It is especially important to foster positive mental health in children, during those years when they develop physically, mentally, and emotionally faster than at any other time in life. Parents, caregivers, and educators play a crucial role in helping children learn to behave, manage their emotions, and cope with fears and anxieties.
Here are some of the best tools to help you support children’s mental and emotional health as they grow and learn.
1. Bouncy the People Trainer
Bouncy the Service Dog is a lively, three-legged dog who models resilience and perseverance to help four, five, and six-year-olds develop the skills and mindset needed for success. Young students design their own avatars to star in a cartoon story that teaches them how to cope and keep trying when the going gets tough.
Kids will love it because the activities are fun, challenging and rewarding. Meanwhile, they are learning critical emotional skills that will lead them to success in any challenge they may face, including making friends, managing their behavior, and learning to read and count. Various Bouncy apps are available at ripple effectsbut this free app is a great introduction to their world.
Discharge: Bouncy the people trainer for iOS | Bouncy’s You Can Learn to Android (Free)
2. Daniel Tiger’s Grr-ific Feelings
Grr-ific Feelings by Daniel Tiger is one of a series of PBS Kids apps. Help children between the ages of two and five to express their feelings through play activities and songs to sing.
Kids join Daniel from the TV series Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood in a series of games and activities designed to help them identify and practice skills like calming down, taking deep breaths and doing a happy dance when they feel upbeat. There are art activities to encourage self-expression and even a Feelings Photo Booth, where kids can take photos of themselves with sad, angry or happy faces, just like Daniel.
Discharge: Daniel Tiger’s Grr-ific Feelings by iOS | Android ($2.99)
3. Breathe, Think, Do with Sesame
If your preschooler is a fan of Sesame Street, Breathe, Think, Do is the perfect resource to help them learn to practice resilience, task persistence, and self-control skills. Your child will enjoy interacting with the well-known monster from Sesame Street, helping him solve everyday problems and feel better.
A series of activities follow, starting with a Breathe with the Monster activity that teaches relaxing breathing techniques. They then learn to think of possible strategies for each situation and help the monster choose the best course of action. There’s also a Parent Section packed with resources and strategies, and the entire app is available in English and Spanish.
Discharge: Breathe, think, do with Sesame to iOS | Android (Free)
4. Calm
Practicing meditation and mindfulness is a fantastic way to improve your mental health, and one of the best applications to meditate is Calm. If you already use Calm, you may be aware of the extensive quiet children section, which you can access from the Discover tab in the app. Calm Kids contains a wealth of resources to teach your children meditation skills, regardless of their age.
For the little ones, there are lullabies and bedtime stories. As they get older, they can listen to classic fairy tales and learn to meditate with their favorite characters. From the Minions to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, every child will be able to find something that catches her interest.
There are also mindful movement sequences to practice. And with the music and soundscape programs also included, you can easily create a relaxing atmosphere within your home for your children.
Discharge: calm down iOS | Android (Subscription required, free trial available)
5. Headspace
Headspace is an excellent meditation resource. you can use with your children as well as for your own mental health. Like Calm, Headspace contains a huge bank of material for teaching your children meditation skills. Access Fathers and sons section of the Meditation app tab for meditations and bedtime stories for each age range: under 5, 6–8, and 9–12.
Younger kids will love the Sesame Street x Headspace section, where Cookie Monster, Elmo, Rosita and the gang teach them to focus, deal with disappointment and explore their senses. It’s worth noting that Headspace provides excellent resources for mindful parenting, including SOS meditations to help you deal with parenting concerns and provide you with strategies for modeling good emotional practices for your children.
Discharge: head space for iOS | Android (Subscription required, free trial available)
6. Smiling mind
Smiling Mind is a mindfulness meditation app that can help you teach your child how to deal with life’s challenges. the application Kids The section contains categories for children ages 3-12, making it easy to navigate to the right section for your child.
There is a sports section, developed in association with Cricket Australia, as well as Back to School and Bite Size sections. The best thing about this great resource is that it’s free, making it a perfect way to introduce your kids to meditation without committing to a paid subscription.
Discharge: smiling mind for iOS | Android (Free)
7. Conscious Powers
Mindful Powers is an award-winning mindfulness app developed in consultation with clinical psychologists. He helps children control their emotions with the help of his own character, named Flibbertigibbet, who struggles to contain his feelings. They calm him down by interacting with him, and while teaching him to relax, they learn mindfulness and relaxation skills on their own.
Ultimately, with the help of Flibbertigibbet, your child will learn not to give in to big emotions. Kids will love caring for their very own virtual creature with this fantastic aid to build resilience and emotional intelligence.
Discharge: conscious powers to iOS (Free in-app purchases available)
8. Grumpy
Another way you can support your child’s mental health is by encouraging him to use a mood log and journal. They can easily do this using an app like Moody, which is suitable for kids because they can record their mood with a few taps instead of typing long paragraphs.
Free to test up to 15 inputs, Moody is easy to use. Choose from over 1,000 icons to track your mood, activities, and even the weather. There’s an option to add photos and record additional notes, but at its core, this tool allows mood tracking to take just a few seconds out of your child’s day.
You and your child can access the Statistics page to display graphs of how moods have changed over time, with powerful filter tools that let you drill down if something worries you.
Discharge: temperamental for iOS | Android (Free, subscription available)
9. Daylio
Daylio is another great tool for mood tracking and journaling. Again, an emoji-based approach allows you or your child to record their mood in seconds. You can also track all kinds of activities like food, housework, and sleep.
Establish and record the habits you’d like your child to practice, then regularly review and reflect on their progress using the detailed Statistics function. The app is also endlessly customizable, right down to the color scheme. Kids will love the colorful approach, and you can easily track and reward their successes. To learn more, read our guide on how to use Daylio.
Discharge: Daylio for iOS | Android (Free, subscription available)
Use technology to help and support children’s mental and emotional health
A greater understanding of mental health and wellness means that parents and caregivers can draw on a variety of great tools to teach children how to identify, understand, and express their feelings and emotions.
Hopefully this will help them grow into healthy, balanced adults with positive self-care habits that will last a lifetime.
