67 Anger Management Activities for Kids: How to Help an Angry Kid

Anger Management Activities for Kids:

 44 Anger Activities + 21 Anger Games +  2 Anger Worksheets + Calm-Down Cards (Free Download)

Finding effective anger management activities for kids is essential when your child (or one of your students) has anger management problems.

This post is for you if you have been asking yourself some of these questions:

• How do I teach my child to control his anger?
• What activities could teach him/her some coping skills for anger?
• How do I deal with an angry student?

The activities described in this article will help you work on anger management and coping skills at home, in the classroom, or in your practice.

These strategies and tools have also helped us build anger management skills for our kids.

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What is anger? Why do we feel angry? How do I explain anger to my kids?

Before we teach anger management activities for kids, it’s important that we first explore what anger really is and how it works so that we can fully understand this emotion as parents, caregivers, or educators. After that, we’ll share some helpful tips on how to explain anger to kids in a way that makes sense to them.

Understanding Anger & Cycle of Anger

Anger is an adaptive emotion that helps us recognize when something feels wrong or unfair. It’s a natural response that signals a need for change or action, whether it’s defending ourselves, setting boundaries, or addressing an issue. While anger can motivate us to fix problems, it can also become destructive if not managed properly. The key is to understand and control it, rather than letting it control us.

Anger starts with a trigger—an event or situation that sets off the emotion.

This trigger leads to a chain of reactions:

• Cognitive and Emotional Response: We interpret the triggering situation, and this leads into negative thoughts and feelings about what happened. For example, we might think someone has been unfair, leading to feelings of frustration, hurt, or disrespect.
• Physiological Response: We experience some physical changes in our body. Heart rate increases, breathing quickens, and muscles tense as the body prepares for a “fight or flight” response.
• Behavioral Response: This is how we act when we’re angry. It could be raising our voices, clenching fists, or pacing. It’s the outward reaction to what we’re experiencing, feeling, and thinking.

Looking at these different responses is helpful because it shows us the key areas our anger management activities will focus on:

• Sometimes, we’ll use cognitive coping strategies to handle the thoughts and feelings that come with anger.
• Other times, we’ll focus on managing our physical reactions to anger using breathing exercises or muscle relaxation to calm our bodies.
• And we’ll focus on learning to respond with positive behaviors, even when we’re angry..

Each strategy targets a different part of the anger response to help manage it more effectively.

Another helpful way to look at anger is from a timeline perspective. This approach allows us to pinpoint the right strategy for each stage of the process.

Anger unfolds in a cycle, moving through different stages over time. It begins with a trigger, builds during escalation, and can peak with an outburst. By understanding this timeline, we can choose the best strategy for each stage:

• Trigger: This is the initial stage, when a specific event or situation sparks anger. It could be anything from a disagreement to feeling ignored or frustrated.
• Escalation: After the trigger, emotions start to build. Your body reacts—your heart rate increases, muscles tense, and thoughts may become more negative or defensive.
• Outburst: If the escalation isn’t managed, anger peaks and may result in an outburst. This can be yelling, aggressive actions, or saying things you might regret later.

After the outburst, there’s also a recovery phase. This is when the intensity of anger starts to fade, but we may still feel drained, upset, or regretful. Eventually, we return to a calm stage, where the anger has passed, and we can think more clearly again.

A similar perspective is what Colvin coined as the seven phases of the Acting-Out Cycle: Calm, Triggers, Agitation, Acceleration, Peak, De-escalation, and Recovery.

Understanding the phases of anger can help us identify the most suitable anger management strategies.

For instance, if you anticipate a triggering event, you may choose to remove yourself from the situation.

Distraction strategies can be effective in the early stages of escalation. As the situation escalates, you might employ talking, games, problem-solving, or relaxation techniques.

Breathing exercises can be crucial when you are at the peak of anger. In a school setting, removing the individual—or even the entire class—may be necessary to allow the person to return to a calm state safely.

How Do I Explain Anger to my Kids?

Before we start teaching anger management activities for kids, we need to talk to our kids about anger.

