Calming Activities: Activity Center - Ages 3+

Put together an Activity Center, an area for them to go and work on a new activity when they need to focus and settle down. You will need to refresh the items frequently so they don’t get bored. Place 2-3 things on the table that they can work on. Don’t over-do it as too many items will likely cause distraction.

Suggested items:

o Tactile items such as: Molding clay, Tin foil, Bendaroos or even those flexible garbage bag twisty ties

o Crayons and blank paper

o Small empty recyclable containers like yogurt, applesauce cups and markers so they can decorate them

o A bag of noodles and cardboard cutouts. Using old cereal boxes, pre-cut some different shapes, like a butterfly, a bug, a heart, a car, stars, etc. The child can color the noodles with marker and then glue them on the pre-cut cardboard. Then, if you have any old magnets laying around (say like the ones you get in the mail free from local dentist offices, pizza places…) glue them on the back and walla, they have made cute magnets to give to their friends or family

o Several large rocks and markers. They can decorate the rocks and give them away as paper weights or collect them for their special “rock garden” someplace in the house or outside

o A container of loose buttons and string. Kids love to string things on and make necklaces. This requires some concentration and definitely provides motivation to focus. Throw some fancy, cute buttons in there. The craft store sells buttons with all sorts of themes.

o Set out an old magazine and some scissors. Make a list of pictures your child can cut out. Again, you will have to review the magazine ahead of time and make the list. Children get excited to see how many pictures they can find.