

If you aren’t sure of what a “nutritious” diet looks like, then you can always get in touch with a dietitian or nutritionist who specializes in child development. They will likely recommend you include more “brain foods” like eggs and kale and should avoid sugary food and drinks that will simply deepen your child’s depressive dip.

Fortified Foods and Supplements

Aside from eating a healthy, balanced diet, you may want to check out the vitamin D levels in your foods. That’s because, according to Yale doctors, most of us do not need to get our vitamin D from sunlight. In reality, most people can get all the vitamin D they need through fortified foods and nutritional supplements.

You can usually purchase vitamin D supplements from your local pharmacy or grocery store and should check the labels of foods like milk, juices, and cereals. That’s because most production companies will fortify their goods with vitamin D, and there is nothing wrong with getting your daily intake from these sources.

Connect With Activities

SAD makes it difficult for kids to find energy for activities and can leave them feeling dissociated and disinterested in family bonding. So, as a parent, you might need to raise the stakes and provide even more attention to your kid while they are battling SAD.

There are plenty of wintertime activities for you to choose from, but it’s worth bearing in mind that your child probably doesn’t want to feel cold or exhausted from exercising in the cold while they have SAD. For this reason, activities that center around a fire pit are perfect — your child stays warm, puts down their devices, and goes outside for at least an hour or so. You can make it into a more engaging activity by having them cook food over the pit and allowing them to help you tend to the fire.

Get Professional Help

The reality is that SAD isn’t something that most parents can deal with on their own. As much as you want to help your child, you are not a medical expert and might end up doing more harm than good if you don’t seek expert advice.

Fortunately, SAD is a medically-recognized condition and is amongst the common mental health issues that children face. This means that medical professionals have seen the condition before, and are well equipped to help you handle a case of SAD. This gives you confidence that your approach is backed by research, and that you’re doing all you can to help your child through a difficult time.

Conclusion

In the depths of winter, seasonal affective disorder can feel overwhelming. But, by taking a proactive, evidence-based approach to SAD, you can help your child mitigate their symptoms. In particular, you should review their diet to see if sugary foods are compounding the issue, and should seek medical advice from doctors who are well equipped to help your kid overcome the challenges they face during the winter.

About the Author
Katie Brenneman is a passionate writer specializing in education, mental health, family lifestyle and online safety. When she isn’t writing, you can find her with her nose buried in a book or hiking with her dog, Charlie. You can follow her on Twitter.