There are some anger facts that you can share with your children:

1. Anger is an emotion. When I feel angry I may feel irritable, tense, and anxious. I may also have negative thoughts.
2. Anger is not bad; and it serves a function. Although anger might be an unpleasant emotion, anger is not bad! Anger is a helpful emotion that has two important jobs:
   • It communicates with you by making your body react to let you know that something is wrong or bothering you.
   • It charges you with the energy to help you fix what is wrong or do something about the situation.
3. We all feel angry sometimes.  Mum, Dad, caregivers, teachers, siblings, everybody feels angry sometimes!
   At home, we all share examples of situations in which we have felt angry.
   (We used to read Everybody Feels Angry! and my son absolutely loved it. I think he was able to relate to these kids´stories.)
4. Good news! We can learn ways that help us control our anger.
   • Sometimes ,we will need to solve a problem.
   • Sometimes, we will not be able to fix what is bothering us or know exactly what is causing these feelings. In those cases, we can still learn ways to control our anger.

If you need more ideas on how to explain anger to your child, we use our own workbook to work on anger management:

• “A Cool Kid Journal“ (Anger Management Workbook + Journal + Calm Down Cards ⇒ All in One!)

This anger workbook explores everything you will read about in this post:

• • Understanding my Anger
  • Coping Strategies for Anger (11 categories that break down into 70 strategies)
  • 70 Calm Down Cards (one coping card for each coping strategy suggested in the previous section)

How angry am I? Emotion Charts / Anger Scales for Kids: a 5 Point Scale for Anger.

Anger Management Activity: Expressing Our Anger

Your next step should be to help your child express anger and to talk about the different degrees of anger.

We use an anger scale to help our children express how angry they are (or how happy they are!).

Visual scales are used not only within the scope of special education but also with children in general.

Visual scales or Emotion Charts provide kids with clues that help them express the intensity of an emotion, feeling, or sensation (anxiety, anger, pain …)

We use a 5-point scale for anger, and for each level, we discuss how we felt on that specific level (1 happy / 5 extremely angry) and how it shows.

I believe this step is a crucial part of successful anger management intervention.

Not only does it teach your child to express their feelings, but this tool also helps us understand our internal emotions and how they manifest outwardly.

Additionally, there’s an extra column where we can note down any effective strategies we have identified.

If you wish to learn how to use emotion charts or anger scales effectively, I recommend you read my post:  

• “Emotions Chart: How to Use a Feelings Thermometer Effectively“.

In that post, I give suggestions on how to use this tool and some ideas on how to approach an “action plan” with your kid (or student). You will also be able to download two feelings thermometer templates.

Other useful resources:

• BASIC EMOTIONS:
  If your child or student has problems identifying anger signs:
  “Basic Emotions Worksheets” will take you through the most common anger signals using beautiful drawings.
• ANGER TRIGGERS:
  Sometimes being able to identify anger triggers can help prevent the situation, or if not, it can at least help your kid look for help at the initial stages before things have turned into a full-blown drama.
  More on this topic? ⇒ “Anger Triggers in Kids: Helping your Child Identify & Deal With Anger Triggers“
• Anger Thermometers for Kids: 11 Worksheets & Activities
• Mood Trackers for Kids (including Zones of Regulations-inspired chart)

What are Anger Management Activities for Kids? 

 

30 Anger Management Activities for Kids
(breathing exercises, “burning energy”, distracting from anger trigger, relaxation, and other techniques)

Below is a list of activities from our free booklet, ’30 Anger Management Activities for Kids,’ which includes visual clues and pictograms. The download form is at the end of this post.

Must-Try Anger Management Activities for Kids to Practice with Your Calm Down Cards:

1. Ask Mom/Dad/Caregiver for help

Exercises that help us relax (breathing exercises):

2. Breathing exercise 1: pretend you are smelling a flower /pretend you are blowing a candle
3. Lazy 8 Breathing exercise (detailed explanation of this technique in my post Breathing techniques: Lazy 8 Breathing)
4. Deep breathing while counting to 10
5. Blow Bubbles

Exercises that help us relax (relaxation):

6. Progressive muscle relaxation exercises
7. Meditation
8. Yoga (Check out my post “Yoga for Kids“- tips for beginners and some recommendations on great yoga books for kids / And if you want to make yoga even more fun consider trying these  fun animal yoga poses for kids)
9. Squeeze a stress ball with your hand / release it
   ( If you are into DYI you can learn? how to make homemade stress balls in just 3 minutes!)

