All The Gear, No Idea is a regular series from HuffPost Finds where we feature product recommendations for parents, by parents. Whether you’re shopping for a car seat for the first time or don’t know what tech to buy your teen, we’ve got you covered with shopping guides, reviews and the latest deals.
It’s not just adults who need help to manage stress, or unplug from our mindsand emotions. Kids need help too – perhaps even more so, as they come upagainst challenges, difficult feelings or pressures for the first time.
Whether your child is feeling anxious, is finding it hard to sleep, or is havingdifficulty handling big emotions, these apps can help. They offer a range of useful tools and practises that will help them face life’s curve balls, from gratitude journaling, to mindfulness techniques and tactics to diffuse the worst tantrum.HeadspaceBrought to you by the same team behind Headspace, Headspace for Kids works on the premise that teaching children how meditate from a young age can help set them up for life. The sessions are designed for every stage, from toddler up to teen, and parents can do the exercises with their children. These are grouped thematically into Calm, Focus, Kindness, Sleep and Wake Up and include visualisations, soothing sounds and breathing exercises. The app aims to help kids be calm and focussed, as well as wind down and sleep better. It’s free to try for a couple of weeks and then moves on to a subscription service at either £9.99 a month or £4.17 a month for an annual subscription.
Headspace for Kids, Headspace, available on subscription.Mindful PowersThis one introduces your child to mindfulness, via a series of meditations or“stories”. It engages children with the idea through a “flibbertigibbet”, a cutepurple blob that they have to try to keep happy by petting in a calming motion. The idea behind the award-winning app is to teach kids how to respond to stressful situations through play, which will stand them in good stead for future(or current) life stresses. It’s suitable for children aged four and above and available at the app store only for
iPhone and iPad.
Mindful Powers, Smashing Ideas LLC, Free from the App Store.
Breathe, Think, Do With SesameThis free app teaches children how to use their breath to calm down, problemsolve, find self-control and plan. The aim of the game is to help a blue monster calm down from frustrating situations by taking deep breaths; for example, struggling to tie his shoelaces or separation anxiety. Kids help the monster calm down and then work through his problem by choosing a solution, which they watch him try out in an animated clip. There’s a parent section too with tips and help. Available on iPhone, iPod and Android.
Breathe, Think, Do With Sesame, Sesame Street, Free from the App Store.
Three Good Things: A Happiness JournalThis is a journaling app that teaches children how to cultivate gratitude. Kids write down three good things that happened to them that day, which, by focusing on the positives, hopes to make them happier. They can track their progress and set a reminder so they don’t forget. It’s free and available on iOS.
Three Good Things: A Happiness Journal, Asher Dale, Free from the App store.
Super Stretch YogaThis app teaches kids how to do 12 different, animal-inspired yoga poses. Eachpose is taught by a short animation, led by a caped superhero called SuperStretch. This is followed by video of children attempting the pose and anexplanation of how to do it. Kids can choose a particular pose or do them in order. Reminders to breathe are given throughout. Super Stretch is free and available on iOS.
Super Stretch Yoga, The Adventures of Super Stretch, LLC, Free from theApp Store.Calm CounterThis app is a visual and audio tool to help kids calm down when they are angryor anxious. It opens with the “I need a break screen”, which transforms into ared, angry face icon with the number 10. Each tap makes the icon calmer andcounts backward from 10. This is followed by a deep breath. It also includes a story about anger and explanations of things that can help you to calm down. It was designed for kids with autism and would be helpful for any child feeling strong emotions. Works with iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.
Calm Counter, Touch Autism, £2.99 available only from the App Store.Stop, Breathe & Think KidsThis kids’ version of the popular app for teens and grown ups, is aimed at 5-10year olds. It features 15 meditation videos called “missions”, which are groupedinto seven categories: Quiet, Focus, Caring, Connecting, Energising, Meltdown, Open Mind and Sleep. Children can either show how they’re feeling by emojis or they can pick a mission to complete. Available on iPhone and iPad.
Stop, Breathe & Think Kids: Focus, Calm and & Sleep, Free from the App Store.ScapeScape is an ambient
music creation app, by composers Brian Eno and PeterChilvers. It generates music from shapes, colours, and textures that form a visual palette. These elements react to each other to make different sound scapes, which can be shared with others. The process and result is very meditative and relaxing. It’s not designed specifically for kids, but it has universal appeal. Available only on iPad.
Scape, £11.99 from the App Store.Let’s Create! PotteryThis app soothes and encourages creativity by letting children spin a virtualpottery wheel. Not quite the tactile experience of the real thing, but they can tapand press the screen to mould the clay as it turns and put it in a kiln to hardenand decorate it afterwards. They can even have a go at trying to copy a piece ofartwork. It’s relaxing and offers a good diversion from stress or big emotions.Available on iPad,
Android and Kindle Fire.
Let’s Create! Pottery, £3.99 from Amazon.Moshi Twilight Sleep StoriesThis BAFTA award-winning app is designed to help kids who find it hard tosleep. It uses over 40 hours of soothing audio sleep stories, meditations, musicand sounds to help little listeners drift off into the land of nod. It boasts an allstar cast of narrators, including Goldie Hawn, Brian Blessed and Patrick Stewart. It comes recommended by sleeps experts and doctors alike. Dreamy lullabies, rhyming journeys, cute characters and mindfulness cues will take the stress out of bedtime. Compatible with iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.
Moshi Twilight Sleep Stories, Mind Candy Limited, Free from the
Apple store. Breathing BubblesThis is an app aimed at children with anxiety, specifically five-year-olds andabove. It encourages to leave their worries behind, with the help of Manny theManatee, who takes them through visualisations and breathing exercises.Children are asked to name their emotion and how strong it is. Then they mustchoose whether to release a worry or receive a joy; with the former, a virtualbubble floats away and with the latter, a bubble comes towards them. If yourchild can’t write yet, they will need your help. Compatible with iOS.
Breathing Bubbles, Momentous Institute, Free from the App store.Sleep Meditations For KidsThis is a children’s bedtime app, from leading yoga and Montessori teacher,Christiane Kerr. It uses story mediations with relaxing sound effects and music. It helps children with sleep issues, insomnia, stress and anxiety and promotesrelaxation and well being. Lovely graphics and a mellifluous voice mean it’s sureto soothe. Compatible with iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.
Sleep Meditations for Kids, Diviniti Publishing Ltd, Free from the App store. MORE FROM HUFFPOST FINDS... 5 Self-Help Books For Parents That Mums And Dads Say Actually Work 10 Handy Items To Help You Get (And Stay) Organised In 2020 10 Brands That Prove Maternity Clothes Don’t Have To Be Frumpy We all work hard to earn our money – so it shouldn’t feel like hard work to spend it well. At HuffPost Finds we’ll help you find the best stuff that deserves your cash, from the ultimate lipstick to a durable iron to replace the one that broke (RIP). All our choices are completely independent but we may earn a small commission if you click a link and make a purchase.