8 mental health activities for kids and teens, from making music to exploring the great outdoors

• Helping your kid brainstorm mental health activities is a great way to support their well-being.
• They can try journaling, getting some exercise, listening to music, and making a self-care chart.

It's never too early to help your kids understand why mental health matters, particularly since mental health concerns in kids are on the rise.

According to 2020 research, the rate of mental health-related emergency room visits in the US increased by 24% for kids ages 5-11 and 31% for kids ages 12-17, in just one year.

Parents play a huge role in teaching activities that promote good mental health. The ability to label and manage emotions, identify needs, and ask for support are worth building for everyone — especially since these skills may help protect against future mental health concerns.

Helping your child build good social and emotional habits early in life can prove more helpful than waiting to respond to mental health symptoms that develop as they get older, says Megan Anna Neff, a clinical psychologist in private practice.

Plenty of fun, engaging activities can go a long way toward fostering good mental health. Here are eight options for kids and teens to try.

1. Listening to or creating music

Music is often a powerful outlet for emotions — just think of the way a favorite song can brighten your mood.

One 2022 study found that mental health interventions featuring music helped boost self-esteem, decrease social isolation, and reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety for teenagers.

Kids of all ages can benefit from listening to and creating music. In fact, musician Billie Eilish wrote the song "Everything I Wanted" as a teen to explore her depression. While the song still references her depressed thoughts, Eilish said it also became a more hopeful homage to her brother's support throughout hard times.

Listening to music may also help:

• Ease anxiety
• Lower high blood pressure
• Reduce pain
• Increase sleep quality
• Boost memory

Other music-related activities might include:

• Writing and performing songs
• Playing along with music you've heard before
• Improvising or jamming

Younger kids can participate by singing along with parents or siblings, drumming on pots or pans to develop rhythm, or dancing to songs they love.

If simply listening to music doesn't make much difference for your child, a music therapist can provide more structure to help them explore emotions or specific mental health symptoms.

2. Getting active

"Moving your body can have a significant impact on your mental health — and it's a great coping mechanism for kids to have throughout their lives," says Brooke Aymes, a clinical social worker in private practice.

Exercising as a child can help build lifelong habits, which can have benefits into adulthood. One 2022 review found that getting just two and a half hours of moderate exercise per week reduces depression risk for adults by almost 20%.

In addition, a 2020 review suggests that exercise reduces symptoms of depression in children without any negative side effects.

If your kid doesn't have much interest in exercise, try:

• Video games: Beat Saber, Just Dance, and Wii Sports all require exercise to score points.
• Dance parties: Dancing is a great way to get in some physical activity without realizing it — just let your kids pick the music.
• Family games: Games like tag, Red Light Green Light, freeze jump, and relay races help get everyone moving.
• Yoga: Mindfulness practices like yoga can help ease anxiety and depression and improve sleep quality. Start by teaching your kid pranayama and corpse pose (shavasana) — research suggests these are particularly useful for helping kids relax.

3. Coloring books

There's a reason even adults use coloring books to unwind — focusing on coloring can help you relax and let go of stressful thoughts.

Coloring helps kids develop motor skills, creativity, and concentration. But it can also serve as a form of mindfulness, which can ease anxiety and help kids practice living fully in the present moment.

Medical term: Mindfulness involves focusing on the present moment and gently accepting physical sensations, thoughts, feelings, and your environment. Achieving greater mindfulness may help reduce stress.

One 2015 study found that coloring significantly decreased symptoms of anxiety in children about to take a spelling test.

You can encourage your child's unique interests by letting them choose their own coloring books.

They may also enjoy:

• Listening to music or an audiobook while they color
• Experimenting with scented crayons, glitter pens, or markers
• Making their own crayons out of broken or old pieces

4. Bonding with four-legged friends

One 2015 study of kids found those with a dog at home had lower levels of childhood anxiety than peers without pets. Pets may help kids grow their social circle by encouraging them to meet new people. Plus, spending time with a pet may reduce symptoms of depression.

Try these tips:

• Have your child help care for the pet: Pets appreciate routines, like being fed and let outside at the same time every day. Providing care can help kids establish routines, which can improve mental health and resilience in high-stress periods.
• Take walks as a family: Walking daily with a pet can help kids get more physical activity in a gentle, low-stress environment. This is also a great opportunity for you to spend some quality time chatting with your kids, which can reduce their risk of future mental health struggles.
• Take your dog to a dog park: Dog parks are a great way for older kids to practice social skills by making small talk with other pet lovers. As an added bonus, you can make friends with plenty of new dogs.
• Bring your pet when picking your kid up from school: If your kid isn't old enough for a dog park, they can still practice social skills by introducing their pet to other kids and sharing pet stories. Just remember to keep unruly pets in the car.

No pets at home? Consider fostering or encouraging older kids to volunteer at a local animal shelter.

5. Spend time outside

Time in nature offers a valuable way for kids to develop confidence and bravery and improve their social, emotional, and physical skills.

Aymes says imaginative play outdoors — whether alone, with parents, or with friends — can teach kids these skills, which can have a positive impact on their mental health.

