Feel It to Heal It: 4 Sensory Tools to Help Kids Feel Safe Inside

Julie Barris | Crisis Counselor | Therapist-in-Training
May 23
3 min read

Sensory tools that help kids feel safe can create calm in moments of overwhelm, offering comfort through touch, sound, smell, and movement. When used with care, they can turn scary feelings into manageable ones, giving children the power to understand and regulate their emotions.

Feel It to Heal It: 4 Sensory Tools to Help Kids Feel Safe Inside

When kids go through scary or hard things, their brains and bodies can feel like they’re always on high alert—even when nothing bad is happening. Loud noises, big feelings, or sudden changes might make them want to run, hide, or explode. That’s not bad behavior—it’s the body trying to protect itself.

The good news? There are ways to help kids feel safer, calmer, and more in control. These simple sensory tools don’t just make kids “behave”—they help them heal.

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Here are four kid-friendly strategies that use the five senses to build comfort, calm, and confidence:

1. Peel the Anger Onion

Anger is like an onion—it has layers. When kids feel mad, they might also be feeling hurt, scared, or left out underneath. Drawing or imagining an “anger onion” helps them explore what’s hiding inside their big feelings.

Try this: Draw an onion with layers labeled: "mad," "frustrated," "sad," "scared," "lonely," etc. When a child is upset, sit together and gently ask: What’s under your mad today? Let them color or point to how they feel. This helps them name their emotions—and naming them is the first step to calming them.

2. Make a Worry Box

Kids with trauma often hold a lot of worries inside. A Worry Box is a safe place where they can “put away” those fears for a little while. It teaches them that worries don’t have to stay stuck in their heads.

Try this: Let the child decorate a small box or jar. When a worry pops up, they can write it down (or draw it) and put it inside. You might say: We can visit those worries later, but for now, they’re safe in the box. Over time, this gives kids power over their thoughts—and shows them they don’t have to carry everything alone.

3. Collect a Calming or Bored Bag

Some kids need extra comfort when they’re bored, waiting, or feeling “too much.” A calming bag filled with sensory tools can help them settle, fidget safely, or just feel okay when things around them don’t.

Try this: Use a lunchbox or pencil case and fill it with cozy or fun items: a soft fabric scrap, a squishy toy, a fidget spinner, noise-canceling headphones, a feather, a scented sticker, or a mini picture book. Invite them to use it whenever their body feels buzzy, bored, or blah.

4. Belly Breathing: Your Superpower Tool

Belly breathing is like a superhero move for your nervous system. It helps kids feel calmer from the inside out—especially when they’ve learned the world isn’t always safe.

Try this: Have the child lie down with a stuffed animal on their belly. As they breathe in slowly through their nose, the stuffed animal rises. As they breathe out through their mouth, it falls. You can say, Let’s help your teddy go on a little ride. Just one minute of this can help slow their heart rate and make their brain feel safer.

These sensory tools help kids feel like they matter—and that their feelings make sense. For children with trauma, they’re not just calming tricks—they’re invitations to feel safe, seen, and supported.