CollyvaleA little place for big feelings.Feelings through play
Five simple activities for grown-ups and young children to try together when feelings are hard to put into words. No scores, no timers and no pressure to get anything right.
These are not treatments for anxiety. They are simple ways to make room for feelings, conversation and calm. Keep them playful, let your child choose, and stop if an activity is not helping.
Ask your child to draw one worry on a scrap of paper. Fold it up and “mail” it into a box, cup or envelope. You can decide together whether to open it and talk about it now or leave it safely there for later.
Visit the Collyvale Mailbox →Draw a big wobbly shape. Add colors, faces or marks that show how the worry feels. Then draw something beside it that might make the wobble a little smaller.
Hold a smooth pebble or small safe object. Take three slow breaths together. Health professionals suggest simple slow breathing as one way parents can help children ease anxiety.
Choose a calm five-minute activity together: coloring, drawing, a small snack, a story or sitting somewhere cozy. The aim is not to make a feeling disappear — just to give the body a quieter moment.
Look around the room or on a walk for something that feels happy, something calm, something brave and something cozy. There are no wrong answers; the child chooses what each feeling looks like to them.
Young children do not always have the words to explain anxiety. Health professionals recommend listening carefully, avoiding assumptions or dismissing worries, and helping children find solutions. A drawing, character or game can sometimes make it easier to begin that conversation.
Trusted information: HealthyChildren.org (American Academy of Pediatrics) · NAMI.org (National Alliance on Mental Illness)
Collyvale offers general information and gentle activities for families. It is not a medical or mental-health service. If worry is persistent, severe or getting in the way of everyday life, speak to your child’s school, school nurse or doctor.
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