How to Help Your High-Energy Child Slow Down and Find Calm

If you have a child who’s always on the move, you’re not alone. Many young kids seem to have endless energy: running, jumping, talking, exploring. While this energy is healthy and normal, having quiet moments during the day helps kids (and parents!) recharge, reset, and feel more balanced.

Calm time doesn’t have to look perfect. It’s not about getting your child to sit still, but about helping them learn how to slow down and feel peaceful, even for just a little while.

Here are a few simple ways to build calm moments into your child’s day:

1. Create a calming corner or comfort box

Together with your child, create a cozy spot in your home or prepare a box filled with pillows, books, sensory toys, coloring supplies, or anything else that helps them feel relaxed. Introduce it when your child is already feeling peaceful, so they can learn to enjoy it as a comforting place.

2. Add stretching to your day

You can try poses like the child’s pose or butterfly, or simple stretches like reaching for the sky, gentle neck rolls, or pretending to be a slowly growing tree for just a few minutes. There are also many kid-friendly yoga videos online you can follow together.

3. Play breathing games

Teach your child to take belly breaths by breathing in to fill up the belly like a balloon, then slowly breathing out through the mouth. It’s okay if they breathe into their chest at first; they’ll get the hang of it with practice. Make it playful by pretending to blow up a balloon or smell a flower and blow out a candle.

4. Pause and listen

You can try a guided meditation made for kids, play slow-paced music your child enjoys, or simply open a window and listen to the sounds outside. You can turn this into a game if your child gets bored by guessing what sounds you hear together, like a car or the wind. 

5. Practice mindfulness with everyday activities

Calm time doesn’t have to mean sitting still. You can try coloring, playing with kinetic sand, listening to soft music, watching stars together, or anything else your child enjoys that can be done in a slow, peaceful way.

6. Build some calm time into your daily routine

Pick a regular time in the day to pause and slow down together. It could be after lunch, before dinner, or right before bed. Even just 5 minutes of quiet time each day can help your child get used to relaxing and recharging.