• Stress Reduction Activities & Coloring Pages

    Enjoy a crossword, word search and/or coloring while learning about ways to cope with stress. Scroll down to the bottom of the page for files. 

     
    30 Things you can do for Emotional Health
    (All activities in BOLD are listed below) 
     
    1. Play feelings charades. Can your family guess your emotion?
    2. Practice your breathing techniques
    3. Draw a picture of your family doing something you love to do together
    4. Teach your family about a self care technique
    5. Write a letter or make a card for someone you appreciate
    6. Talk to a trusted adult or write in a journal about any big feelings you might be having
    7. Make a list of five coping skills you can use to manage big emotions
    8. Color in a coloring book or draw a picture 
    9. Practice thinking positive thoughts
    10. Play a board game or do a puzzle with your family
    11. Read a book 
    12. Do a craft project
    13. Practice mindful breathing
    14. Practice Responsibility! Do your chores or help out around the house without being asked
    15. Practice Heartfulness
    16. Name 5 things you love about yourself
    17. Cooperation Cook-off
    18. Make a ResponsibiliTree
    19. Trading Places Empathy activity
    20. Family Temperature Check
    21. Write down as many feelings as you possibly can!
    22. FaceTime someone you haven’t talked to in awhile. Brainstorm 2-3 things you appreciate them and tell them!
    23. Create an “I Will” statement. Post it on the bathroom mirror or somewhere else you will see it and practice it daily
    24. Choose a goal you would like to work towards during this time
    25. Write a daily affirmation - post in on your bathroom mirror or next to your bed
    26. Practice sitting still for one minute. What sounds did you hear?
    27. Go outside and get fresh air - take a walk, walk the dog etc
    28. Name 3 ways you can calm down when you are feeling anxious or stressed
    29. Practice a grounding technique- find and count as many green things as possible
    30. Write down as many qualities of a good friend as you can think of
     
    (#15) Practicing Heartfulness
    Good morning. Today we are going to do a heartfulness practice together.
    Please find your mindful postures [Or, Put on your mindful bodies.] Be as still as you can.
    Let your eyes close. (Ring bell) Take 3 mindful breaths. (pause)
    Please imagine a friend. Send heartful wishes to this person and imagine how they feel about receiving them. Notice how you feel sending them. (pause)
    I wish for you to be happy. (pause)
    I wish for you to be healthy. (pause)
    I wish for you to be peaceful. (pause)
    I wish for you to be grateful. (pause)
    I wish for you to be happy. (pause)
    I wish for you to be healthy. (pause)
    I wish for you to be peaceful. (pause)
    I wish for you to be grateful. (pause)
    (Ring bell)
    Thank you! Have a wonderful morning.
     
    (#17) Cooperation Cook-Off
    In this challenge, every family member will be in charge of one dish for tonight’s dinner. Work together to plan the meal, then make room for one another in the kitchen as you all take a task and prepare something to savor for tonight’s collaborative meal.
    Work together to plan the menu ahead of time or get creative and make each part in secret and see how they come together!
     
    (#18) Responsibili-Tree
    Using a piece of brown construction paper (Tip: Cut apart a brown paper bag to recycle it and use it as paper) draw the outline of a tree trunk and branches. Using a different color of construction paper for each family member, cut out small leaf shapes that will fit on the tree. On each leaf, family members should write down one task they are responsible for at home. Glue the leaves onto the branches of the tree. Hang up the tree as a visual reminder of your family’s responsibilities.
    Discuss:
    What happens when some of the leaves start to fall off the tree and responsibilities do not get done?
    How do we work together as a family to complete all of these responsibilities?
    Are there any leaves we need to add to the tree?
     
    (#19) Trading Places
    Have a conversation over a meal tonight about what it would feel like to be in each other’s places. Have each person try to answer some of these questions about what it would be like to be every other person at the table: What are your biggest challenges? What do you want? What do you need? What feeling do you feel most often? What makes you feel happy?
     
    (#20) Family Temperature Check
    Decide this week on a time and place to do a weekly Family Temperature Check. Sit together as a family and eliminate any distractions. Ask each family member, “how are you feeling today?” Practice active listening skills as family members each take a turn to talk about how they are feeling. When someone shares a challenging feeling, instead of jumping in to provide advice, take time to listen and use empathic statements like:
    “What has that been like for you?”
    “I’m sorry you are going through this.”
    “That sounds really hard for you.”
    “It makes me feel ____ to hear that happened.”
    “What do you need right now?”
    To start, you can use a simple check-in system like, “How are you doing on a scale of 1-5 today?” As you get good at answering questions like that, you can continue to develop your emotional vocabulary and vulnerability as we family with more complex sharing!
     
    (#29) Grounding Techniques 
     
    5 things you see
    4 things you hear
    3 things you smell
    2 things you can touch
    1 thing you taste
     
    or
     
    5 colors I see
    4 shapes I see
    3 soft things I see
    2 people I see
    1 book I see
     
     
    Other Family activities:
     
    Family Bucket List
    Sit together as a family and see if you can brainstorm a list of 25 things you want to do together this year. Get creative and collaborative! Make sure the items range from totally doable in a day to something that may seem silly or impossible. Work to check things off each month until you make your next one.

    Family Gratitude Jar
    Find a place in your home to display a glass jar. Cut up small slips of paper and place them next to the jar. Use the jar to collect special people, places, events, and memories that your family is thankful for. Find a time each week to add slips of Gratitude to the jar. Having a gloomy day or a challenging time as a family? Pull out the slips of Gratitude and read them aloud as a family as a reminder of all of your grateful moments.

     

    Activities

    30 Things You Can Do For Emotional Health

    Coping Skills Crossword Puzzle

    Coping Skills - Word Search 1

    Coping Skills - Word Search 2

    85 Self Care Activities For Teens

    30 Ideas for Self CareHealthy Activities

    Healthy Activities

     

    Coloring Pages

    Mindfulness Coloring - Bat

    Mindfulness Coloring - Butterfly

    Mindfulness Coloring - Dragonfly

    Mindfulness Coloring - Elephant

    Mindfulness Coloring - Fox

    Mindfulness Coloring - Iguana

    Mindfulness Coloring - Raccoon

    Mindfulness Coloring - Rhino

    Mindfulness Coloring - Snail

    Mindfulness Coloring - Turtle

    Mandala Project

    Mindfulness Coloring - Mandala

    Mindfulness Coloring - Positive Quotes

     

    Types of Self-Care