Exercise 4: Five Senses Grounding Game (For After Meltdowns or Overload)

What It Is:
A simple sensory activity that brings your child’s focus back to the world around them, one sense at a time.

Why It Works:
Strong emotions like fear or panic pull kids into the future or the past. This exercise roots them in the now by activating sensory brain circuits — reducing anxiety and bringing down emotional intensity.

How To Teach It (During Calm Times):

Say, “Let’s play What’s Around Me!”
Take turns naming:
- 5 things you can SEE
- 4 things you can TOUCH
- 3 things you can HEAR
- 2 things you can SMELL
- 1 thing you can TASTE

When To Use It:

After tantrums or meltdowns
In noisy or crowded environments
During anxious moments

Practice Playfully:
Use it on a walk or during dinner. Turn it into a scavenger hunt: “Let’s each find 5 red things we can see!” You can make it a sibling game: “Can you find something that smells sweet faster than your brother?”

Creative Prompt:
Draw or color one thing you saw, touched, or heard that made you feel calm.