How to Help Kids with Emotional Regulation Through Play
- Haley Hodge
- Mar 18
- 4 min read
Emotional regulation is one of the most important skills a child can develop—but for many kids, it doesn’t come naturally. The ability to recognize, manage, and express emotions in a healthy way is essential for social interactions, learning, and overall well-being.
For children who experience big emotions, sensory sensitivities, ADHD, or autism, emotional regulation can be particularly challenging. They may struggle with meltdowns, frustration, impulsivity, or difficulty transitioning between activities.
As a pediatric occupational therapist, I help children build emotional regulation skills through play-based strategies that feel natural, engaging, and effective. In this guide, we’ll explore why emotional regulation matters, common challenges children face, and fun activities to help kids develop self-regulation skills in a playful way.
Why Emotional Regulation Matters
Emotional regulation allows children to:
✔ Calm themselves when upset instead of acting out or shutting down.
✔ Express their feelings appropriately through words instead of physical reactions.
✔ Cope with frustration and disappointment in challenging situations.
✔ Transition smoothly between activities without resistance or distress.
✔ Develop social skills and maintain positive relationships with peers and adults.
When children struggle with emotional regulation, it can impact their ability to focus in school, follow directions, and interact with others. Teaching these skills early helps children feel more secure, confident, and in control of their emotions.
The best way to teach emotional regulation? Through PLAY!
The Connection Between Play & Emotional Regulation
Play is a natural and effective way for children to learn self-regulation skills. Through play, kids can:
🧸 Role-play different emotions in a safe and imaginative way.
🎨 Engage in calming activities that promote relaxation and mindfulness.
🏃 Use movement and sensory input to regulate big feelings.
🧩 Problem-solve and practice flexibility through games and activities.
Now, let’s explore fun and practical play-based activities that help children develop emotional regulation skills!
5 Play-Based Activities to Build Emotional Regulation
1. Emotion Charades 🎭
✔ What It Helps With: Identifying and expressing emotions, social skills, emotional awareness
How to Play:
Write different emotions on cards (happy, sad, angry, excited, nervous, frustrated).
Have each player pick a card and act out the emotion while others guess what it is.
After guessing, discuss what situations might cause that emotion and ways to handle it.
👉 Make it easier: Use emotion flashcards with pictures to help younger kids.
👉 Make it harder: Have kids act out real-life scenarios that trigger emotions (e.g., “You lost your favorite toy” or “Your friend won the game”).
2. Calm-Down Sensory Bins 👐
✔ What It Helps With: Self-soothing, sensory processing, mindfulness
How to Play:
Create a sensory bin filled with soft textures like dry rice, kinetic sand, or water beads.
Add calming items like smooth stones, fidget toys, or lavender-scented fabric.
Encourage your child to run their hands through the materials while taking deep breaths.
👉 Make it easier: Use a small container for individual calming moments.
👉 Make it harder: Introduce sorting or pattern activities to add a focus component.
3. Breathing Balloons 🎈
✔ What It Helps With: Deep breathing, relaxation, self-regulation
How to Play:
Have your child pretend to blow up a balloon by taking big, deep breaths in and slowly exhaling.
Then, have them pretend to let the air out by breathing out slowly and gently.
Encourage them to place their hands on their belly to feel it expand and contract.
👉 Make it easier: Use a real balloon as a visual cue.
👉 Make it harder: Teach different breathing techniques like "square breathing" (inhale for 4 counts, hold for 4, exhale for 4, hold for 4).
4. Movement Breaks & Heavy Work 🏃♂️
✔ What It Helps With: Energy regulation, body awareness, focus
Some kids need movement to regulate their emotions. Activities that involve heavy work (pushing, pulling, lifting, squeezing) can be especially calming for children who crave deep pressure input.
Try These Activities:
💪 Wall Pushes – Have your child press their hands against a wall and "push" it as hard as they can.
🦀 Animal Walks – Let them do bear walks, crab walks, or frog jumps across the room.
📦 Weighted Objects – Carrying a small backpack with books or doing a simple "push and pull" game with a resistance band.
👉 Make it easier: Have a movement chart where kids can pick a quick activity when they need a break.
👉 Make it harder: Turn it into a timed challenge or obstacle course for extra engagement.
5. Create an "Emotions Toolbox" 🧰
✔ What It Helps With: Independent self-regulation, problem-solving, emotional expression
Create a small "Emotions Toolbox" filled with tools and strategies your child can use when they feel overwhelmed.
🔹 Calm-down cards with breathing exercises
🔹 Stress balls or fidget toys for sensory input
🔹 Emotion chart to help kids identify and label their feelings
🔹 Visual timer to help with transitions
🔹 Headphones or calming music for noise-sensitive kids
Encourage your child to choose a tool when they start feeling frustrated or upset. This gives them ownership over their self-regulation strategies!
👉 Make it easier: Use picture-based tools for non-readers.
👉 Make it harder: Have kids role-play different scenarios and practice picking a tool that helps.
Final Thoughts: Emotional Growth Through Play
Helping kids learn emotional regulation takes time, patience, and the right tools—but play makes the process fun and engaging!
By using games, movement, sensory activities, and visual tools, children can develop self-awareness, self-control, and confidence in managing their emotions.
💡 Looking for printable emotional regulation tools? Check out my shop for OT-approved resources like emotion charts, breathing cards, and calm-down activity guides!
✨ What strategies help your child with emotional regulation? Share below—I’d love to hear! 😊
Miss Haley
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