17 Games To Relieve Stress And Anxiety In Your Child

2024 Author: Harry Day | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 15:43

We accept the version that our subconscious mind is striving for healing, looking for a way to harmonize. The subconscious mind speaks in the language of symbols, sensations, images and metaphors. By offering a "healthy" metaphor, we give impetus to this magical healing work. For the practices below, it is especially important to have a harmonious state of an adult who will conduct them, and a time resource.

# 1. Plant

We use the metaphor of a plant taking root in a new location. We compose a fairy tale (draw a picture, sculpt from plasticine-clay, use natural materials and "animate" them with stickers-eyes or drawings) about a seed (a flower or a tree), which is transplanted into another pot (it is carried by the wind, carried by relatives), to look after and take care of. Or the seed itself went to travel.

The tale of how a tree looks closely at the new "soil", looks at who is growing nearby, puts down roots. It takes root. And over time, it begins to bloom, friends - birds fly to it, animals come running … If a tree, according to the child, feels uncomfortable and unsafe, we ask - what would help it, perhaps a fence, perhaps an angel or a fairy of trees, perhaps an adult friend. (After practice, you can approach a real tree, tie a ribbon, hug it, stroke it)

# 2. Line of life

Children undergoing stress are encapsulated in past traumatic events. They seem to be separated from reality. We return them to the "present" by playing the "life line". This practice can be done only when the adult has a reserve of time and resources. We lay out a straight line with a thread or a long ribbon. (It is ideal to use a garland with glowing lights). Depending on how old the child is - we put bright objects on the line (shoes can be used) - a few steps from each other. The number of marks by the number of years + 1 (one year from the real age) and +1 after 5 years from the real age.

The thread line should be much longer than the age marks. The child takes the first "notch" - we remind him that this is the point where he is only a year old. At this point, the baby is just starting to walk (the child can sit down, ask for the arms, be sure to hug him if he asks. You can even give him a drink of water from the straw). As you move along the line, the child straightens up.

At every stop, we say sincere words. O! One more year! How glad I am to you. This year you have become / a … (we say some kind of achievement)”.

It is imperative to stand a little longer at the mark of real age … And then the child takes a step into the "future" - the parent says - "Oh! You will be such a happy adult! " Perhaps, to pick up the child in your arms and "fly over" over the thread….

For reading children, you can lay out pieces of paper with written wishes or resource words at the age marks. A simpler option is the "classics" drawn with chalk. The child jumps into the cell of age. In this cell, an inverted piece of paper with a picture, words, a heart, a surprise that needs to be opened is waiting for him. The last cell - joyful symbols are drawn. (secretly: this is a wonderful birthday game).

# 3. Games with the face

A mask can freeze on the face of a person of any age who has undergone trauma. (Constant indifferent or frozen in one difficult-to-define emotion facial expression). In this case, any "plastic" games will be useful.

• You can start by kneading a real piece of plasticine. Then, we "turn" the child into plasticine. We "sculpt" different shapes from his face (pulling his cheeks, ask him to puff out his cheek …)
• We play in the competition "antics". We make all kinds of faces together with the child.
• Masks. We use ready-made ones, cut out, paint. The child chooses the mask of his "strength" - he walks, speaks, gestures from this role. Then, puts on a mask of "weakness" (for example, fear). Speaking on behalf of this mask. Then, removes the mask. At the end of the work, we ask, when would the first mask come in handy for you? how can she help the second mask?
• We become actors and make a small production of any fairy tale. The simplest is a turnip, a mitten …

# 4. Simple Holidays

A person who has endured a difficult experience often has a feeling - the impossibility of joy in the future and "betrayal" before a difficult event or other affected people, huge guilt and resistance, if you allow yourself even a little pleasure.

It is important for us to help children again allow themselves joy. Feeling no guilt before the past or those people who find it harder. We make surprises for loved ones. We focus on the achievements (write down, draw them), note what was good for the day.

We come up with holidays.

For example, a bed-making holiday. A feast of whipping a pillow, a feast of suds on your cheeks, a feast of washing your toothbrush. I especially focus on "corporeality". Often, traumatized children either begin to wash themselves very thoroughly, or avoid the topic of washing, cleanliness, and touching the body.

# 5. Color therapy

The child often "hangs" in the past, ceasing to pay attention to the current day. The experience of the difficult past brings to reality. His gaze seems to be turned inward. We show the child "the passage of time" and fix ourselves on each day, revive feelings. For example, each day is given a specific color. Let's say Wednesday is red. Throughout the day, we are looking for red objects, eat red foods, we ourselves use red in clothes, accessories.

