Homeschooling when you have younger kids can be tricky. Finding calm activities for them to do while you work with your school-aged kids is one way to make things easier on yourself without sticking them in front of a screen the whole and then hating yourself.
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Calm Activities for Younger Kids
Your toddler keeps bouncing off the wall and is into one thing after the other. Nothing seems to keep them calm and sitting for just five minutes. You desperately need to help out your homeschoolers with their lessons, and you feel guilty just sticking them in front of the TV or tablet. Sound familiar?
Here are 20 super fun calm activities for your child! Not only will these help your child relax, but they will also give you a much-needed break!
Yoga
Yoga is a great way to calm down your child. There are many YouTube videos or books to teach yoga poses that are perfect for kids. Getting some energy out before lessons can help save time in the long run.
Painting
Painting is a form of art therapy. If your child is upset and struggling, the painting will help them healthily release their emotions. They might even love to paint all the time afterward!
Quiet Book
Quiet books or busy books are also great ways to relax your child. Frequently these will have some sensory play along with it, making it more calming for them!
Bubble Wrap
Bubble wrap or the Pop Its game are great calming activities for kids and adults! There is just something relaxing about popping bubbles. If you don’t have these, blowing bubbles is also a great option.
Pom-Poms and Pipe Cleaners
These are two items you probably already have in your home. Grab a bunch of pom-poms and pipe cleaners and let your child’s imagination run wild. These craft supplies will keep your child busy for a long time as they learn new ways to play and create with them all the time!
Playdough
Playdough is always relaxing for children. If you are making your own playdough, add some lavender, tangerine, or other relaxing essential oils to your dough. This will add to the sensory experience and keep your child calm as they play.
Blocks
For many kids, building with wooden blocks or Legos can be very calming. However, this all depends on your child’s age. Kids that can easily get frustrated when the blocks are knocked down may struggle more with this activity than others.
Forts
Let your child build a fort in the house! Grab all the pillows, blankets, and set off to make a fort together. Then, when you are done, lay in the fort together and enjoy each other’s presence.
Scavenger Hunt
Create a scavenger hunt based on your child’s age and experience, and let them run free. This will teach them the independence to figure it out on their own and relax them as they go around the house to figure it all out.
Tape Race Cars
Create a race car track with painter’s tape on the floor. Then, your child can race their cars all around the house. Playing with toy cars is always relaxing for a child.
Shape Sorters
You can make your own or find a store-bought shape sorter. These are relaxing to your child as they try to focus on the different shapes and sort them correctly and efficiently. Again, this depends on your child’s age and how upset they become when things get difficult.
Reusable Stickers
There are so many reusable sticker books that all kids love. Some you can have as window stickers to decorate the house or use them with books to create a new story. Stickers always help relax a child.
Puzzles
Make sure to give age-appropriate puzzles, so your child doesn’t get frustrated and give up. Puzzles can be very relaxing and calming for kids of all ages!
Color Matching Game
This can be done with just about anything. You can put some construction paper out with different colors and have your child find things around the house with the same color to fill up the paper. Or use colorful blocks, crayons, buttons, or anything you find around the house.
Glitter Bottle
Make your own glitter bottle. These can be used only when your child needs to calm down or for whenever. They are so fun to make, and the craft itself can be relaxing!
Toy Car Wash
Children love playing with water, so have them give their cars a bath! Have them line up their toy cars and wash them one by one. If you have rideable cars, you can also make a fun large car wash they can go through with electric cars or bikes for some summer fun outside!
Outside Learning Calm Activities for Younger Kids
When the weather is nice you can take the homeschool lessons outside.
Water Play
There are many other great water play activities that are great for messy play, sensory play, and keeping your child calm. If you don’t want them splashing around in the water, dry rice is a great option as well.
Ice Cube Painting
Freeze some ice cubes with food coloring. Then, set them out on a plate outside, and sprinkle some baking soda on top. Then, squirt vinegar on the ice cubes and watch as the cubes bubble and melt all together, creating beautiful colors.
Painting the House with Water
This is very inexpensive and super fun! Grab a paintbrush and a bucket of water. Then, have your child “paint” the outside of your house!
Nature Walk
Being in nature is automatically calming. Find different things to look for in your environment to ground your child. Turn it into a nature study with your older homeschool kids. Try doing a nature walk before naptime to help your kids relax and settle down before lessons.
Hopefully, you have a few new ideas for calm activities for your younger kids. These activities should help keep your child busy and relax them long enough for you to work with your older kids.
What other activities do you do to calm down your kids? Share them below!
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