Websites
Kids Helpline is Australia’s only free, 24/7 online and phone counselling service for young people from 5 to 25. The site features age-appropriate stories and articles on identifying and expressing feelings in positive ways.
Funded by the Australian government, Raising Children Network provides free, reliable, and independent information for families about everything from pregnancy to parenting teens. Their webpage on calming down for 9-18 year olds offers tips on how to calm down from strong emotions in 5 simple steps.
Beyond Blue is an Australian charity that provides information about anxiety and depression to the community. Their web page has easy-to-read information on raising resilient 6-12 year olds, including tips for parents on how they can help their children stay calm and where to get more support if needed.
Nemours KidsHealth.org has hundreds of doctor-reviewed articles on physical, emotional, and behavioural health with separate sections for parents, kids, and teens. The webpage Feelings (for Kids) is designed specifically for kids with links to many different articles that may be of interest, including ‘Taking Charge of Anger’, ‘Train Your Temper’, and even information on ‘Kids with Special Needs.’
The Queensland Department of Education published a beautifully designed booklet on wellbeing activities for kids. The booklet includes instructions on different mindfulness activities, including breathing practice (page 7), and a simple-to-follow yoga guide. The booklet also has instructions on making a gratitude journal, and websites on child psychology are listed on the last page.
Image by vectorjuice on Freepik.
Remember: Online safety is important! It is best to have parental or teacher supervision before using the Internet. For great tips on how to search the Internet and find quality information, check out the ‘How to Search‘ and ‘How to Evaluate‘ tabs.
Videos
Quick tip: YouTube Kids is a fantastic and safe way to look up videos online. Search the site by typing in ’emotions’, ‘anger’ or ‘mindfulness’ into the search bar and pressing enter.
Yoga with Kassandra is a popular YouTube Channel that provides free online Vinyasa (breath-focused) and Yin (slow-paced) yoga. In this video, Kassandra guides you to release anger and frustration through breath work, movement and positive affirmations.
In this video featuring a fun whiteboard animation, the narrator gives a scientific explanation about why certain situations might cause our bodies to react in ways that lead to emotional outbursts. The video gives tips on managing angry feelings before they become problematic.
Buddhist teacher Sharon Salzburg narrates this beautifully animated video about how we can manage our emotions by calmly paying attention and accepting our feelings. With practice, mindfulness can help you strengthen your positive emotions and gently let go of negative ones.
Podcasts
Like You is a kids’ mindfulness podcast that uses breathing, affirmations, music, and imagination to explore feelings and promote self-esteem. In this episode, a safe and calming audio guides children to feel in tune with their emotions.
The Best Day Yet is a positive thinking podcast channel for children. Each episode is from 6-15 minutes, where the softly spoken host, Marjorie Stordeur, teaches meditation, mindfulness, and affirmations through engaging storytelling. In this episode, Stordeur instructs you to imagine sitting on a beach and being mindful of your sensations. She explains how you can use this as a strategy to calm down in stressful situations.
Quick tip: There are many great podcast channels on Spotify. On the left-hand menu, press ‘search’ and type in ’emotions in children’ or ‘mindfulness in children’. Then scroll down to the menu ‘Podcasts’ for a list of podcast channels for kids that talk about emotions and mindfulness. You can also find more channels and episodes through the Spotify Kids app. Remember to check with your parents before downloading any apps.
References
Beyond Blue. (2022). Managing emotions. https://healthyfamilies.beyondblue.org.au/age-6-12/raising-resilient-children/managing-emotions
Glen, N. (Host). (2022, February 15). How do feelings feel? [Audio Podcast]. Like You: Mindfulness for Children. Spotify. https://open.spotify.com/show/52gNFXTWGiWELGzfA2Mtnq
Happify. (2016, January 20). How mindfulness empowers us: An animation narrated by Sharon Salzberg [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzKryaN44ss
Kids Helpline. (2022). Hello! How are you feeling today? https://kidshelpline.com.au/kids
Kids Want to Know. (2017, March 13). Why do we lose control of our emotions? [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bKuoH8CkFc
Nemours KidsHealth. (2022). Feelings. https://kidshealth.org/en/kids/feeling/
Queensland Government. (2020). Wellbeing activities for students. Department of Education. https://education.qld.gov.au/curriculums/learningfromhome/wellbeing-activities-booklet.pdf
Raising Children Network. (2022). Helping pre-teens and teenagers calm down. https://raisingchildren.net.au/teens/behaviour/behaviour-management-ideas/helping-pre-teens-and-teenagers-calm-down
Stordeur, M. (Host). (2021, August). Emergency calm for kids [Audio Podcast]. Best Day Yet: Affirmations, Meditations, & Mindfulness for Kids. Spotify. https://open.spotify.com/show/060xdJwIb0jTnWDhdZ0G49
Yoga with Kassandra. (2019, October 3). Yin yoga to release anger – liver meridian yin yoga affirmations [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4U_LFotEj8g&t=3s
