As a parent or caregiver, it can be difficult to see your child dealing with anxiety. Unfortunately, it happens far too often.
Kids can experience anxiety for a variety of reasons. Maybe there are changes at home, or they’re dealing with loss or grief for the first time.
Whatever the case, one of the simplest and most effective ways to ease those anxieties is to encourage playtime. We often think that play comes naturally to kids. While it does, you can also use it as a way for them to reduce stress, eliminate fears, and learn how to process and work through their emotions.
With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at how playtime can ease children’s anxieties, and what you can do to encourage it.
Unstructured Play Reduces Stress
Giving your children time to play without rules, expectations, or limits can help reduce their anxiety for several reasons. First, it removes any pressure to do things a certain way. Playtime can serve as a distraction or a temporary escape from their anxieties. While it’s not a permanent fix, it can give them a moment of respite that can benefit their mind and body.
Unstructured playtime also helps your children feel like they’re in control of the situation. Anxiety often becomes worse when you focus on the unknown or the “what ifs” of a situation. When your children feel like they have agency, it creates a greater sense of security.
Play Encourages Expression
Even if your child might be anxious, that doesn’t mean they’ll be able to adequately express how they’re feeling. Emotions can be difficult for kids to understand, let alone talk about fully.
Play encourages them to express themselves freely. Whether they’re drawing, playing with figurines, or building something, they can be creative and express themselves without a word. That’s why so many child counselors and therapists utilize play therapy to understand better what a child might be trying to communicate.
Play Fosters Problem-Solving
While playtime is meant to be fun, it can also cause your child to face some simple challenges. Where should that next block go? How will they get to the end of a maze? What can they do if a toy isn’t working the way they want?
Playtime helps children learn problem-solving skills on a small and simple scale. But, they are skills that can be carried into real-world situations, including stress and anxiety management. They can think outside the box when it comes to finding the right solutions, and that’s an important skill to have when trying to manage your mental well-being.
Which Playtime Activities Are Best for Kids?
There’s no right or wrong way to encourage playtime for your children. But a few activities can really help reduce stress and anxiety for kids while allowing them to express themselves and have fun.
Encouraging your kids to be physically active is a great way to combat anxiety. Playing a sport, riding a bike, or just running around the yard can boost their mood and help ease stress.
Consider getting your child a journal if you’re looking for more quiet-time activities. Let them know they can write about anything they’re thinking or feeling. Sometimes, getting your anxious thoughts out on paper can make them easier to understand and work through.
Finally, let them express themselves creatively through music or art. These creative outlets have been shown to reduce stress.
Again, it can be difficult to see your child dealing with anxiety. While playtime activities can help, don’t hesitate to contact us if you’re still concerned, or read more about our child therapy. Children can do very well in therapy, and it’s never too early to learn how to take care of their mental health.
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