Helping Kids Build Coping Skills: Emotional Health Tools and Resources for Families

If you’ve ever seen your child melt down over the wrong cup or go quiet after a tough day at school, you’ve seen the early signs of coping in action.

It might not look like it, but those big reactions (or sudden silences) are your child’s way of trying to process something hard or unexpected. And while their strategies might not be perfect, they’re doing exactly what we all do under stress: trying to make sense of it, feel safe again, and move through it.

The truth is, kids are coping all the time. But unlike adults, they don’t always have the language or tools to express what’s going on inside. With a little understanding and the right strategies, we can help our kids build the kind of coping skills that will serve them now and well into the future.

What Are Coping Skills (and Why Do They Matter)?

Coping skills are the strategies we use to deal with stress, change, and uncertainty. For kids, this might look like play, deep breaths, drawing a picture, or even clinging to a favourite stuffed toy. These strategies aren’t just comforting in the moment—they’re also building blocks for lifelong emotional resilience.

According to Certified Child Life Specialist Carlene Bulas, play is the core of how young children learn to regulate emotions and process stress. In fact, therapeutic play interventions are a key part of how child life professionals support families dealing with grief, medical procedures, or big life transitions like divorce.

Tools and Activities That Help Kids Build Coping Skills

Toddlers & Preschoolers

• Blowing bubbles or using a pinwheel to teach deep breathing
• Expressive art, like syringe painting or scribbling to release tension
• Feelings charts to help name emotions
• Puppet play or pretend play to explore tricky experiences
• Mindful movement, like yoga cards, to support self-regulation

School-Age Kids

• Creative art activities to process feelings
• Relaxation tools, like music, guided imagery, or breathing exercises 
• Peer connection and structured hobbies to build confidence
• Books that normalize big feelings or introduce meditation or mindfulness (e.g., The Color Monster, In My Heart, Moody Cow Meditates)

Teens

• Journaling or expressive writing
• Positive self-talk and affirmations
• Mindfulness tools, like box breathing
• Access to trusted adults and therapeutic outlets like art or movement‍

When Life Gets Hard: Grief, Illness, and Big Transitions

Sometimes, the challenges are bigger: a death in the family, a serious illness, a divorce. These moments require extra care—and often, extra tools. 

Activities, Tools, and Books That Support Emotional Healing

Books and interactive activities help kids understand, name, and move through tough emotions. Here are some great ones:

Grief and Loss

• What Does Grief Feel Like? – Korie Leigh
• My Big Dumb Invisible Dragon – Angie Lucas
• Nothing Stays the Same, But That’s Okay – Sara Olsher
• The Invisible String – Patrice Karst
• The Goodbye Book – Todd Parr
• Why Do Things Die? – Katie Daynes
• Help Me Say Goodbye: Activities for Helping Kids Cope When a Special Person Dies – Janis Silverman
• There Was a Baby – Laura J Camerona (on miscarriage and infant loss)
• It Won’t Ever Be the Same: A Teen’s Guide to Grief and Grieving – Korie Leigh‍
• Wanderings: A Wayfinder’s Grief Notebook – Melissa Dodaro‍
• The Invisible String Workbook: Creative Activities to Comfort, Calm, and Connect – Dana Wyss‍
• Finding Your Own Way to Grieve: A Creative Activity Workbook for Kids and Teens on the Autism Spectrum – Karla Herbert 

For Illness and Cancer

• The Dot Method: An Interactive Tool to Teach Kids About Cancer – Kelsey Mora
• Someone I Love Has Cancer - C Ortner
• What Happens When My Sibling Has Cancer – Sara Olsher
• Nowhere Hair – Sue Glader
• How Do You Care for a Very Sick Bear? – Vanessa Bayer

For Anxiety and Mental Health

• The Worry Monster: Calming Anxiety with Mindfulness - Catherine Cook-Cottone
• Put Your Worries Away - Gill Hasson
• Gray – Laura Dockrill
• Dark Cloud – Anna Lazowski
• The Worry Eater (toy for kids that eats their worries!) - Write down your worries, pop it into the Worry Eater's mouth, zip it up, and things can now only get better.

For Divorce

• Dinosaurs Divorce: A Guide for Changing Families - Laurie Krasny Brown
• Some Families Change - Jess Galatola
• What Happens When Parents Get Divorced? - Sara Olsher
• Helping Children Survive Divorce: What to Expect, How to Help – Dr. Archibald Hart

For Medical Procedures

Medical play can be used to get ready for visits to the dentist, doctor, or immunizations, blood work, and operations. Rehearsing the steps of each type of visit or procedure and preparing children for what they might see, hear, and touch helps prepare them early and identify any potential stressors that may need some more attention. Additional resources include: 

• Franklin Goes to the Hospital – Paulette Bourgeois
• Leo Gets a Checkup – Anna McQuin
• Meg Foundation for Pain: gives kids, parents, and caregivers science-backed superpowers to help manage the pain experience and fend off any freakout monsters in the process.‍

Parenting Coaching: Support and Strategies You Can Use

Sprout members have access to our Parenting Coach for guidance tailored to your child’s age, stage, and emotional needs. Whether it’s big emotions, new transitions, or daily challenges, you don’t have to navigate it alone. Talk with one of our team members about age-appropriate coping tools. From our Parenting Coach and NP to Occupational Therapist and Counsellor, we’re here to help families grow together.