9 Relaxing Games For Emotionally Strong Children
In an age where tablets are used to entertain children, it has become even more indispensable to train our children in relaxation techniques. We can do it through relaxing games so they too will have fun while developing abilities and life skills.
We live in a society that promotes haste, quick stimuli and instant gratification. So it is extremely important that we have resources available that favor a greater sense of self-control.
Therefore, in this article, we have prepared some games that serve as relaxation techniques for the youngest members of your family. Let’s see what they are:
1. Blow out the light!
This game consists of learning to breathe deeply. That is, take air in through your nose, fill your stomach, and blow the air out slowly while trying to blow the light out. Once the instructions are understood, place the child in a chair two feet away from the candle. This candle is lit and placed on top of a table.
The child cannot stand up or lean forward. It can thus be expected that he cannot blow out the light. Then you pull him half a meter closer. You will gradually pull him closer until he is able to blow out the candle. That way, you can play for at least 5 minutes, giving the child the opportunity to breathe in and out deeply.
2. Relaxing doctor with balloon
The balloon technique is a wonderful game that helps us promote relaxation through proper breathing. What do you need? A large open space and colored balloons. What should you do? Blow one balloon up to the point where it is about to explode, and inflate another where you slowly let the air out again.
Then ask the children to close their eyes and pretend to be balloons. Ask them to fill themselves with air, take a deep breath. Then you will ask them to let the air out slowly as if they were like the other balloon.
After doing this, ask the children to tell you about situations where they felt like balloons. Times when they could not stop or tolerate anything. Next, encourage them to tell you how they resolved the situation. And then offer alternatives if they need help gaining awareness in these situations.
3. Progressive relaxation
Although we could tell you the instructions in this technique, there is a video on Youtube based on the original text of Koeppen relaxation that tells the relaxation steps with great background music, thanks to Salvador Candel. Nevertheless, we could also give you the instructions and set the mood with relaxing music that will favor a warm and calm environment.
As an added note, if you get nervous during class, you can do the following. Grasp the chair you are sitting on and tense your arms and abdomen as you push your feet into the ground.
4. Seed the game
With relaxing background music and dim lighting, we will symbolize the growth of a tree. We start on our knees, on the ground, with our heads bent down. Your arms are stretched forward as if you were a kitten waking up.
We are a seed that, to the beat of music, begins to grow and becomes a large tree with beautiful branches. These will be our arms, stretched upwards as we get up on our feet. This is an ideal exercise to perform with them at night, just before you put them to bed.
5. The story of the turtle
The story of the turtle, developed by Schneider, is magnificent at encouraging self-control skills. It tells the story of a little turtle that got mad all over the place and lost its temper easily.
One day, after feeling alone and isolated, it finds a clever turtle who shares a trick with him to control himself when he gets angry. He asked the turtle to go into the shell and count until he was reassured. To pause his thoughts and relax.
This story is ideal for children aged 3 to 7 years. To promote the use of this skill, we can give them a sticker or a small piece of paper with a turtle on it each time they perform the exercise in a tense situation. We have it available and ready to download and print here.
6. The calm jar
With “The calm jar” we refer to a bottle that we fill with water, some liquid silicone to give the contents some tightness and something flashy. Such as glitter. We can do it with the kids, as just another creative project. It is ideal for them to consider in tense moments, as well as moments that we could refer to as “zen”.
They are supposed to shake it and observe the movement. We will then explain to them that the glitter is their emotion. They are shaken until they calm down and lie down. It is an ideal way to encourage moments of reflection.
Observing glitter flowing slowly around will help them concentrate and calm their minds, after moments of great activation. Feel free to see how to do it at home on youtube! And do not forget to seal the bottle with extra strong glue so that it does not open up and all its contents fall out!
7. Relaxing play with the giant floating ball
This game is another resource used to have fun and learn to breathe deeply. It consists of getting the kids to keep the ball in the air for as long as they possibly can. Funny not? The truth is that this game is always a favorite and it is very practical in promoting relaxation.
8. Curl papers, squeeze balls and draw doodles
The curling iron, curling papers or squeezing balls as anti-stress, is another of the amazing and relaxing games that can help children channel their negative emotions. At the same time, you also encourage the development of their fine motor skills. For these games help them strengthen the muscles in their small hands.
9. To draw mandalas
Drawing mandalas favors not only relaxation and reflection, but also the ability to concentrate and improve their creative abilities. In libraries and on the Internet, you will find various suitable alternatives that your children will love.
This is as far as our compilation goes today. We hope that these games and resources will really help in the upbringing of your little ones. Let us not forget that it is easier to raise strong children than to repair broken adults. Nature attributes to us the education of children, and this is our greatest responsibility.