Taking a break from the situation- physical space:

10. Moving to a different room from where the problem is happening
11. Step out to the garden
12. Mum/Dad/Caregiver take me for a walk
13. Go to a quiet place

Taking a break from the situation- move to a new fun activity:

14. Watch a favorite TV program
15. Somebody tells me a story / Read a Book
16. Play a game in a computer/tablet
17. Play board games
18. Play with playdough
19. Sensory Bottles
    These DIY Sensory Bottles are so easy to make that even a 5-year-old could do it alone! It´s not only a great calming tool but also a fun family activity.
    Related: Sensory Activities for Kids
20. Make a Drawing
21. Listen to music

Physical activity to burn energy:

22. Bounce-on ball
23. Jump
24. Run around the couch

Other calming techniques:

1. Stop / Think / Do – Stop when you are very angry / Think about what alternatives you have to solve the problem / Implement the chosen one
2. Start counting (1- 10)
3. Hug your favorite soft toy tight
4. Write down your worries and tear the paper
5. Think about things that make you happy
6. Have a snack

The kids’ anger management activities that I have just mentioned are all included in the free calm down cards set that you will be able to download at the end of this post.

12 Anger/Emotions Activities to Help Kids Cope with Angry Feelings

Try these other activities to work on coping skills development and learning to deal with angry feelings:

6. Emotions Playdough Activity

This is another fun tool for social and emotional development.

Since we are brainstorming anger management activities, let’s assume you ask your kid or student to represent an angry face using playdough.

These are some suggestions for this activity:

• Discuss facial expressions of anger / How do we know your playdough boy/girl is angry?
• Start conversations about our angry feelings
• Brainstorm healthy ways to express anger
• Discuss coping strategies

These emotions playdough mats are labeled with 14 different feelings, emotions, or moods: sad, happy, tired, surprised, scared, angry, shy, bored, loved, excited, lonely, hurt, worried, proud

⇓ The following activities are not specific to anger but are interesting tools to work on emotional development.

7. Break Cards

Break cards are a versatile visual cue that your kids can use to request a break from an activity or a situation when things are getting overwhelming for them.

A break card assists the child/student to self-regulate their emotions, actions, or bodies.

In our post on how to use break cards at home, school, and in special education we share helpful advice and free printable break cards.

8. Emotions Charades

This activity is a tremendous social-emotional learning resource.

It helps kids:

• communicate emotions using their body language (players can’t talk, so they need to act out their feelings)
• learn to identify other people’s emotions

We play this game with our Emotions Flashcards.

One player picks an emotion card from the deck.

The player represents the emotion for the other players to guess without using words. Take turns doing this.

If you don’t own feelings cards, you can write down a list of feelings, cut them into individual pieces, and put them into a jar.

9. Emotions Memory Game

You also need Emotions Flashcards for this one.

Place the cards facing down and take turns lifting any two cards. If the cards match, keep them and proceed to turn another two. If not, leave them facing down and let the next player take a turn. The player who gets more pairs at the end wins.

If you play it this way, it is just another Memory Game.

But, you can turn it into an emotional development opportunity by adding some simple questions.

For example, if your child matches a set of cards representing anger, you can prompt:

“You match the anger cards. How do you feel when you are feeling angry? How does your body tell you about it? How can you tell other people are angry?”

10. Explore Anger with a Fun Anger Thermometer

We have created 11 helpful anger thermometer worksheets for kids that include fun anger activities to help your child explore:

• What are those strong feelings called (label those emotions)
• Anger signs and triggers
• Calming strategies

⇒ If you wish to explore more anger management ideas check out my post on calming strategies for kids (60 calming ideas!)

11. Anger Iceberg: Explore Hidden Anger-Related Feelings

The anger iceberg is a metaphor that highlights that the expressions of anger that are so easy to notice may be hiding other complex emotions.

On the tip of the anger iceberg, we represent what we can see: our anger signs

Beneath the surface, we explore underlying feelings and emotions that may be disguised as anger (frustration, shame, hurt, embarrassment, jealousy, or guilt)

Relevant related reading:  

•  “Anger Management for Kids: How to Calm an Angry Kid” , a comprehensive review of tips and advice for parents to help kids deal with anger issues.

12. Anger Volcano Activity

The Anger Volcano is another metaphor that helps kids understand their anger.

Inside the volcano, the magma represents not just anger but also a mix of many emotions bubbling beneath the surface, such as frustration, sadness, fear, guilt, or disappointment.

As in a real volcano, if not managed, the pressure increases until it erupts, symbolizing an outburst of anger. 

