Relaxation through play

Even though they are bursting with energy, children still need opportunities to calm down. And they often need some help doing so. Discover fun ways to help a toddler relax.

The benefits of relaxation for children

A child can learn how to relax starting at two years old. Relaxation allows them to enhance their attention span, quality of learning, and well-being. Relaxation can also improve their sense of security, balance their mood, and help with falling asleep.

Unlike adults, however, toddlers cannot relax while sitting still. They need to use techniques that involve moving their bodies. This is why relaxation for children requires play. They also need help to find ways to relax.

Two to three minutes of relaxation each day can provide lasting benefits. Choose three or four exercises from the following list of stretching and self-massage games. Then, finish with breathing games, because they are the most effective for stress relief. Feel free to add or modify games as needed.

Games to help children relax

Stretching games

• Slowly mimic a flower growing with your child. Repeat the game several times by naming different kinds of flowers (e.g., “Grow like a daisy, like a rose, like a dandelion...”). Let your child come up with different movements for each flower. For variety, you can pretend to be a rocket taking off: “3,2,1, blast off,” then stretch out to reach the moon, the sun, or Mars.

• Imitate animals together: A cat rounding its back, then flattening it out again; a giraffe slowly lengthening its neck; a dog stretching out slowly; a butterfly opening and closing its wings.
• Encourage your child to imagine they’re slowly pushing aside clouds in the sky to reveal the sun. You can also tell them to pretend to pick different kinds of fruit from a tree or the stars out of the sky.
• Ask your toddler to rock a teddy bear or doll to the sound of soothing music or a quiet song.

Self-massage games

• Encourage your child to relax by having them massage their own forehead, cheeks, neck, head, hands, or feet using small circular movements. Do the same movements in the same order on yourself to demonstrate. Your child learns a lot by imitating what you do.
• Take turns drawing on each other’s backs with a finger. One of you sits behind the other and slowly traces a shape or picture on the other person’s back.
• Take turns using a ball to massage yourselves. Roll the ball over your child’s legs, arms, stomach, and neck, then swap places. Try out different types of ball to vary the sensations (e.g., textured ball, tennis ball, foam ball).

Breathing games

• Blow out imaginary candles. Pretend that each of the fingers on your outstretched hand is a candle, then ask your child to slowly blow each one out. Repeat two to three times. Long exhalations promote relaxation.
• Have your toddler smell soap with a light scent or smell their favourite food. Repeat the game with different things to smell.
• Ask your child to gently blow against their hand with their mouth wide open to feel the warmth of their breath. Then have them make their mouth into a small O and blow cooler air on their hand. Repeat two to three times.
• Ask your child to slowly blow soap bubbles or blow on a pinwheel to make it spin. Encourage them to keep blowing for as long as possible.
• Ask your child to blow a cotton ball toward a target (a toy, a glass, a cardboard box). Your little one can do this while seated at a table or lying on the ground on their tummy.

An environment conducive to relaxation

It may be difficult for your child to relax in a noisy and stressful environment. Below are guidelines to reduce sensory stimulation and stress in your toddler’s surroundings.

• Don’t be impatient when asking your toddler to calm down. Instead, use a soft voice, speak slowly, and give them only a few instructions at a time.
• Organize your schedule to avoid having to rush your child.

• Ask your child if they want to look at a book or draw instead of watching TV or playing on a tablet or smartphone.
• Listen to “The Quiet Song” or soft music at different times during the day.
• Ask your child to guess the words that you whisper in their ear and repeat them in a soft voice.
• Dim the lights and reduce noise in the evening. Also avoid toys that make noise and intense physical activities like running in the house.

Things to keep in mind

• Doing two or three minutes of relaxation a day with your toddler can improve their attention span, quality of learning, and well-being.
• Stretching, self-massage, and breathing games help your child relax, because they can calm themselves with activities using their body.
• Creating a calm environment by reducing the stimulation and stress in your child’s surroundings promotes relaxation.

Scientific review: Noémie Lafortune, occupational therapist Research and copywriting:The Naître et grandir team Updated: January 2025

Photo: GettyImages/tuachanwatthana