Creative Ways to help your child express "Angry" Feelings

Anger can be a complex emotion, but it’s completely typical. Children haven’t yet developed the social and emotional skills to express big feelings directly, and I know many parents wish their child simply didn’t feel angry at all, it’s genuinely uncomfortable to sit with. But I believe every emotion can be expressed safely, and accepting the full range of what your child feels is genuinely healthy. Research shows that drawing with your child can meaningfully improve their mood, you can read the study here.

Here are five creative ideas, across different mediums, art, movement, sound, and touch. A note before you start: these are for exploring “big feelings,” not for the moment your child is genuinely out of control, in a meltdown or tantrum. Remember to be balanced too, if they roar like a tiger, can they also be a quiet, calm mouse afterwards?

5 Creative Ways to Express Anger

1. Let’s be a Roaring Animal

Children are naturally imaginative, and ready to become something other than themselves. When you notice “hot feelings” building, try simply saying, “let’s be a big roaring animal,” or “let’s roar it out.” They might be a tiger, a lion, an elephant. Then encourage a big breath, a giant tiger’s breath helps them calm and relax, and they can move from roaring to being a quiet, calm animal instead.

2. Expressive Scribbles

Give your child some art materials, finger paints work particularly well for younger children. Ask them to draw out their feelings, what would angry, frustrated, or irritated actually look like? Talk to them about the scribbles, the colours they chose, how it feels. Remember to help them move back toward calm or happy feelings by the end. Practised gently over time, this can become a tool your child reaches for before things escalate, not just after.

3. Creative Music

I trained in Arts Psychotherapy myself, and I loved banging a drum, tapping a tambourine, or expressing feelings through a glockenspiel. You don’t need expensive instruments, tin cans or plastic bottles work just as well. Give yourself and your child ten genuinely expressive minutes together. By allowing the feeling to be expressed this way, you may notice a real shift in mood afterwards.

4. Let’s bite, rip and express the feelings

When you have been angry, have you ever felt you wanted to get your teeth into something? Well, how about biting into a carrot, it’s fun and better than your child grinding their brother or sister. They could rip a tissue or old paper too.

5. Sing and Move it out

Children are genuinely receptive to sound. Try the moving feeling game, similar to the scribble game, put music on and ask your child to show you, with their body, what sad, angry, frustrated, or irritated actually looks like. Ask: does the feeling have a sound? Move it out together.

I hope these are helpful and fun. Let your own creativity flow alongside your child’s.

Interested in working with me?

If you would like more tailored support for your child or family, I offer one to one therapy for children and young people, therapeutic parenting support for parents, and training and consultation for professionals working with children and families. Please do get in touch if you would like to find out more.

You can reach me via my contact page.

Free resources

Understanding Your Child’s Guard Dog Brain explains what is happening in your child’s nervous system when big feelings take over.

Holding in the Storm is about staying steady as a parent in the hard moments.

When Darkness Comes includes specific support for sleep difficulties and anxiety at night.

All free to download.

Creative Ways to help your child express “Angry” Feelings