Emotion Regulation Activities for Kids: Fun and Effective Ways to Support Emotional Development

Helping children manage their emotions can be a challenging yet rewarding journey for parents, teachers, therapists, and caregivers alike. Emotion regulation skills are crucial for a child’s overall development, influencing their ability to navigate social interactions, overcome challenges, and build resilience. Thankfully, there are plenty of engaging and practical emotion regulation activities for kids that can make this process not only effective but enjoyable.

Why are Emotion Regulation Activities Important for Kids?

Children often experience a wide range of emotions but may not yet have the tools to process and express them appropriately. Emotion regulation activities teach children how to identify, manage, and express their feelings in constructive ways. These skills are foundational for building strong relationships, boosting self-confidence, and fostering a sense of wellbeing. For children who struggle with anger, anxiety, or impulsivity, engaging in these activities can help them learn to pause, reflect, and respond rather than react. Over time, this practice equips them with tools to thrive socially and emotionally as they grow.

Effective Emotion Regulation Activities for Kids

Here are some tried-and-tested activities that can help children better understand and manage their emotions:

• Feelings Charades

This activity turns emotional expression into a game. Write down various emotions on cards (e.g. happy, sad, frustrated, excited) and have children act them out while others guess. It helps kids recognise emotions in themselves and others, fostering empathy and social awareness.

• Emotion Sorting Games

Provide kids with picture cards representing different scenarios and ask them to sort them into categories such as “happy”, “scary” or “angry”. This activity enhances emotional vocabulary and helps children connect emotions to specific situations.

• Fun Stuff Educational Tip: Our Stop That Angry Thought Card Game is a fantastic tool for helping kids recognise and manage feelings like anger.

• Calm Down Jars

Calm down jars are sensory tools filled with water, glitter, and other small objects. Shaking the jar creates a soothing visual effect that can help children focus their breathing and calm their emotions during stressful moments.

• Breathing Exercises

Teaching kids how to regulate their breathing can help them manage anxiety or frustration. Simple exercises like “pretend to blow up a balloon” or “breathe like a dragon” are fun and highly effective for children of all ages.

• Emotion Regulation Bingo

Emotion bingo is a creative way for children to identify and discuss emotions in a group setting. Using feelings-related prompts, this activity encourages children to express themselves while learning from others.

• Fun Stuff Educational Tip: Explore our educational bingo games, which include emotion-themed options to engage kids in meaningful discussions.

• Thumballs for Emotional Expression

Thumballs are soft, interactive balls with prompts or questions printed on each panel. Kids can toss the ball and answer the question under their thumb when they catch it. These prompts can be tailored to emotions, encouraging reflection and conversation.

• Sensory Play Activities

Sensory play, such as working with kinetic sand, slime, or fidget toys, can help children self-soothe and regulate their emotions. These activities are particularly helpful for children who may experience sensory overload.

• Fun Stuff Educational Tip: Our wide range of sensory toys includes products designed to support emotional regulation and focus.

How Fun Stuff Educational Can Help

At Fun Stuff Educational & Therapeutic Resources, we understand the importance of providing children with the right tools to develop emotion regulation skills. That’s why we offer a carefully curated selection of toys, games, and resources designed by experts to promote emotional growth and self-regulation. Our collection includes:

• Feeling cards and board games to build emotional awareness.
• Interactive Thumballs that encourage discussion and reflection.
• Sensory toys and tools for calming and focus.
• Impulse control games to develop patience and turn-taking skills.

We’re committed to helping parents, educators, and therapists empower children to thrive socially and emotionally. With delivery across Australia and New Zealand, as well as Afterpay for flexible purchasing, we make it easy to access the resources you need.

Emotion regulation activities for kids are not just essential for their immediate wellbeing but also for their long-term success in life

By incorporating fun, interactive activities into a child’s daily routine, we can help them build the tools they need to navigate emotions confidently. With Fun Stuff Educational’s expert-selected resources, supporting emotional growth has never been easier – or more enjoyable. Browse our online store today and discover how you can turn emotional challenges into opportunities for growth and learning.

Would you like help exploring specific products for emotion regulation? Contact our friendly team today – we’re here to help.