Children and Anxiety: How to Make a Calming Box and What to Put Inside

Anxiety is a natural emotion that children experience, but they often need tangible tools to help them navigate it. Creating a personalized calming box is a wonderful, hands-on way to help your child self-soothe. Here are some comforting items you can include in your child's calming box:

• A stress ball (you can make this easily by putting homemade playdough inside a balloon) 

• A glitter wand or pipe cleaners 

• A kaleidoscope 

• Bubble solution for blowing bubbles 

• A soft piece of fabric to touch 

• Playdough 

• A sensory calming bottle 

• A soothing sound recording, such as ocean waves or rain sounds 

• A simple music player and headphones 

• A calming storybook 

• Calming pictures of family members, beautiful landscapes, or cute animals 

• Natural scents like lavender 

• A beloved stuffed animal 

• A simple, repetitive game or puzzle

How to Introduce the Calming Box to Your Child

You can also add a special blanket, pillow, or favorite toy. Before introducing the calming box, have a gentle conversation with your child about anxiety. Ask them what they feel in their body when they are anxious. Discussing their heartbeat, breathing, and body temperature will help them recognize physical signs of anxiety when it arises. Next, explain that there are wonderful strategies they can use to cope with these big feelings.

When sharing the calming box with your child, emphasize that this is a special kit tailored uniquely to them. Go through the potential items together, and let your child choose what feels best for them. Remind them that if one object or activity doesn't work to calm them down, they can always try another one from the box.

It is best to explore the calming box when your child is already in a relaxed state. This way, they can become familiar with the contents and easily decide what they want to use when they feel anxious later on.

Calming Cards for Younger Children

For younger children, you can create visual reminder cards. These illustrated cards show simple strategies they can use on their own. For example: humming a sweet song, listening to music, taking deep breaths, wrapping up snugly in a blanket, drawing a picture, practicing muscle relaxation, or imagining a happy memory.

If you feel your child needs professional guidance navigating anxiety, you can seek psychological support from Mika Psychology at www.mikapsikoloji.com or by calling 0532-063-98-73.