# 6. Where are you?

For fixation on the present, we often play the game “where are you?”. We ask unexpectedly, at any time of the day, the question - "where are you?" The answer must start with the words "I am here!" Then there are several sentences about this "here", with a description of different modalities - aroma, hearing, physicality, taste. For example: I'm here. In the room, I sit on a soft pillow with a computer in my lap, eating a sweet berry.

# 7. Make a schedule

To stabilize the state, to return support and relieve anxiety, the child needs more information and external “predictability”. Those. a fairly clear daily routine. And any structure. What can be planned is planned. Be sure to warn about changes in plans. You can make a schedule together, decorate it, instruct the child to follow up on the plan - this is a good practice.

# 8. Garland

Many kids need more communication, but avoid contact. This little practice is good for both shy kids and for adapting to a new group.

Cut out a garland of people holding hands from paper. You can draw faces, you can write the names of friends, relatives, children from the group. This is how we create a metaphor for connectedness - "we are together"

# 9. A drop of paint

For stress relief, relaxation, transformation of fixation on one experience, state, event. We drip watercolor paint into water, examine the patterns on the water, watch the paint dissolve. It will be great if you later dance with your child, experience the movement of paint in water with the plasticity of your body. Let the child show the movement of the watercolors with his body.

# 10. Prints

Another very simple eco-friendly - "revitalizing" technique, helps to remove the ban on fantasy and feelings.

Traumatized people freeze their sensitivity - if I allow myself to feel, fear, pain and anger will manifest with joy. And also create a metaphor for "multivariance". (This technique also helps with neurotic constipation.)

Dip your finger in paint or beetroot juice. We put several fingerprints on the sheet. We ask, what needs to be finished to make a pig, a hare, a swan, a fish …

# 11. Draw on dark or black paper

Crayons, pastels, gouache. Any topics. This method helps in the transformation of anxiety, brings to the surface the encapsulated fear. Something new and colorful emerges from the darkness of the unknown, the past, the terrible.

Metaphor: out of the darkness of the night, a new life is born - the day.

# 12. Letting go to the sky

Past experiences are hard to let go. A person who has experienced trauma or loss may begin to "cling" to what they consider important and dear. We need a metaphor for "letting go with joy" - balls. We release balloons into the sky, launch boats along the river …

# 13. Return identification

Working with a name. We write the letters of the name in a column. For each letter of the name, we recall some kind of resource quality.

For example: VANYA - Attentive, Neat, Gentle, Bright

# 14. Becoming super heroes

Often a child who has gone through a difficult experience, faced with increased care and attention, with the fact that adults are doing a lot for him. Such a child becomes more infantile, passive. It is important not to provoke "learned helplessness" in the child.

Each action made by him provides a resource for his future. We do not do for the child what he can do himself! When a child says - “I can't! will not work! help! when it whines and evades the action - we play the game - We turn into supermen.

• “Now I am you, and you are turning me into a superman. You just need to eat (candy, berry, vitamin, drink juice, fruit drink ….).
• “What superpowers will you have? I have to carry objects. Look - I'm bringing this laundry basket to the bathroom. And you have - come on - speed. And can you go fast? (Get out of bed, get dressed, eat …)"

# 15. Play baby

Often the subconsciousness of children takes them to that age when they were happy and lived in a sense of security. They begin to behave like babies, lisp, ask for pens. We play with the child in the "baby", give energy-forces to his child's part. And then we "turn" him into an adult.

We give the child the opportunity to command - how many steps to take (the game "giants-lilliputians"), we become his "cook" in the kitchen, we give him the opportunity to choose the route of the walk (you can even give the steering wheel-lid from the pot in your hands)

# 16. The logical stage

Aggression - we are looking for ways to live in an environmentally friendly way - clicking bubbles of packaging, fighting with pillows, knocking down pins, hammering in "nails".

Fear of loud noises - applause games, musical instruments.

Fear of touching - imagine that it is raining. first he knocks on the palms of the child (with the pillows of the fingers we knock on the palms), then, on the whole body. The rain can be of different strength.

# 17. Jumping

Anxious kids intuitively choose jumping games. It is important for them to jump on a trampoline (instead of a trampoline, they will still choose a bed:-). Jumping relieves tension, makes it possible to feel support on the foot, "weightlessness" when jumping affects the brain stem structures. Instead of prohibiting jumping, you can create "special jumping places". For example - "here you can jump on one leg, here on two …" …

It should be borne in mind that the child will ask to play or read what is important and healing for him several times. The adult plays and reads patiently and happily. The child will not play a game that evokes emotions in him that he is not ready to cope with. We treat this with respect and do not insist.

Author: Svetlana Royz