Websites with art activities for anxious children

It’s useful to have at your finger tips some new ideas for when you want to suggest a calming, centring activity for your child. They may be worried about something, in which case these art activities for anxious children may be just the thing. 

But your child may simply be overwrought or far too hyped-up and just need some quiet time as a counter-activity.

Whatever the reason, here’s a list of places you might like to bookmark and investigate.

Most are free. For most, you'll need a printer. You can get the paid-for one very cheaply even after the sale.

Seeing them all will perhaps inspire a more suitable idea you can keep in your back pocket for when needed.

There's a bonus idea too at the end!

Enjoy.

Activity pack from Place2Be

You can download this PDF or watch demonstrations of the activities on YouTube. There are three. One is to help calm the mind. The second is to help calm your child’s senses. And the third is to help them think of sharing their worries. 

There’s also a helpful list of relevant books to read with your child. Plus some other art-related links.

Free colouring sheets from Crayola

For some of these sheets, Crayola will ask for your email address in return for the free download. But you can always unsubscribe directly afterwards if you prefer to keep your inbox uncluttered. They’re a respectable firm. 

Have a look at the full variety of designs and find something that will help your child to focus and calm down – and also have enough interest to capture their attention.

Wide variety of themes from Twinkl

Here you'll find many colouring sheets divided into age groups and occasions. Whatever the topic, they can be used as art activities for anxious children. It's the colouring and focus that do the job!

Again, pick what will work for your anxious child at any specific moment. You can access unlimited free downloads for a month with the free trial. Make the most of the offer!

54 affirmation cards to print from Etsy (sale on!)

This Etsy seller has sale on at the time of writing, ending 3rd July. Until 25th June, there is – again at the time of writing – a first-time-buyer discount. I’m not sure if both can apply at once. Go see?

But these 54 affirmations – offered as a digital download – are super for printing out on thin card and cutting into individual small cards for your child to use, perhaps one per day in rotation. Whatever suits them. You know them better than me.

But another idea is to pin one somewhere for all of you to see and comment on regularly.

A dachshund for dog lovers

If your child loves soft animal toys or you own a dog, this is a great sheet for remembering to be kind to themselves – like they would be to the dog or toy if it were worried and upset. Colour the sheet, stroke the dog… both actions bring calm!

BONUS ChatGPT art sheets

One of the GPTs you can explore at Open AI’s resource centre is “Coloring Book Hero” (note the spelling, and use this icon to identify it). You can then ask the model to make you a page of, for example, various different sea shells, a vase of flowers, or some funny cats like on this blog image!

Art and your anxious child

Any child who needs to sit quietly to calm down or to de-stress is a good candidate for a colouring activity. I posted a doodle/tangle post recently. This is the same calming idea. It's up to us parents to take the first move in helping our anxious children.

Sometimes you’ll find the best way in for this kind of activity is to sit and do one of your own with your child.At the very least, be around, sit nearby perhaps, and take a quiet interest. This validates the activity – and is something we do in therapy sessions to show the child we really are interested in them and their issues.

While you’re both colouring in, talk will emerge as calm takes over – and in this non-eyeballing context, you're offering the very best opportunity for your child to share their worries. Go for it?

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ALWAYS:

Trust your instincts,
use your judgement, protect the spirit
of your child