Emotional Regulation Activities for 3–5 Year Olds: 10 Fun Ideas You Can Do at Home

Big emotions are a normal part of early childhood — but knowing how to manage those emotions is a skill that needs to be learned, practised and supported.

For children aged 3–5, emotional regulation doesn’t come naturally yet. Their brains are still developing the ability to pause, name feelings and respond calmly. The good news? Emotional regulation can be taught — and play is one of the most powerful ways to do it.

Here are 10 simple, play-based emotional regulation activities you can try at home to help your child recognise feelings, calm their body, and build lifelong self-regulation skills.

What Is Emotional Regulation in Early Childhood?

Emotional regulation is a child’s ability to understand, express and manage emotions in a healthy way. For preschool-aged children, this means learning to:

Recognise different emotions

Calm themselves when upset

Express feelings using words or actions

Recover from frustration or disappointment

At ages 3–5, children still rely heavily on adults to help them regulate — which is why supportive, playful activities are so effective.

10 Emotional Regulation Activities for 3–5 Year Olds

1. Feelings Charades

What you need: Just your imagination!

Take turns acting out emotions like happy, sad, frustrated, excited or worried. Encourage your child to guess the feeling and talk about times they’ve felt that way.

👉 Why it works: Helps children recognise emotional cues and builds emotional vocabulary.

2. Balloon Breathing

What you need: No props required

Ask your child to pretend their tummy is a balloon. Slowly breathe in to “fill the balloon,” then breathe out to “let the air out.”

👉 Why it works: Deep breathing activates the body’s calming system and teaches early self-soothing.

3. Calm-Down Corner

What you need: Cushions, soft toys, books

Create a cosy space where your child can go when they feel overwhelmed — not as a punishment, but as a safe place to reset.

👉 Why it works: Gives children a sense of control and a consistent strategy for calming down.

4. Emotion Colour Drawing

What you need: Paper and crayons or pencils

Ask your child to draw how they feel using colours. Red might be angry, blue might be sad — there’s no right or wrong.

👉 Why it works: Supports emotional expression when words are hard to find.

5. Freeze Dance

What you need: Music

Dance freely, then freeze when the music stops. Encourage your child to notice how their body feels before and after.

👉 Why it works: Builds body awareness and impulse control through movement.

6. Emotion Story Time

What you need: Storybooks with emotional themes

Pause during the story to ask questions like:

“How do you think they feel?”

“What could they do to feel better?”

👉 Why it works: Helps children practise empathy and problem-solving in a safe context.

7. Calm Body Check-In

What you need: A quiet moment

Ask simple questions:

“Is your body fast or slow?”

“Are your muscles tight or relaxed?”

👉 Why it works: Teaches children to notice physical signs of emotions — a key regulation skill.

8. Emotion Sorting Game

What you need: Pictures of faces or printed emotion cards

Sort emotions into categories like “feels good” and “feels tricky,” while reinforcing that all emotions are okay.

👉 Why it works: Normalises emotions and builds emotional literacy.

9. Stuffed Toy Feelings Talk

What you need: A favourite toy

Let the toy “talk” about feelings:

“Bear feels angry because the block tower fell down.”

👉 Why it works: Externalising emotions feels safer for young children and encourages sharing.

10. Sensory Calm-Down Activities

What you need: Playdough, kinetic sand, water play

Slow, repetitive sensory play helps calm the nervous system.

👉 Why it works: Sensory input supports regulation, especially for children who struggle with big emotions.

Supporting Emotional Regulation Takes Time

Learning emotional regulation is a process, not a quick fix. Children need:

Repetition

Modelling from adults

Safe, supportive environments

When adults stay calm and curious, children learn that emotions are manageable — not something to fear.

When to Seek Extra Support

If your child frequently:

Has intense meltdowns

Struggles to calm down even with support

Finds emotions overwhelming at home or preschool

Extra guidance can make a big difference. Early support helps children build skills before emotional challenges become entrenched.

References & Evidence

The activities and principles in this article are supported by established research in child development and emotional wellbeing, including:

Center on the Developing Child, Harvard University (2011). Building the Brain’s “Air Traffic Control” System: How Early Experiences Shape the Development of Executive Function.

Denham, S. A. et al. (2012). Social-Emotional Learning in Early Childhood.

World Health Organization (2020). Improving Early Childhood Development.

Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS). Helping children regulate emotions.