Unfortunately, kids can also experience stress and anxiety. This happens for a variety of reasons: starting school, meeting new people, encountering new situations, and much more. Fortunately, anxiety in children can be reduced through playful experiences. Moreover, play not only helps little one's cope with stress but also lays the foundation for long-term mental health.
What Causes Anxiety in Children?
Causes can range from simple, everyday issues to more traumatic events in a child's life. Even when adults don’t see anything potentially harmful in certain situations, a child’s mind may interpret them differently. So, what causes anxiety in children?
Fear and anxiety are natural reactions to perceived threats, and during childhood, these threats can take many forms. Some of the most serious and emotionally distressing ones include the death of a loved one, natural disasters, moving to a new city, conflicts within the family or parental separation, and other extreme experiences.
More common but less intense causes include
- Difficulties in kindergarten or school — problems with learning, with teachers, or with friends;
- Meeting new people;
- Encountering unfamiliar circumstances such as public speaking or doctor visits;
- Low self-esteem or lack of confidence.
Feeling fear or anxiety in certain situations is normal, but it’s very important to help a child learn to cope with these states.
Symptoms of Anxiety in Children
In order to help manage anxiety in children, it’s crucial to notice it in time. That’s the first step. Although anxiety and fear can appear in different forms, it’s unlikely you’ll miss the symptoms of anxiety in toddlers or preschoolers.
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Common signs include a refusal to sleep in their own room or bed, asking for more hugs and physical closeness. In general, a child with anxiety may have trouble falling asleep, wake up frequently, or experience nightmares.
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Adults may notice a child repeating disturbing thoughts.
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The child might complain about physical symptoms like stomach aches, nausea, trembling, or muscle tension, even though medical causes for these symptoms have been ruled out.
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Signs of anxiety in preschoolers may also include tantrums or outbursts of anger.
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The child may be easily irritated. They might ask parents or caregivers not to leave when being dropped off at preschool.
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Little ones may struggle with concentration, seem "lost in the clouds," and display excessive restlessness or disorganization. They might also ask to use the bathroom more often than usual.
You might also notice signs of developmental regression, where a child returns to earlier stages they had already passed. For example, a toddler might start sucking their thumb during sleep again, or suddenly have difficulties with speech. If you observe any of these symptoms, it’s a good idea to talk to a psychologist or pediatrician and look for suitable ways to help your child. At home, you can use play as a coping tool for managing anxiety and overcoming fears.
Play Therapy for Anxiety Relief
How to calm a child with anxiety through play? Very typically, in everyday situations when a child feels scared, it's enough to gently redirect their attention to something pleasant and positive using play and joyful emotions.
For example, when helping kids with anxiety, musical games that involve movement, dancing, jumping, and singing can be very effective. These kinds of activities release endorphins and lower cortisol levels, helping fear and anxiety fade away. Creative games are also extremely helpful in supporting kids with anxiety. Through drawing, modeling, and other creative projects, a child can express negative emotions and may even draw their fears. Sensory and pretend play are equally effective.
Game Ideas to Support a Child’s Emotional Well-being
Play works wonderfully in helping kids with anxiety. Often, it is through play that children are able to release their emotions.
Pretend play
Using dolls or figures, a child can reenact certain events and relive them in a new way, or better show adults what exactly is bothering them. Pretend play becomes a safe space where a child can explore and process emotions, especially with your support.
Building forts
Anxiety in children can often trigger a desire to hide. Sometimes, anxious children try to crawl under the bed or into a closet — literally seeking protection from the outside world. Take Foam Building Blocks and help your child create a cozy little hideout. Play together inside the fort, bring in some snacks: it helps the child relax and feel safe.
Decorating the room and creating coziness
Talk with your child about what elements they would like to have in their room. Maybe they dream of fairy lights, glowing lanterns, or shelves with their favorite cartoon characters. Create this cozy space together — one that feels like their own. This helps children feel safer and more in control of their environment.
Sensory play
Games with sand, grains, beans, or tactile paths help children release and process negative emotions. Running loose materials through their fingers has a soothing effect on the nervous system and supports relaxation. The Pod Swing is also very beneficial for sensory input and emotional regulation. The cocoon effect that surrounds the child from all sides — like a hug — helps the body relax and the nervous system calm down. Though it may seem like a simple anti-stress tool, it is incredibly effective.
Breathing game
Make a small ball out of cotton and place it on a scarf or a wide piece of cardboard. The child holds one end, and the other by a parent. The goal is to blow the cotton ball across to the other side. First, the parent demonstrates how to blow gently, then the child tries. This activity supports eye contact and, thanks to deep inhales and exhales, helps calm the body and reduce anxiety. You can also use bubble blowing instead. Releasing bubbles is just as effective for easing negative emotions.
Draw the monster and defeat it
Children can draw the things or creatures that scare them, and then decorate the monster to tame it and make it friendly. This gives the child a sense of control over their fears and the feeling that they are capable of coping with them.
Coloring themed pictures can also be helpful, but it often involves decisions about choosing the “right” colors. In the case of abstract patterns, there is no “wrong” way to color. The child can simply immerse themselves in drawing, becoming grounded in the moment and reducing anxiety and fear.
Why does play work so well?
Play is a powerful tool in helping kids with anxiety, and there are several reasons why. First of all, during play, parents have a greater chance to establish a meaningful connection with the child. Kids don’t yet have enough life experience or vocabulary to explain their feelings clearly.
Through play, those feelings and experiences can be expressed in other ways. By observing a child at play, adults can see how they perceive the world, what they’re afraid of, what they long for, and what they dream about. This kind of connection is therapeutic in itself.
Additionally:
- Play brings positive emotions, reduces fear, and helps lower stress and anxiety.
- Meaningful interaction with adults helps children feel protected.
- Play offers a space where a child can feel in control and find predictability.
- It provides opportunities to experiment in a safe environment.
- Soothing movements and sensory experiences make it easier to regulate emotions.
That’s why anxiety in children can be meaningfully reduced through playful moments. If the anxiety becomes more intense and you notice that play alone isn’t enough, it’s important to seek professional advice. But in everyday situations, play is a wonderful and effective tool to support emotional resilience.
