Anxiety in children is a real thing and is becoming more common. For this reason, anti anxiety apps for kids to calm the mind and lessen anxious thoughts can be a godsend.
Anxiety will reveal itself as a simple worry or a fear, but if they cannot shake it off, you may see signs of anxiety develop. These include headaches, bad moods, stomach cramps, and trouble sleeping. Learning to spot the signs of anxiety is essential.
If your child seems anxious, try to communicate with them to find out the root cause of the problem. However, sometimes they are unable to explain it. We can all feel anxious and not really know why.
Enter the solution: Anti anxiety apps for kids.
These apps are proven to decrease anxiety, increase academic success, lower rates of depression and even improve physical health.
Here is our list of eight effective anti anxiety apps for kids who worry too much.
Anti anxiety apps for kids and adults
Mindfulness
This app focuses on countering anxiety through mindful exercises, lessons, and meditation. Mindfulness premium version offers a rich resource to both kids and adults for learning about meditation and developing mindful thinking and actions, breathing exercises, calming music, talks about managing anxiety and stress, and fun challenges.
Available via: Apple and Android
Free: Yes, 7-day free trial on monthly subscription
Cost of app: $9.99/month monthly or $59.99/year
Best features: An astounding collection of 2000+ meditations, plus an amazing feature of being given a new meditation daily for 365 days, will get you and your kids into the habit of mindfulness and meditation.
Pros: So many useful features jampacked into one plan.
Cons: It only has a short trial period and some of its premium inclusions are more targeted for adults.
You will love this app if: You like being reminded daily to meditate so you don't miss anything and you want to read up on lessons, listen to talks, and explore educational courses.
Headspace
Like Calm, Headspace is a top meditation and happiness app with support for children. Kids will learn meditation and mindfulness through guided sessions for just a few minutes a day. The app is packed with programs that teach coping skills for anxiety, panic, stress, insomnia and more. Kids can start with the 2-3 minute mini meditations for a quick mental refresh or focus boost.
Available via: Apple and Android
Free: Yes, 1 or 2-week free trial on monthly subscription
Cost of app: $12.99/month monthly or $69.99/year
Best features: Offline sessions, evidence-based modern mindfulness techniques, fun animations to explain concepts to kids and novice users
Pros: Easy to use, complete meditation and anxiety coping app for kids and beginners
Cons: Advanced users must complete all basic sessions first
You will love this app if: You want the whole family to get into the mindfulness habit. It’s easy for kids to join in when you take a few minutes a day doing guided meditation and other focus activities. Also great for helping kids relax after running around all day.
Calm
The number one meditation app Calm is perfect for exhausted parents and anxious kids. Children who are completely new to meditation can jump right in with guided meditation sessions starting at 3 minutes long. The app helps ease anxiety with breathing activities and stretching exercises. It also helps them get ready for bed with sleep stories and relaxing music. There are hundreds of different programs available for intermediate or more advanced skill levels.
Available via: Apple and Android
Free version: Yes, 7-day free trial
Cost of app: $14.99/monthly, $69.99/annually, and $399.99/lifetime
Best features: Complete meditation and anxiety coping app, integration with the Apple Health app
Pros: Easy to use, feature-packed, hundreds of meditation sessions, great for beginners and advanced users alike
Cons: Short trial period, requires consistency to be effective, interface might not appeal to younger kids
You will love this app if: You have older kids who need help focusing, keeping calm, and interacting with others. This app is perfect for the whole family and provides all the tools you need whether you are experienced in meditation or just starting out.
Smiling Mind
Smiling Mind was originally designed for kids and young people, so you know your kids are getting a high-quality mindfulness experience. Developed by a non-profit organisation, Smiling Mind has millions of users around the world. The biggest draw is the cost. This app is completely free and kids can access all features from the get go. Programs that deal with stress and everyday challenges are sorted into age groups (7-9 years, 10-12 years, 13-15 years and 16-18 years) to guide parents.
Available via: Apple and Android
Free: Yes
Cost of app: Free!
Best features: Content for kids and adults, perfect introductory app to mindfulness, progress tracking, offline mode
Pros: Completely free
Cons: Users report different bugs, narration can be repetitive
You will love this app if: You’re looking for a robust, easy to use, free app to help older kids cope with anxiety. Smiling Minds is great for the whole family, from younger kids to teens to adults who are new to meditation.
