8 Relaxation Games To Raise Emotionally Strong Children

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

Thus, considering that we live in a society that encourages haste, quick stimuli and immediate gratification, it is extremely important that we have resources at hand that favor greater self-control.

Therefore, based on this premise, we have compiled in this article some games that serve as relaxation techniques for the children in the family. Let’s see what they consist of:

1. Blow out the candle!

This game consists of learning to breathe deeply, that is, taking air through the nose, inflating the belly, and slowly expelling the air while blowing out the candle with the intention of extinguishing it. Once the child understands the instructions, we ask him to sit in a chair two meters from the candle, which will be lit on a table.

She can’t stand or lean, so we hope she can’t blow out the candle. Thus, we brought the chair about half a meter closer to the table. We will progressively bring the chair closer until the child manages 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 wonderful game that helps us to promote relaxation through correct breathing. What will we need? Just ample space and colorful balloons. What should we do? Inflate a balloon until it explodes, then inflate another and slowly expel the air by manipulating the balloon’s mouth.

Afterwards, we will ask the children to close their eyes and imagine that they are turning into balloons as they take in air. Then we’ll ask them to slowly expel the air, like balloons.

After that, we’ll ask the children to tell us situations where they feel like balloons, situations where they can’t stand or tolerate something. We will then ask them to explain how they resolved this, offering alternatives if they needed help to become aware of these situations.

3. The seed game

With relaxing background music and dim light, we will symbolize the growth of a tree. We’ll start by putting our knees on the floor, tilting our head and extending our arms forward, as if we were cats stretching.

We are a seed that, to the sound of the music, grows and transforms into a large tree with beautiful branches, which will be our arms extended 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 Tale, developed by Schneider, is magnificent for fostering self-control skills. It is the story of a little turtle who was irritated by everything and who lost control very easily.

One day, after feeling lonely and isolated, she meets a wise turtle who gives her a tip to control herself when she’s angry: get inside her shell, count until she calms down, rein in her thoughts and relax.

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

5. The pot of calm

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

The simple act of watching the glitter move slowly will help you to focus and relax your mind after moments of great activation. We leave a video that explains how to make this pot and how it can be used. Don’t forget to close the jar with extra strong glue to prevent it from opening and spilling all the contents!

 6. The Giant Ball Blower Game

One more resource for having fun and learning to breathe deeply is the blower game. It consists in the child keeping the ball in the air for as long as possible. Fun, isn’t it? This game is loved by children and is very functional to promote relaxation.

7. Crushing papers, squeezing balls, doodling

Scribbling, crumpling papers, or squeezing soft balls like stress balls is another wonderful game to help children channel their negative emotions. Furthermore, at the same time we favor the development of fine motor skills, as we help them to strengthen the muscles of the hands.

8. Paint mandalas

Painting mandalas not only promotes relaxation and reflection, but also the ability to concentrate and creative ability.  In bookstores and on the internet we find countless alternatives suitable for children that they will love.

This is today’s compilation, we hope these games and resources will be of great use in raising your children. Don’t forget that it’s easier to raise strong children than it is to fix broken adults, and that our greatest responsibility is that nature entrusts us with raising children.