Getting outside can also help reduce stress and anxiety levels and may offer some protection from future mental health concerns: Kids with less access to nature may have a 55% higher chance of developing a mental health condition.

Spending time in nature away from electronics can also serve as a mindful meditation option for kids, according to Aymes. According to a report compiled by the National Wildlife Federation, being fully present in nature may reduce kids' stress in a matter of minutes.

So, how can you get your kid away from their screen?

• Sign them up for outdoor extracurriculars they can do with friends, like soccer, flag football, or nature-based summer camps.
• Build forts in a nearby park. You can use fallen branches and blankets, or you can bring your own cardboard and markers.
• Bring Nerf or water guns outside in warm weather for an epic family battle.
• Read or draw together in the backyard.
• Pack a lunch and a blanket and picnic with friends or family at a nearby park.

6. Unconventional journaling

Journaling can help de-escalate big feelings after an outburst and minimize future emotional outbursts or tantrums. It may also help kids improve social skills by encouraging self-reflection from a young age.

Of course, your kid might not feel very excited to sit down and write two pages about their feelings, and that's OK.

If your kid wants an alternate way to reap the mental health benefits of traditional journaling, like reduced stress and anxiety, encourage them to try unconventional journaling approaches, such as:

• A hands-on option like Wreck This Journal, which encourages you to write, draw, paint with coffee, and destroy pages.
• Gratitude journaling, which can be as simple as writing three things you're thankful for at the end of each day.
• Bullet journals that provide a balance of structure and creativity. Your kid can open up a blank page and fill it with anything — stickers, artwork, or lists of friends and books they love.

Kids can make any type of journal more fun and personal by incorporating glitter pens, scented markers, or photos of loved ones.

Best guided journals

Unsure of where to start with journaling? Our guides to the best guided journals can help lead your child through the process.

• Best for anxiety: "The Anxiety Journal: Exercises to Soothe Stress and Eliminate Anxiety Wherever You Are" by Corrine Sweet, $15.89 at Amazon
• Best for teens: "Anxiety Relief for Teens: Essential CBT Skills and Mindfulness Practices to Overcome Anxiety and Stress" by Regine Galanti, Ph.D., $11.59 at Amazon
• Best for self confidence: "You Are Incredible Just As You Are: How to Embrace Your Perfectly Imperfect Self" by Emily Coxhead, $15.05 at Amazon
• Best for creativity: I Guess I'll Write It Down, $14.36 at Amazon

7. Creating a self-care checklist

A good self-care routine that balances enjoyable activities with basic needs can help:

• Reduce or eliminate anxiety and depression
• Decrease stress
• Improve concentration
• Minimize frustration and anger
• Increase feelings of happiness
• Boost energy

Encouraging your child to create a self-care checklist of their own can help them practice taking care of their brains and bodies before any stressors pop up.

The basics of self-care, like nutrition, physical activity, and sleep, play a major role in mental health for kids. Of course, kids neglect many of those same things when facing stress due to schoolwork and other academic commitments, family tension, or conflict with friends.

Self-care ideas for kids of all ages might include:

• Any of the activities mentioned above, like playing with pets or spending time outside
• Choosing foods for a nutritious breakfast
• Picking out weather-appropriate clothes to wear
• Doing something kind for a friend or family member
• Age-appropriate chores, like putting away their clean laundry or helping unload the dishwasher
• Brushing their hair and teeth

You can help younger kids make a short self-care checklist with fridge magnets. For instance, you might spell out words together with alphabet magnets that say things like, "brush teeth," or place a magnet of a toothbrush on the fridge.

Note: You can work with your kid on their self-care checklist, but you want to avoid doing it for them. Letting them identify their own needs and ways to meet them can foster independence and responsibility.

8. Talking about feelings with a trusted adult

Good mental health doesn't mean your kids never get stressed. It means they can recognize and express feelings in productive ways.

You can help them navigate life's ups and downs more effectively by teaching them to recognize unwanted feelings like frustration and anger — and letting them know it's OK to have those emotions. One good way to start? Share your own feelings and demonstrate good coping skills.

It's also important to create a safe place for children to experience their feelings and validate them when they do share, Aymes says.

Saying, "There's no reason to be scared. You'll be fine," won't comfort them. Rather, it suggests their feelings don't matter.

Instead, you might say:

• "I get scared sometimes too, and that's OK. You're brave for facing this, and I'm right here with you." Then, you might suggest trying a deep breathing exercise together.
• "It's OK to get angry. What can we do with these big feelings? Do you want to run around together until the big feelings feel smaller?"
• "I'm sorry you're feeling sad. When I get sad, sometimes coloring makes me feel better. Why don't we try some coloring together and see if it helps?"

Insider's takeaway

Establishing good self-care and mental health habits early in life promotes lifelong well-being. These activities can even help kids discover interests and talents that could shape their future.

What's more, engaging in activities that support good mental health with your kid can reinforce their benefits for you both.

"Children imitate their caregivers. Parents can model supporting their own mental health by engaging in exercise, meditation, journaling, talking about feelings, and doing their own therapy," Aymes says.