Coping Skills Videos: Teaching Kids to Calm Down in a Healthy Way

Youtube is a great resource of videos on practically every subject, and I love finding great coping skills videos to use with my kids, specifically on developing positive coping skills. Coping skills are what we do to deal with an upsetting situation. For example, little Bobby’s favorite car is being used by Kenny, so Bobby starts crying. Bobby is upset and copes with the situation by crying. A positive coping skill would be for Bobby to learn to take a deep breath, find a new toy, etc. There are several youtube videos that help reinforce the development of coping skills. Over the years, I’ve shared videos with other counselors and teachers, and co-workers have shared with me.

Coping Skills Videos

Sesame Street’s Belly Breathe

Common, Colbie Caillet, and Elmo- triple threat. This is my favorite coping skills video. I have used and recommended this video more than any other. It talks about getting angry, calming down, and is set to an easy-to-sing tune. Thumbs up all around!

Pete the Cat

Pete is THE cat. He deals with all kinds of struggles, yet he keeps on singing his song. Although I prefer reading the Pete the Cat books with my kids, I  use the videos every once in awhile.

Howard Wigglebottom

Howard Wigglebottom is a relatable rabbit who makes some poor choices. There are several videos in this series about anger, listening, sharing, etc.

Cosmic Kids

If you’ve read my Simon Says Yoga article, you know that I really believe that stretching and deep breathing is a positive coping skill to help kids naturally self-regulate, especially on indoor recess days. Cosmic Kids has lots of great videos that tie in yoga with a story.

Using Coping Skills Videos in the Classroom

While videos can be a great tool for reinforcing a lesson, there are a few things to be mindful of:

• Don’t use videos to stop a meltdown. You could inadvertently reinforce a negative coping skill. Videos should be used as a scheduled part of the lesson or session, not as a way to stop crying.
• Watch the same video over and over again. For a child to utilize a coping skill, they need to have that video practically memorized. When I discuss using “belly breathe” with younger kids, I suggest that teachers play the video every day for at least a week. Then, when a child has a meltdown, you can sing the song to them as a reminder of how to breathe if needed. Again, don’t turn the video on during a meltdown.
• Discuss the coping skills video. Sometimes, kids watch and listen to stories and don’t connect that elements of the story apply to them. When I read or watch Pigeon stories with my students, I ask them “When do you act like this?” At first, they usually say “I don’t do that!” When I bring up an incident from a few days before, we are able to talk about their responses and how they could have responded differently.
• With some coping skills, kids may not be able to verbalize how their coping skills help calm them down, so you may just ask them how they feel after practicing a certain coping skill.

Any other great coping skills videos that I didn’t mention? I’m always looking for new resources! Leave them in the comments!