Our world is awash with a dizzying array of fidgets, spinners, pop-its, massagers… the list can feel endless!
Many folks share that sensory tool options are so plentiful today, they don’t know where to begin. Sensory tools are designed to use the senses to give our bodies input, so start with the five senses. With a little focused attention, our kids’ body language can tell us a lot about which senses might need sensory soothing.
Tactile tools can be held, pulled, squished, picked, tugged, or scratched. Even placing a hand under simple running water can work!
Sound tools can be almost anything heard, like repeated songs, background noise, or small clicks from buttons.
Taste/Mouth tools include pencil toppers for chewing, gum, chewlery that is worn, with many silicon and BPA-free options that make these items safe for everyday use.
Sight tools draw interest and attention with pleasing shapes, colors and motion. Draw their attention to items in their surroundings, like light shimmering on moving leaves in tree branches.
Smelling tools bypass our thinking brains and directly interact with the amygdala, making positive scents especially therapeutic. Diffusers and essential oils, or clothing infused with the scent of a parent or pet, can make an environment more pleasant and help soothe a child into a calm state.
Encourage your child to engage their senses and practice exploring what feels helpful in the moment. Sensory stimulation can be energizing and relaxing. Sometimes extra energy is needed for the body to settle and stabilize, and sometimes all the body needs is slow soothing. When your child notices that their sensory tool feels less intense, shifts from relaxing to activating, or even feels bothersome, encourage them to slow or stop using the tool for the moment.
A sensory tool may lose effectiveness overtime. When this happens, encourage your child to find an alternative for a time, to refresh the senses. How you handle this situation may differ if your child lives with ADHD or Autism Spectrum Disorder, or they engage in repetitive stimulation, so talk with your therapist about how to tailor this to your specific situation.
With playful exploration and conversations about sensations, children and teens can make excellent use of sensory tools to help them manage stress and learning demands, and have more active control of the up and down cycles of their bodies. By using sensory tools mindfully, feeling good can be cultivated as an embodied state children access in multiple ways, providing instant relief to large swings of mood and energy.
About the Author
I’m Bryan Giese-Gardner, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Manager of Clinical Supervision at Teen and Family Therapy Centers.
As a therapist working with all ages, I like to balance treatment with the right ratio of support and challenge for each client, and I often work with clients to more fully take the reins of their own healing journey. A lifelong artist and performer, I value uncensored self-expression from my clients. Each client has unique life and issues, and treatment is very individualized, following from each client/family’s strengths and capacities. Feedback from me may entail hard conversations, but I work together with my clients and their families to co-create sustainable ways to grow and change.
Accepting New Psychiatry Patients!
I’m Jasmin Bergado. As a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner, I provide empathetic, evidence-based, and holistic mental health care. With a strong foundation in psychiatry and a deep appreciation for each person’s unique story, my approach is strength-based and trauma-informed, focusing on resilience and creating a safe and affirming space. Collaborating with therapists and other professionals, I prescribe medication when appropriate, working together with my clients and their families to develop a treatment plan that truly fits their needs.