Eight of the Best Self-Soothing Techniques for Little Kids

Babies are easy to soothe, right?

Give them something tosuckor wrap them up in a tight swaddle, and they melt in your arms.

Why do humans need to soothe ourselves in times of fear, embarrassment, or confusion?

Self-soothing skills can help provide immediate comfort and help you feel OK again when you are having intense emotions.

Who doesnt have difficult, intense emotions sometimes?

Thats just the nature of living in this world as a human no matter how young you are.

Raven helped us pick some of her favorite kid-friendly self-soothing techniques from her new book.

Like, way down.

This one can inspire joy because it helps children use their imagination while also soothing themselves.

Its especially easy to adapt for younger children, Raven said.

Do a victory dance

This tip works in a few ways.

First it refocuses your attention away from whats distressing you and toward a win.

Pairing a sound with the distressing emotion can help a kid voice something they cant put into words.

Then they can use the happier sounds to induce calmer feelings.

Stretching can help muscles relax and redirect attention.

Try seated toe-touches or standing toe touches.

Raven suggests alternating reaching for one foot with the opposite hand, like a windmill.

Simple physical movements to distract and soothe are easy for kids to do and understand, she said.

For more grounding, branch out to other senses.

Ask your child what they see, hear, smell, and taste.

Its as simple as that.

Have your child place their hand on their chest and hum as long as feels comfortable.

What kid isnt fascinated by their own face in the mirror?

Challenge them to pull wilder and wilder faces until they crack themselves up.

Laughter is a natural antidote to the grumps.

This is a visualization technique.

When your child is calm and happy, ask them to describe what safe feels like.

They can create the ultimate imaginary safe space then return to that vision when they are feeling upset.

Imagination and creativity are important parts of self-soothing, Raven said.

Share these ideas with your kid and see which ones seem to suit them.