8 Games to Create Emotionally Healthy Children

Try These Games To Create Emotionally Healthy Children

In the time when we use tablets to calm our children, it becomes even more vital to train our children in mindfulness and relaxation techniques. We can do this through games that, while developing resources for children’s lives, also allow them to have fun.

So, given that we live in a society that encourages haste, quick stimuli, and instant gratification, it is of the utmost importance that we have at hand resources that favor and teach greater self-control.

Thus, based on this premise, we have compiled in this article some games that serve as relaxation techniques for your children, being those in your family or not. Let’s see what they consist of:

1. Blow the candle!

This game consists of learning how to breathe deeply, that is, taking a breath through the nose, inflating the belly, and slowly expelling the air as we blow the candle with the intention of erasing it. As soon as the child understands the instructions, we ask her to sit on a chair two meters from the candle, which will be lit on a table.

The child cannot stand or lean, so we hope he cannot put out the candle. So, we approached the table chair about a half meter. We will move the chair forward gradually until the child is able to extinguish the candle. Thus, we will have a game of about 5 minutes in which the child will acquire the ability to breathe deeply.

2. The Balloon Game

The balloon technique is a beautiful game that helps us to foster relaxation through proper breathing. What will we need? Just a big space and many colorful balloons. What should we do? Fill a balloon until it explodes, then fill another and expel the air slowly manipulating the mouth of the balloon.

Then we will ask the children to close their eyes and imagine that they are turning into balloons as they take in air. Then we will ask them to expel the air slowly as if they were balloons.

After doing this, we will ask the children to tell us situations in which they feel like balloons, cases in which they cannot bear or tolerate something. Then we will ask you to explain how you solved this, offering alternatives if you needed help to become aware of these situations.

3. The Seed Game

With relaxing background music and using a dim light, we will be mimicking the growth of a tree. We will begin by putting our knees on the ground, tilting our heads and extending our arms forward, as if we were lazy stretching cats.

We are a seed that, to the sound of music, grows and grows into a big tree with beautiful branches, which will be our arms stretched upwards when we are standing. This exercise is ideal to do with them at night, before going to bed.

4. The Turtle’s Tale

The turtle’s tale, developed by Schneider, is an excellent exercise for fostering self-control skills. It is the story of a little turtle that was irritated by everything and that lost control with great ease.

One day, after feeling lonely and isolated, she meets a wise turtle who gives her a hint to control herself when she is angry: to enter her shell, to count herself to calm down, to break her thoughts and to relax.

This tale- exercise is ideal for being told to children between 3 and 7 years old. To facilitate the implementation of this skill, we can give them a label or a piece of paper with a turtle whenever they perform the exercise in a tense situation. We have the turtles ready to print.

5. The pot of calm

We call “jar of calm” a sensory bottle. It is essentially a bottle in which we put water, liquid silicone to give density to the content and, for example, glitter. We can manufacture it with children as manual work, and it is ideal for them to contemplate it both in moments of tension and in moments that we can call “Zen.”

6. The Giant Ball Puffer Game

One more resource for fun and learning to breathe deeply is the puffer game. It consists of the child holding the ball in the air for as long as possible. Fun, is not it? This game is loved by children and is very functional to promote relaxation.

7. Kneading papers, squeezing balls, scribbling

Scribbling, kneading papers or squeezing softballs like anti-stress balls is another healthy game to help children channel their negative emotions. Also, at the same time, we favor the development of fine motor skills as we help them strengthen the muscles of the hands.

8. Painting Mandalas Painting mandalas favor not only relaxation and reflection, but also able to concentrate and creative ability. In bookstores and on the internet, we find numerous suitable alternatives to games, exercises and Yoga practices for the children that they will love.

About the Author

Humanity Healing Network is an Ageless Wisdom education outreach of Humanity Healing International. HumanityHealing.net