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Children's Games for Relaxation

Surprisingly often, children feel that their daily lives are filled with stress, and your child may find it hard to relax when he is thinking about school, sports, the local bully, or whatever else is on his mind. Playing games can be a good way for a child to escape his daily routine and relax for awhile.

Online Games
- Turn your child loose on the computer for awhile to promote fun and relaxation, and to help her to forget about the things that may be bothering her. Sites such as PBS Kids and Nick Games, involve children in games featuring their favorite characters from TV shows, encouraging them to use their imaginations. Kids can play games from categories such as word games, dog games, strategy games, adventure games, and many more. For a child who feels pressured by always being told what to do and how to do it, online games can provide a safe and fun escape where she gets to be in charge.
Pretending Games
- A good game for helping your child to physically relax is to help him to pretend he is a rag doll. The idea is for your child to relax different parts of his body, one area at a time. Have him stand in one place, then relax the upper half of his body until it wants to flop forward. At this point he bends over and shakes the tension out of his hands, arms, and shoulders. When he is ready, he can flop onto the floor or his bed and continue relaxing the lower half of his body, until his whole body feels like he is a rag doll. This is a good technique for helping kids get ready to sleep, but if they get silly it won't work. It is fun and many kids look forward to this as part of a nighttime routine.
Non-Competitive Games
- Although competitive games have their place, they tend to keep kids wound up and excited as they strive to win the game. Non-competitive games provide plenty of fun and are far more relaxing to play. Some games of this type are silly, such as gibberish, where children carry on a conversation without using any real words. A variation on this is to have a third child translate what the other two are saying. They can also play partners, where everything one does, the partner does with her, such as hopping, smiling and laughing. Any games of this type help children to relax by removing the stress of needing to win and the worry about playing the game right. They're done simply for fun and there is no right and wrong.

Kids Games