25 Gifts for Teaching Kids about Self-Care and Mental Health

Massage can provide self-regulation in kids who seek out pressure. We love this neck and back massager, especially because the remote is attached, so you never have to worry about your child misplacing it. At around $60, it is also much more affordable than many similar products. It comes in three colors and weighs just over four and a half pounds, making it great for those who like strong pressure.

Our tester, Sophia DeVito, was impressed: “I haven't used many neck massagers before, but I felt like this one actually made my neck feel better and less stiff so I really enjoyed the intensity of the massager.”

Sound can be especially overwhelming for neurodivergent kids, so many parents look for noise-canceling headphones that can allow the child to block out noise while also letting them listen to music, stories, or sounds that they find soothing. Soundcore Space One Pro FlexiCurve Over-Ear Headphones use four stages of noise cancellation and high-quality audio output. They also have a battery life of 40 hours, much longer than other noise-canceling headphones I have seen. Both editor Ally Hirschlag and her husband found the noise cancellation and sound quality on these headphones to be amazing.

Weighted vests can help your child self-regulate and reduce meltdowns by providing weight and pressure to calm them. Harkla’s Weighted Compression Vest comes in three sizes for ages 2 and up. While there are many weighted vests out there, I love that this one comes with a lifetime 100% money-back guarantee, so if it does not work for your child or does not meet your expectations, you can return it with no consequences. Additionally, it comes with access to a mini-course from Harkla on how to help your child get the most benefit from the vest, along with other tips for helping your child regulate. Plus, 1% of all sales is donated to Game Changers Idaho, an organization that helps disabled children participate in sports.

Scent can be very regulating because it can reduce high emotions and instill a sense of calm. If your child finds certain smells soothing, they might benefit from an aroma necklace. Aroma necklaces, sometimes called diffuser necklaces, hold essential oils and slowly release their scent over time, so you continuously experience a pleasant smell. Your Oil Tools is a great option for aroma necklaces because it offers a huge selection, with something for nearly any style preference. Many of the available necklaces have interchangeable diffusers, so you do not have to commit to just one scent and can swap them out based on what your child needs that day.

But you want to make sure your child seeks out scents that will not be harmful. This Candle Making Kit fits all of these needs nicely.

Hirschlag liked this kit because the scents were pleasant and the resulting candle pairs well with most home decor. You can choose between citrus, woody, and floral scent palates depending on what you and your child prefer. This is a great activity to do as a family, so you can model how to prioritize mental health for your child.

Gardening is a fantastic metaphor for discussing mental health and self-care. Just as plants need nurturing to grow, human bodies and brains need care to flourish. You can use the time planting this garden as an opportunity to kickstart ongoing conversations with your child about self-care and mental health. I love this Personalized Mini Wildflower Garden from DizLizzyDesigns on Etsy because it comes with everything you need to start your garden, so it is perfect for beginners. The soil pods also let you closely observe the flowers’ growth early in the process, which helps hold kids’ attention to an activity that takes weeks. The seller will personalize the kit for your child, too!

The act of creating art is a wonderful coping skill for mental health because it provides an outlet for emotions without requiring words. At the same time, it can be tempting to get into your head about what to create and how your art is turning out. I love color-by-numbers as a way to get the therapeutic benefits of creating while taking away the decision-making and concern about making art the “right” way. Your child can simply follow the instructions and fall into the flow state of creation. These kits come in a range of difficulty levels, meaning there is something for every age and skill set.

Did you know that they still make Tamagotchis? I was so excited when I found out. If you are not a 90s kid like I am, a Tamagotchi is a small, egg-shaped digital pet. It eats, plays, and poops, and you are tasked with keeping it alive. (Some would “run away” instead of dying, as I recall.) Kids who are drawn to video games can engage with their Tamagotchi to learn about attending to their own bodily needs and caring for a pet. There is a huge variety of Tamagotchis available, including Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Hello Kitty, and more.

