5 Techniques to Help Your Child De-Stress

Children sometimes feel stressed from school work, extracurricular activities, anxiety, and other places...

Children
March 21, 2025

Children sometimes feel stressed from school work, extracurricular activities, anxiety, and other places.You should provide support for children when they are stressed.It is also recommended to protect the mental well-being of your child from stress.Sharing the source of stress can help your child de-stress.In addition, you can use your experience to advise your child and give different perspectives about the root of stress.Sometimes your child will be unaware of feeling stressed, and you can point this out to your child.Playing is an effective way for children to de-stress.Try to ensure your child gets regular time to play.Consider creating family time when your family plays as a potent de-stress tool.Children usually have a hectic schedule with school, extracurricular activities, homework, and tests.This can get overwhelming for your child.A great technique to help your child de-stress is to manage your child's schedule.Here are five techniques to help your child de-stress:

Allow Your Child to Express the Stress

Expression is a great technique to help your child de-stress.You can teach your child to share any challenges encountered with you.Then you can put things in perspective and offer solutions for dealing with the stress.Expression is a form of sharing that brings relief and release from the burden of holding stress.It is very effective at assisting your child to de-stress.Encourage your child to de-stress by expressing it to you verbally or in writing.Your child can write a letter detailing the source of stress.You can tell your child that, although they can choose not to give you the letter.You would like to assist with de-stressing.A child might not even be aware of the amount of stress they are under.Try to have regular conversations with your child about their general well-being.You will likely be able to spot it early when your child starts to become overstressed.‍

Create Playtime

Even though stress can come from different sources, it is usually still built over a period of time.One of the natural ways to de-stress before the accumulation of stress becomes burdensome is playing.Your child can benefit from having time to play and relax.Playtime can be an excellent opportunity for your child to exercise and de-stress.When you notice your child is stressed, try to think of activities that your child might enjoy to serve as a break to your child.A fun activity you could try to help your child de-stress is creating family time.This would be when your family spends time together having fun or engaging with each other.For instance, family time could involve going to the park to play or traveling across states every Saturday.The essence of family time could be to give the entire family a break.Your child's playtime can also include activities like practicing the piano or painting.The interests of your child determine what is fun.Be mindful about the amount of time your child spends playing daily.

Help Them Manage Their Schedule

It is easy to forget how hectic school life was.Children might be overstressed trying to cope with their schedule.Your intervention to manage your child's schedule can help your child de-stress.Between concentrating at school, extracurricular activities, and homework.Your child can get overwhelmed, especially before school assessments.Being overscheduled is a big reason children are overstressed.You might have contributed more work to your child's schedule.When you notice your child is stressed or overscheduled, try to intervene and organize your child's schedule in a better way.Aim to ensure your child has periods of free time to unwind.Consider how you can teach your child to manage their schedule subsequently.This will help your child to deal with stress better by themselves in your absence.Stress will also likely affect your child's performance in school.

A little girl sleeping on a white shit with gold stars spread around

Encourage Healthy Sleeping Habits

It is normal for your child to be stressed at certain points.However, long-lasting, severe, or intense stress might need your intervention to de-stress.Little or no sleep could contribute a lot to your child suffering from stress.Sleep is crucial for children.Depending on the child's age, experts recommend between 9 -12 hours of sleep per night.A simple technique to help your child de-stress, consider encouraging the recommended amount of time necessary for sleep to your child.Try to observe your child's sleeping habits.You might find out that your child barely sleeps due to overworking.This might also indicate the need to balance your child's schedule.You could also find out your child just has poor sleeping habits.Be ready to impose a stricter curfew and lights out to ensure your child sleeps well.Consider keeping TV and other electronics from your child.

Teach Them Mediation

Stress could come from competing interests in the mind of your child.Meditation is a tool that helps to bring clarity and calm to the front.Meditation might be an effective method to help your child de-stress.Although it might be a bit challenging to teach your child, you can teach your child meditation techniques.A simple meditation technique you could show your child is to pick a random number and count backward from it.For instance, your child might pick 100 and count backward by 5.The objective is to help your child calm down and find clarity.Meditation makes it easier for children to listen to their bodies.This could give your child insights into the source of their stress and how to address it.Meditation is one of the few methods of de-stressing that can be done quickly.For instance, your child can meditate for an hour during lunch break and gain more clarity to deal with the immediate problems.It is noteworthy to mention that meditation is not always effective at de-stressing your child; sometimes, it only helps your child understand the source of the stress.

Conclusion

Long-lasting periods of stress are unhealthy and will likely affect the mental well-being of your child.It is important to offer your child support when your child feels stressed.There are some techniques to help your child de-stress healthily, and they include teaching them to express the stress, creating playtime to unwind, managing your child's schedule, encouraging healthy sleeping habits, and teaching them meditation.

Resources

https://psychcentral.com/lib/7-tips-for-helping-your-child-manage-stress#6

https://www.apa.org/topics/child-development/stress

https://familyguidanceandtherapy.com/10-tips-to-help-your-child-manage-stress/

https://www.brighthorizons.co.uk/family-zone/family-resources/blog/2017/03/tips-destress-children

https://biglifejournal.com/blogs/blog/help-children-cope-stress

Author
Jennifer Luttman, LPC, ACS

I am a Licensed Professional Counselor, and owner of Overcomers Counseling. I'm dedicated to helping individuals find strength and healing through life’s challenges. With a deep understanding of mental health and years of professional experience, I specialize in fostering hope and resilience while equipping her clients with tools to thrive. Passionate about empowering others, she creates a safe, supportive space where everyone feels seen, valued, and capable of overcoming obstacles on their path to well-being.

Common Questions about Children

How can I help my child persist when things get tough?

Help your child by providing support and guidance, using positive language, highlighting the progress they have made, breaking down the challenge into smaller steps, and motivating them with positive affirmations.