Your special needs homeschooler keeps bouncing off the walls and is into one thing after the other. Nothing seems to calm them for any length of time. Check out these 25 super fun calming activities that we’ve used in our homeschool.
I must tell you that we’ve done math upside down in a recliner, reading while walking on a treadmill, and practiced spelling words while bouncing on a trampoline. The most important factor isn’t where the lesson gets done but that they are calm enough to learn it.
25 Calming Activities For Homeschool
Yoga
Yoga is a great way to calm down your child and yourself. We like to use yoga cards or hop over to Youtube to get some fun kid’s yoga videos.
Painting
Painting is a phenomenal form of art therapy. If your child is upset and struggling, painting may help them healthily release their emotions. I say may because some kids don’t have the fine motor skills to paint or like getting paint on them.
Quiet Book
Quiet books or busy books are great ways to relax your child. Often these will have some sensory play along with it, making it calming.
Toy Car Wash
Some children love playing with water, so let them give their toy cars a bath! Have them line up their toy cars and wash them one by one. This can be done in the bathtub or even outside if it’s warm enough. Sensory play and vitamin D make a good combination.
Not all children like to get wet. A funny family story we have involves a child getting wet on the church playground and taking off all his clothes as the deacons walked by. Thank God he was only 4.
Dishes
Toddlers always want to help you do your work Why not let them help to wash the dishes? They love bubbles and playing in the water.
Have your child wash a few dishes either in the sink or in their play kitchen. This calms them down because they focus intently on getting the dishes clean.
Make sure to give them plastic dishes so they don’t break them trying to get them clean. Don’t ask me how I know that little tip.
Water Play
There are many great water play activities that are great for messy play, sensory play, and for keeping your child calm. Hop over to Pinterest to find a bazillion ideas.
When all else fails, a bath is great water play! Add some essential oils in Epsom salt for a calming experience to the bath.
Sand Play
Sand play is another great activity. Playing in the sand is great sensory play that brings many amazing benefits other than a calming experience.
Gardening
Gardening helps bring nature to your child. When a child is in nature, they naturally calm down. This also will help your child be responsible for taking care of something such as a vegetable or flower plant.
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, adding 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. For 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. They will feel like a safe place for your child and will naturally calm them down.
Paint the Shower
Make some paint with food coloring and shaving cream or whipped cream for an edible sensory experience. Then, have your child “paint” the shower and bathtub. Kids love getting things messy, but the best part is that it is super easy to clean when done; just turn on the shower!
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.
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. This is a fun science experiment that will mesmerize your 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.
Painting the House with Water
This is very inexpensive and super fun! Grab a paint brush and a bucket of water. Then, have your child “paint” the outside of your house! They will enjoy this activity while you have some time for yourself to relax!
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.
Meditation for Kids
There are tons of YouTube videos on guided meditation that are made specifically for kids. You can also find many fun kid-friendly apps geared toward mindfulness and meditation. This is one of the best calming activities for kids.
Glitter Bottle
Buy a pre-made or 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!
Nature Walk
Enjoy nature together with your child as you walk around. Being in nature is automatically calming. Find different things to look for in your environment to ground your child. Then, practice mindfulness and teach them to focus on their breathing.
Hopefully, you have a few new ideas for calming your child down. These activities should help keep your child busy and relax them for a bit. What other activities do you do to calm down your kids? Share them below!