22 Simple Calming Activities for Kids and Toddlers under 3 Years Old

Finding calming activities for kids can be stressful, especially on the weekend. Weekends are supposed to be fun and relaxing, but it is often not like that if you have small children. The amount of deep breaths and deep breathing you must do to leave the house is an understatement. However, those traditional days of rest get filled with pressure to catch up for many parents. I don’t know if anyone has found a way to make weekends less stressful with kids.

Overall sensory activities are a great way to get your kids to calm down. If they tend to get excited quickly. Some kids react very well to sensory play, which is good to help with keeping your child from being overstimulated. A company with excellent sensory toys is Lovevery. They have an entertaining way of getting your child to explore with a line of toys designed for children up to three years old.

There are other effective ways of finding calming ways to get your kids to play and relax. A fun way to do this in the early years is to incorporate language development activities for toddlers as a calming activity. There are so many toys that can be used when teaching your toddler to speak that can also double as a byproduct of keeping them calm.

This post is about calming activities for kids.

When dealing with a toddler with big emotions, understanding why and how to get them to calm down is key to making sure. Just like adults, when we need to calm down, some use squeeze balls as a way to decompress. Young kids and toddlers are the same way. At the end of the day, if you feel like your toddler is beyond the scope of being able to calm them down, you can look into some great resources to see if you need to escalate it further.

Sometimes trying different ways in younger children is the key to getting them to react the way you need them. An occupational therapist can also share ways of sensory activity that will be appropriate based on your child’s temperament. Balanced Child Therapy is an excellent option for parents concerned about their child’s development with speech, motor skills, and more if you live in the South Jersey area. My son used their services, which have been a great help in his development.

Kids Board Games

If you have a child who is really into having quiet sensory input, here are a few great games. Board games overall help with social skills. They allow kids to interact with others and have a great time with their peers, which at an early age is essential to develop proper social skills early.

1. Disney Classic Characters Matching Game – – this game helps practice focus, memory, and matching skills. It is a great family game. It also cleans up quickly, and you can play for as long as you want.
2. Skoolzy Pattern Play Peg Board Game – Excellent toy for encouraging sensory play in toddlers. This board is great for matching, patterning, counting, fine motor skills, math, and STEM.
3. HABA My Very First Games – this game allows up to 4 players. It’s great for two-year-olds to learn to take turns, follow instructions, and define color recognition, quantities, and counting.

Physical Activity

You don’t have play games at home for your child to be calm. Getting that heart rate up is another great way of doing something fun but calming to your child. These are some great activities that young children love to play, and older kids can benefit from these calming activities for kids as well.

1. Yoga poses – the dog pose and tree pose are the easiest to try for younger children. They love to mimic what they see loved ones doing at this age, so if you are a yogi, this is a great way to introduce something fun to your kids.
2. Taking a bike ride – if your child is on training wheels, this is another fun way of getting them active and having fun. It is another way to get rid of lots of energy for very active kids. It allows them to build social skills and is another good way of working on fine motor, following directions which are vital skills to develop as young children.
3. Play a sport – young kids love to kick, run and spin. Such games like soccer, basketball, or taking them to the playground will allow them to burn off the necessary energy to provide a calmer child overall.

Sensory Activity

If you don’t know what sensory activity is, the way that you play or take action that gives stimulation to your senses like sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste. Children need to develop these skills because these are the skills required in daily life as they become older. This is about all the favorite things that you enjoy. It comes from constantly having strong sensory data processing in your mind and body. Here are some easy ways to get your child to be calm that you can make at home.

1. Play dough is the best way to get easy sensory in for touch. The playdough texture triggers multiple senses, and your child can usually play with it for a few minutes at a time. The calming effect of having the play dough between the fingers almost acts like a stress ball for children. You can also make your homemade playdough with the ingredients you have in your home. Here is one of my favorite recipes that lasts a long time and you will love to make with your kids.
2. Sensory Bins – sensory bins are what is used if your child is to go to occupational therapy. It contains all kinds of items that help stimulate the senses. You can create your bin at home and include rice, pipe cleaners, homemade stress balls, and more. It’s a powerful tool when you want your child to calm down and refocus during the day. You can also make your own sensory bottles and fill them with different items at home.

Sensory Activities at home

1. Essential oils – if you want to decrease stressful situations, essential oils are a great way to calm down through smell. Finding a quiet place and putting on a humidifier in which you can drop oils is a great way to dress a young child.
2. Water Play – Children love the water, so putting that together with other toys that enhance their senses is a win. If you can go to the beach, the ocean waves are great for them to touch and look. Make sure you have a designated space for them to do this to be safe.
3. Rock wall – Toddlers as young as 12 months old love to climb and crawl, so getting them this wall is a great activity for motor skills such as lifting, stacking, and carrying. The physical movements on the wall are one of the appropriate ways to climb safely, and it may become your child’s favorite place.

Relaxing music for children

Music is a universal language. Regardless of where you are, music is a simple way to calm down in times of stress or focus in times of need. Here are some examples of music that works to calm children.

• Classical Music
• Instrumental music
• White Noise
• Quiet Music
• Soothing Music

The easiest way to implement music is to make it a part of a bedtime routine or your bedtime activities so that it helps them whine down for the day. You can also incorporate music into quiet time activities like reading, study time, or nap time. Bath time is another time to introduce music to your child. If it’s not something you have tried, you should try it next time you put your child to bed.

Calming strategies for kids

Everyone had a busy day, and it will be hard all the time to have the things needed to get your child to calm down. Understanding that their emotional responses are a natural part of their development will help keep everyone’s blood pressure regular. Knowing a few great ideas on how calming strategies for toddlers can be the difference between staying at an event or leaving and going home early.

Here is a list of calm down techniques that work for toddlers. The goal is to get kids to learn their own coping skills to have natural ways of self-regulating their emotions as they become older.

• Breathing exercises
• Blow bubbles
• Coloring book
• Provide your child with their favorite soft blanket, stuffed animal, or healthy snack
• Meditating With Your Toddler
• If you have a pet, take animal walks with the family.

Suppose you have issues with their emotional development. In that case, you can always visit a doctor to ensure your toddler doesn’t have a sensory processing disorder or any other medical condition that may affect the nervous system. Having kids is a blessing, and with every stage of their life, you will learn so many new and exciting ways to grow with them.

This post was about calming activities for kids.