December 2025 Shelly Swift BCBA
EFT tapping is a simple mind-body practice that combines gentle tapping on specific points of the body with short phrases about what you’re feeling. For kids, it can be taught as one possible coping strategy for moments of anger, worry, frustration, or overwhelm.
When a child is having a big emotional reaction, adults often reach for words:
“Calm down.”
“Tell me what’s wrong.”
“Use your words.”
But when emotions are already high, more talking isn’t always what a child needs first.
Sometimes it helps to give them something simple and physical to do.
Emotional Freedom Technique, commonly called EFT or tapping, gives kids a structured routine they can practice during calm moments and return to when feelings begin to build.
The goal isn’t to make emotions disappear or force a child to calm down.
It’s to help them build another tool they can try when their feelings feel too big to manage with words alone.
And just like any coping skill, EFT is much easier to use during a hard moment after it has already been taught and practiced when the child is calm.
What You’ll Learn
In this post, you’ll learn:
- What EFT tapping is
- Where the basic tapping points are
- How to introduce tapping to kids
- Simple EFT phrases children can use
- When to practice tapping
- How to use tapping without forcing calm
- Where to find free EFT visuals and additional support
Excerpt from Tap Into Calm, showing a kid-friendly visual explanation of EFT tapping and how children can practice the strategy during big emotions.
What Is EFT Tapping?
Emotional Freedom Technique, or EFT tapping, is a mind-body practice that combines gentle tapping on specific points of the face and upper body with simple words that acknowledge what a person is feeling.
For children, the process can be kept very simple.
A child might tap while saying:
- “I feel really mad right now.”
- “This feels hard.”
- “My body feels worried.”
- “I can take my time.”
The goal is not to convince a child that they shouldn’t feel upset.
It is to give them a structured, physical coping routine they can practice while noticing what they are feeling.
Some children like the rhythm and predictability of tapping. Others may prefer a different regulation strategy — and that’s okay. EFT is one tool to explore, not something a child has to use.
Where Do You Tap?
EFT typically uses a small sequence of tapping points on the face and upper body, such as:
- Side of the hand
- Eyebrow
- Side of the eye
- Under the eye
- Under the nose
- Chin
- Collarbone
- Under the arm
- Top of the head
You do not need to introduce every point at once. With younger children especially, it can be easier to teach just a few points first and build familiarity over time.
FREE EFT Tapping Points for Kids
Help kids learn where to tap with a simple visual they can practice during calm moments and keep nearby for times when emotions feel big.
Print it, keep it visible, and practice together before your child needs it.
How EFT Tapping May Help With Big Emotions
EFT gives kids a simple routine they can use while noticing what they are feeling.
The tapping itself provides something physical and predictable to focus on, while the words help children name the emotion without judging it or trying to make it disappear.
For some kids, that combination may make feelings such as anger, worry, frustration, or overwhelm feel a little more manageable.
You might use tapping when your child:
- Feels worried or tense
- Gets frustrated quickly
- Has trouble settling after a hard moment
- Feels overwhelmed by a transition
- Comes home from school emotionally depleted
- Notices that anger is starting to build
The goal is not instant calm.
The goal is to help your child develop another familiar coping option they can try when emotions begin to rise.
If big emotions are regularly turning into meltdowns, you may also want to read Why Child Meltdowns Keep Happening — and the Skills That Actually Reduce Them.
And like most regulation skills, tapping is much easier to use during a difficult moment if it has already been practiced when things are going well.
How to Teach EFT to Kids
EFT is easiest to learn when your child is already calm.
Instead of introducing tapping during a meltdown or argument, practice it during an ordinary moment when there is no pressure to feel better.
Keep the first practice short:
- Show one or two tapping points.
You can tap on yourself first so your child can watch. - Use simple language.
Try something like, “This is a tool we can practice when feelings get big.” - Tap together for a few moments.
Your child can copy you, choose their own tapping points, or simply watch. - Stop before it feels like a lesson.
A minute of relaxed practice is often more useful than a long explanation.
You might practice again another day and gradually add more tapping points or phrases as the routine becomes familiar.
The goal is not perfect technique.
It is to help your child recognize:
“This is one thing I can try when my feelings start getting bigger.”
Simple EFT Phrases for Kids
The words used during tapping do not need to be complicated.
For kids, it often works best to use short, honest phrases that match what they are actually feeling.
Try phrases like:
- “I feel really mad right now.”
- “This feels hard.”
- “My body feels worried.”
- “I don’t like this.”
- “I feel frustrated.”
- “I can take my time.”
- “I’m safe right now.”
- “I can get through this feeling.”
You can also combine the feeling with a reassuring statement:
“Even though I feel really mad, I’m safe right now.”
“Even though this feels hard, I can take a minute.”
“Even though my body feels worried, I can go slowly.”
Your child does not have to repeat a phrase exactly or say anything out loud. You can model the words, let them choose their own, or simply tap quietly together.
The language should feel natural and believable, not like your child is being asked to talk themselves out of their feelings.
EFT Is Not a “Fix” — It’s a Coping Skill
EFT is not meant to:
- Make a child compliant
- Eliminate difficult emotions
- Replace boundaries, expectations, or problem-solving
- Work for every child
It is simply one coping strategy a child can learn and practice.
The goal is not to make anger, worry, or frustration disappear.
The goal is to help children build a few safe options they can try when emotions start to feel harder to manage.
For one child, tapping may become a favorite strategy. Another child may prefer movement, breathing, a quiet space, or asking for a break.
What matters most is helping your child discover which regulation tools feel useful and realistic for them.
When You Might Try EFT With Your Child
You can introduce tapping during calm moments and then offer it later when your child notices feelings beginning to build.
You might try EFT:
- Before a stressful transition
- When your child feels worried or tense
- After a frustrating experience
- During the after-school transition
- When anger is starting to rise
- Before something your child expects to be difficult
The important word is offer.
Tapping should not become another demand your child has to comply with. If they do not want to tap, you can model it yourself, offer a different coping strategy, or simply give them space.
Over time, the goal is for your child to have several regulation tools to choose from, rather than relying on one strategy for every situation.
Ready for More EFT Support?
Help kids learn and practice EFT tapping with visual supports and simple scripts designed for emotional regulation and calm-moment practice.
Prefer a Step-by-Step Book?
If you want a more in-depth, kid-friendly introduction to EFT, Tap Into Calm walks children through tapping with simple language and visuals they can return to during calm practice.
Final Thoughts: EFT Is One Tool in the Toolbox
EFT tapping does not have to become the strategy your child uses every time emotions get big.
Think of it as one option in a growing regulation toolbox.
The most useful coping skills are the ones children have practiced enough to recognize and use when they need them. That might be tapping, movement, asking for a break, breathing, using a visual, or simply having a quiet place to reset.
Start small. Practice when things are calm. Let your child explore what feels helpful without turning regulation into another demand.
Over time, you are helping them learn an important message:
Big feelings are okay — and I can learn safe ways to move through them.
Shelly Swift, BCBA