Anti anxiety apps for kids only
Dreamy Kid
First on our list of anti anxiety apps for kids: Dreamy Kid is a free to try meditation app that is packed with tools to help kids cope with anxiety. It has different meditations designed around issues (ADHD/ADD, bedwetting, over-eating) and time of day (calming, sleep, etc.) plus activities like stretching and breathing to help kids wind down and relax. Your child’s journey is guided every step of the way and there are affirmations aplenty for positive reinforcement.
Available via: Web, Apple (Android coming soon)
Free version: Free for schools, hospitals and anyone accrredited to work with kids
Cost of app: $9.99/month
Best features: Feature packed, meditation app for all ages, free for schools, hospitals and child professionals
Pros: Easy to use, cancel anytime
Cons: Need to subscribe to access unlimited meditations
You will love this app if: You have kids age 3-17 who struggle with anxiety, low self-esteem and negative thinking. The app comes with a lot of useful and fun tools to make the experience enjoyable.
Three Good Things
This app operates on the simple but profound discovery by an associate professor in psychiatry and behavioural sciences at Duke’s School of Medicine. That is: listing three good things each day in a particular way can happiness more effectively than medication, and that "gratitude can be a simple but rewarding habit." Working with this gratitude journal, the users are encouraged to list three good things that happened to them during the day, and explain how each "good thing" moment made them feel at that moment.
Available via: Web, Apple and Android
Free version: Yes
Cost of app: Free
Best features: Simple to use for kids
Pros: It's free!
Cons: It could use more helpful features aside from just being a journal.
You will love this app if: You want to keep things simple and teach your child the simplicity and beauty in observing and remembering the small and good things they experience.
Positive Penguins
Building resilience and soothing anxiety in children has never been easier or more fun thanks to apps like Positive Penguins. Four positive penguins take kids on an interactive journey to help them understand feelings and think more positively. The app is built around guided meditation that is simple and easy to follow so kids can learn to sit still and relax. The bonus games provide a fun relief from the focus activities.
Available via: Apple and Android
Free version: Yes, free to try
Cost of app: Apple ($2.49) and Android ($1.99)
Best features: Fun games and stories to build resilience and positive thinking
Pros: Easy to use, fun games and stories
Cons: Only the first 3 games are free, very basic features for those who are used to paid meditation apps
You will love this app if: You have kids who struggle with anxiety and emotional issues, including anger and depression. Even kids with the shortest attention spans will enjoy the games and stories.
Mindful Powers
The award-winning Mindful Powers app puts children (ideal for ages 7 to 10) at the centre of mindfulness and emotional wellness. Kids take care of a cute creature while learning to cope more effectively with whatever stresses them out. The core of the app is repetition, with guided meditation and activities that are aimed to be a part of your child’s daily routine. It also comes with a visual Pomodoro timer to help kids focus on tasks until completion.
Available via: Apple and Android
Free version: Yes
Cost of app: Free with in-app purchases
Best features: Skill-based and evidence-based approach to coping with anxiety
Pros: Easy to use, easy to follow sessions for younger children
Cons: Some stories might be too long
You will love this app if: You have younger kids with anxiety who have a hard time focusing, completing tasks and getting along with others. The approach is skills based, so everyone can follow along with the meditation sessions. Best for kids in early and middle childhood.
Chill Outz
It’s frustrating when kids are unresponsive to time outs. The Chill Outz app helps parents and kids cope with stress and stay relaxed using proven techniques. Developed by a child psychologist, the app is essentially a collection of fun animated stories that teach kids to be calm and relaxed anytime, anywhere.
Available via: Apple and Android
Free version: Yes, free to try
Cost of app: $4.99
Best features: Easy to use, fun and colourful, teacher approved
Pros: Great for very young children (3-5 years old) and primary school children (5-7 years)
Cons: Older kids might be bored with the simple activities
You will love this app if: You are tired of giving time outs and want a saner way to deal with unruly behaviour. This app uses various techniques like humming, focused breathing and shrugging to help overcome anxiety and panic or just get kids ready for bed.