Who doesn’t love a good round of Uno? Uno is an incredibly popular card game among child therapists because it is simple enough to learn quickly and can open the door for pretty much any conversation.

Uno Dare takes the game a step further with action cards, which give you the choice between acting out a dare or drawing extra cards. This promotes decision-making skills and bonding by acting silly together. Uno Dare also has space to make up your own rules, which means you and your child collaborate to decide what rules you want to add to the game. Anywhere from two to 10 players can participate, making this a great game for groups of various sizes.

Sloth Warmies are adorable, weighted stuffed animals you can heat in the microwave. Not only that, but unlike other weighted stuffed animals, Sloth Warmies are scented for extra relaxation, stimulating the sense of smell as well as touch and soothing with pressure. They come in four colors (gray, pink, purple, and brown) and make a great comfort item for anyone who struggles with anxiety, stress, or self-regulation due to their soft texture and calming scent. They are also small, which makes them easy to transport. Editorial director Simone Scully said that her whole family loves Sloth Warmies: “They’re cute, functional, and appropriate for the whole family.”

Turbobo’s 5-pound plush is a weighted stuffed animal that features different textures, which makes it stand out from other stuffed animal sensory toys. It has a cooling pad on the ear for those who prefer cooling sensations; the tail is designed for fidgeting, as it is filled with fidget beads; and the ears have sensory velcro patches for yet another texture. This stuffed animal also has a spot for aromatherapy infusion, so you can use essential oils for calming scents.

Scully gave this to her son, and she shared that he loved the cooling pack and the option for scented oils. She said, “He found the weight of it soothing, especially at night, because he said it felt like someone was sleeping next to him.”

This small, weighted pillow is great for travel because of its easily portable size. Its heart shape also makes it great for hugs when your child misses someone far away. The Heart to Hug pillow can sit on your child’s lap or chest, and it comes in several colors so that you or your child can choose their favorite. This pillow is unscented, unlike some of the other pillow and stuffed-animal options on this list, so it is a great choice for a kid who has an aversion to smells or simply prefers unscented sensory items.

Plus, 10% of the net sales for this pillow go to the Joyful Heart Foundation, an organization that supports survivors of sexual violence, so you are doing a good deed when you buy.

This fidget toy, also known as a fidget worm, is a personal favorite of mine to keep in my office. It is quiet and pretty, and it comes in two sizes for kids of any age. This is a great choice for kids who need to fidget because it is much quieter than some other fidget toys, like spinners, but it still has visual appeal.

Writer and editor Ashley Ziegler tested out the Rainbow Ellipsoid Fidget Toy, and both of her neurodivergent kids loved it. She shared: “My daughter with ADHD will just sit there while playing with it while she watches TV or reads, and my daughter with autism can just zone out while playing with it.”

Chewing can be a self-soothing behavior, can lower anxiety, and can result from boredom. If your child likes to chew on things, it is important to meet that sensory need safely. The Autistic Innovator is a small business that creates fidget products by and for the autistic community. Ashley, the founder, learned that many popular chewelry necklaces do not meet safety standards, so she developed the Heart Chew Necklace to provide heavy chewers with a safe option.

I personally tested the heart chew necklace after trying multiple so-called heavy-chew products, and this is hands down my favorite for its durability. This chew held up despite my best efforts to chew through it. It is also really cute!

Sometimes, kids engage in behaviors that can hurt them, ranging from skin picking and hair pulling to deliberate self-harm like cutting. Talking to kids about self-harm is difficult, and parents often worry about saying or doing the wrong thing. There are lots of reasons a child or teen might do something harmful, such as seeking to fulfill a sensory need or distracting themselves from emotional pain. If your child is self-harming, work with a mental health professional to address the behavior safely and productively.

Little Ouchies are a fidget tool that can help redirect urges to self-harm because they can recreate the sensory experience of behaviors like picking or cutting without causing physical damage or harm. There are a myriad of items to choose from, including rings, grippies, and spinners. Bundles are available to try out different options that might meet your child’s sensory needs.