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In today’s world prioritizing physical activities and academic achievements is common. But what about children’s mental health?
Just like physical activities, mental health activities are also important for kids. The fundamentals of overall development depend on both equally.
Children’s experience different kinds of emotions, challenges, and transitions in their school especially while making new friends, or navigating social expectations.
Mental health activities help in the foundation for a happier and healthier future of kids. With engaging and fun mental health activities, one can promote emotional awareness, self-expression, and resilience.
Table of Contents
What is Mental Health Activity?
Mental health activity is a kind of exercise or practice that helps individuals personal, physiological and social wellbeing.
Involving mental health activities in day-to-day life can help kids to focus on doing homework and enhance resilience.
Various online schools look forward to providing mental health facilities to students. The online schools like 21K School play a major role in supporting mental health.
For children, these activities can be done in the form of games, crafts, and exercises. These activities enhance emotional intelligence, mindfulness, self-esteem, and coping skills.
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Discover Top 10 Mental Health Activities for Kids
Let’s understand top 10 fun and engaging mental health activities designed to support and enhance children’s mental well-being:
1. Feelings Charades
In feeling charades, kids got the chance to recognize and express different emotional feelings. And others guess which emotion it is.
It helps to understand the communication and empathy which helps in expressing emotional feelings to others.
- What You Need: Emotion card which involves a list of emotions like sad, happy, anger, fear etc.
- How to Play: Kids choose a card and play an act to represent the emotion given in the card. On the other hand kids guess the emotion and discuss.
- Why It Helps: This game helps to introduce new emotions with a playful environment. This enhances kids’ emotional vocabulary.
2. Worry Monster Craft
Worry monster craft is a mental health activity in which kids write their worries on small paper and feed the monster to reduce burden.
It reduces stress and anxiety especially when kids are unable to express to elders.
- What You Need: Color, marker, empty tissue box, scissor, glue.
- How to Play: Make a creative monster with the help of a tissue box with some favorite colors. Kids later write down the worries and feed them.
- Why It Helps: This will help to release the fear and open up about their issues.
3. Gratitude Jar
Gratitude jar is an ideal way to write down everything you have experienced in everyday life. From thankful notes to upcoming goals and positive feelings.
- What You Need: Get a desired jar, paper marker, pen, shiny charms.
- How to Play: Decorate the jar as per your imagination. Then write down every important thing you want in a small colorful paper fold and drop it in a jar. You can do this everyday or weekly.
- Why It Helps: It helps children to appreciate positive aspects of their life and practice on tough things.
4. Mindful Breathing Bubbles
Mindful breathing bubbles activity is a healthy option in which kids play by blowing bubbles. This mental health activity is not only helpful in reducing stress but also like yoga.
- What You Need: Bottle of soap bubble.
- How to Play: Kids take a deep breath and slowly and patiently blow the bubble without breaking. Here watching breath and bubbles is essential.
- Why It Helps: This playful activity calms down the breath and ensures kids are relaxed and happy.
5. Emotion Drawing Time
Emotion drawing is an easy activity anyone can do to express their present feelings. It helps in self-awareness and encourages creativity in kids’ lives.
- What You Need: Papers and colours
- How to Play: Ask kids to create different kinds of emotions with colors to express feelings.
- Why It Helps: It is a powerful option for kids to understand their own emotions.
6. Kindness Bingo
Kindness bingo is an activity that encourages acts of kindness by replacing numbers on a traditional bingo card with different kindness activities.
- What You Need: Printed bingo card.
- How to Play: Help the kids to complete the act of kindness and make it into the card.
- Why It Helps: This game builds empathy, boosts mood, and makes connections.
7. Positive Affirmation Mirror
Positive affirmation mirror is a mental health activity in which a mirror is decorated with positive messages. This encourages self love, positivity and confidence in kids.
- What You Need: Sticky notes, mirror and marker.
- How to Play: Children come up with small and positive affirmations such as “I am a confident person” write in note and stickin the mirror.
- Why It Helps: This encourages a positive mindset every day.
8. Yoga Story Time
In yoga storytime elders combine yoga with storytelling which is good for both mental health and body flexibility.
It helps in physical development, cross-lateral movement, acting out stories, expressing emotions, creative movement, and relaxation.
- What You Need: Yoga mat, yoga book or video.
- How to Play: Connect yoga movements with stories such as “stretching like a tree and posing like a cat”.
- Why It Helps: It helps to learn new things with energy, relaxation and calmness.
9. My Safe Space Box
“My Safe Space Box” is a tangible box which contains personal items to make kids comfortable, safe and happy. Especially when they feel alone and uncomfortable.
- What You Need: Empty box, favourite stuff like toys, photos etc.
- How to Play: Fill the book with favourite stuff and put it aside. Use it whenever kids feel upset or need a break.
- Why It Helps: It is self soothing and creates a comfortable place for kids in low time.
10. Mood Color Wheel
Mood color wheel is a mental health activity in which paper is divided into colors to show some basic emotions.
- What You Need: Paper plate, colored sections, markers.
- How to Play: Here the paper plate is divided and colored which represent different emotions. Kids spin the paper and an arrow stops in one emotion.
- Why It Helps: This helps children to identify different emotions everyday.
Benefits of Focusing on Mental Health Activities for Kids
With the help of mental health activities in children life will provide numerous benefits. These activities are immediate emotional regulation.
This includes improved mood, enhanced focus and memory, reduced stress and anxiety, and better physical health.
Here some top benefits of mental health activities you should know:
1. Improved Self-Esteem and Confidence
By focusing on mental health activities such as positive self-talk, gratitude, and celebrating strengths helps parents and teachers to children develop a strong sense of accomplishment, positive thinking, confidence and reduce anxiety.
2. Development of Coping Skills
Developing healthy coping skills means learning and using strategies to handle stress, emotions, and challenges in a positive and effective manner.
This helps in relaxation techniques, problem-solving strategies, and resilience which leads to kids stress management, anxiety, and setbacks effectively.
3. Stronger Social Skills
Having strong social skills ensures better communication, and overall well-being which leads to confident personality and effective social interactions.
4. Increased Focus and Concentration
Mindful mental activities have the ability to benefit kids academic performance and overall cognitive development.
This will reduce the stress level, increasing awareness in children, and improving cognitive function.
5. Reduced Behavioral Problems
Different kinds of mental health activities manage behavioral problems by improving emotional regulation, promoting positive well-being, and reducing the risk of developing mental health conditions.
6. Positive Brain Development
A shape and positive brain development is all teachers, parents and children need. With positive mental health activities children improve their cognitive function, emotional well-being, and overall mental health.
Are you concerned about expat teenagers’ mental health? Do check out expat Teens’ Mental Health blog.
Conclusion: Mental Health is a Journey of Better Future
Building mental health in kids isn’t just playing games, it’s about building skills.
Having simple and joyful activities provide a right space and help kids to explore emotions. To gain self awareness and emotional support it is ideal.
No matter whether the kid is at home or school these activities are easy to do anywhere anytime.
For a child’s confidence, relationships, and resilience try different mental health activities. Remember to make this journey fun, loving and exciting for kids.
Learn Why Online Schooling Is Good for Mental Health of students.
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