In our Anger Volcano blog post, we explored two different anger activities based on the anger volcano metaphor:

• Anger Volcano Worksheet. 
• Anger Volcano Craft Activity

You can check it out here: Anger Volcano Activities.

13. Mindfulness Activity: 5 4 3 2 1 Grounding Exercise.

This is one of my favorite calming activities.

Grounding techniques effectively divert our attention away from distressing emotions and thoughts. One particular method always works exceptionally well for us. It’s reached a point where my son even recommends ‘doing the 5-4-3-2-1’ whenever he feels overwhelmed.

How to practice the 5 4 3 2 1 Calming Technique

Ask your child to name the following:

• 5 things that you can SEE in the room
• 4 things that you can FEEL/TOUCH right now
• 3 things that you can HEAR
• 2 things that you can SMELL now
• 1 thing that you can TASTE

For comprehensive insights, including practical tips and advice on utilizing this technique, along with various adaptations, and access to a downloadable poster, explore the detailed article in the following blog post:

• 54321 Grounding Exercise for Kids (poster included)

14. Draw An Angry Face

Drawing an angry face can help kids recognize what anger might look like in themselves or others.

This step-by-step directed drawing activity is a great conversation starter for younger children to talk about facial expressions, body cues, and how anger feels inside.

Fun Anger Activities:21 Anger Management Games for Kids

Playing has an important role in children’s physical, cognitive, emotional, and social learning.

Since kids learn better and engage more when playing, adding anger management games to our anger management activities list is a no-brainer.
Around the age of 6 or 7, children incorporate games of rules into their repertoire. Those games require them to cooperate, follow rules, compete, think about the other’s point of view and anticipate other people´s actions.

A lot of those skills are put to good use when using anger games to learn anger management techniques, anger cues, anger-provoking situations, and how to express anger appropriately.

In my post about fun anger management games for kids, I take you through 21 different anger games to add to your coping skills tool kit. 

The list of games in the post includes both store-bought games and classic favorites that can be cleverly adapted for anger management, offering a creative and engaging way to support emotional regulation.

Read about fun anger management:

• Anger Games: Super Fun Ways to Learn Anger Management Skills

Anger Management Worksheets / Educational Activities

I’ve also produced two anger management worksheets for kids.

These worksheets cover two important milestones when we are learning to develop our anger management skills:

• Being able to identify our anger signs
• Learning about our anger triggers.

You may find these anger worksheets and instructions on how to work with them in the following posts:

• Anger Triggers
• Anger Signs

Anger Resources for Teens

If you are looking for resources for an older age group, the following article and product may help you:

• Anger Toolkit for Teens
• Anger Management Activities for Teens

Getting Help for an Angry Child

If your kids’ anger management problems are difficult to manage you need to seek professional help.

Tantrums and meltdowns may be absolutely normal.

But there are also cases in which those episodes are very intense or happen too often.

Your doctor will also assess if they are developmentally appropriate.

Some of the reasons why aggressive behaviors may be present can be:

• Learning disabilities
• Autism
• ADHD
• Sensory processing issues
• Anxiety

You need professional help to assess if there is an underlying problem that requires specific interventions.

Anger Management Books & Resources for Parents

• Cool Kid Journal (Anger Workbook for Kids)A Cool Kid Journal is a workbook + journal + coping cards (70!), ALL IN ONE. (121 fun colorful pages that include educational content, journaling pages, worksheets, and cards)
  It is a digital product (printable) that helps kids develop coping skills for anger.

• “What to Do When Your Temper Flares. A Kids Guide to Overcoming Problems With Anger“ by Dawn Hueber.It´s an amazing resource (Winner of 2008 Mom’s Choice Awards Gold Recipient: Self-Improvement). 
  It is a book for you to read with your child. It provides examples and metaphors to help kids understand their anger and how it affects them.

Additional Resources for Parents:

• The Explosive Child
• I´m not Bad. I´m just Mad 

Calming Down Cards- Free Download

Using visuals (calming down cards) when teaching kids to cope with big emotions (anger or anxiety) has many benefits:

• they assist them to make their choices
• they supplement or replace speech for those kids who can´t communicate verbally 
• they promote self-regulation
• they improve the chances of successfully implementing the anger management activities we have been practicing with them

46 Anger Management Activities for Kids: How to Help an Angry Kid