Self-regulation is the ability to understand and manage one’s emotions, behaviors, and reactions to various situations, which is essential for focusing, staying calm, and handling challenges. In OT, self-regulation is often a focus because children may struggle with identifying or controlling their emotions, following instructions, or adapting to unexpected changes. To work on self-regulation, we use a variety of structured programs, including The Zones of Regulation, which teaches children to identify their feelings and choose appropriate tools for staying calm or refocusing, and The Alert Program (or “How Does Your Engine Run?”), which uses familiar concepts to help children recognize if they’re in a “too high,” “too low,” or “just right” state of alertness. Additionally, the Social Thinking curriculum helps children learn about social cues and appropriate responses, and mindfulness practices, like deep breathing and guided visualization, are integrated to help kids calm their bodies and focus their minds. Through these programs, children gain the skills to identify, understand, and manage their emotions, empowering them to have more successful social interactions, learn better in school, and feel more comfortable in daily routines.

 

Activities to Complete at Home:

  1. Deep Breathing Exercises: Teach simple belly breathing or “smell the flower, blow out the candle” to help children calm down.
  2. Sensory Bottle: Create a calming sensory bottle with glitter and water for the child to shake and watch settle, promoting a sense of relaxation.
  3. Mindfulness Jar: Use a jar with water, glitter, and glue. Shaking it represents big emotions, and watching the glitter settle helps with calming and focus.
  4. Yoga: Practice simple yoga poses together, like the “tree” or “cobra,” which help children calm their minds and bodies.
  5. Calming Corner: Create a space with pillows, fidgets, books, or quiet activities where the child can go when they need a break.
  6. Weighted Blanket or Lap Pad: Using a weighted blanket while reading or watching a show can help kids feel grounded and calm. Make sure you follow safety guidelines regarding how much weight to use to help keep kiddos safe when using these.
  7. Counting or Number Games: Have children count backward, count to 10 slowly, or even count objects as a way to pause and focus.
  8. Emotion Charades: Take turns acting out emotions (happy, sad, angry) to help the child recognize and label different feelings.
  9. Body Scan: Guide the child to “check in” with each part of their body to see where they may feel tense and need to relax.
  10. Bubble Blowing: Blowing bubbles encourages deep breathing and helps children learn to control their breath.
  11. Drawing or Coloring: Give them a journal or coloring book where they can draw or color to help them calm down.
  12. Walk or Run: Go outside for a quick walk, run, or even jumping jacks to release pent-up energy.
  13. Squeeze Ball or Fidget Toy: Squeezing a stress ball or playing with a fidget helps some children release tension.
  14. Listening to Music: Play soft, soothing music, or let the child create their own playlist of calming songs.
  15. Progressive Muscle Relaxation: Teach kids to tense and then release each muscle group to relax their body.
  16. 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding Exercise: Help the child name five things they see, four they can touch, three they can hear, two they can smell, and one they can taste. This can help to re-set when feeling dysregulated.
  17. Puppet Play: Use puppets to role-play difficult situations, allowing kids to practice managing emotions and making choices.
  18. Visual Timer: Use a timer to help with transitions; knowing how much time is left can help a child manage emotions during transitions. There are loads of free apps for visual timers, so find one your kid is motivated by!
  19. Sensory Play: Engage in activities like playdough, slime, or kinetic sand, which can help calm and center a child.
  20. Create a “Feelings Toolbox”: Put together a box with calming items like a favorite stuffed animal, worry stone, or small blanket that they can use when they need to self-regulate.