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Creating a Calm and Safe Environment for Your Child: 5 Top Tips

Rhyd ColeApril 1, 2025April 10th, 20252 min read

Creating a calm and safe environment that is used at regular intervals throughout the day can help someone reduce their feelings of sensory and emotional overload. Feeling calm and safe can help to reduce high cortisol levels in the body, leading to a decrease in anxiety as well as angry and self-destructive behaviours.

Find a quiet space

  • Choose a spot away from windows and doors, such as a corner of a room, behind furniture, or under a bed. This could be a bedroom or another room that won’t be used by others for a set amount of time. Ensure it’s a quiet area by reducing environmental noise. Consider using ear defenders, in-ear noise-reducing earplugs, or allowing your child to listen to their favourite music or sounds through headphones.

Adjust Lighting

  • Reduce lighting by closing curtains and using dimmed or colored bulbs. Create a tent (blackout tents work well) or use a sheet/blanket over furniture to make a makeshift tent. A bed tent can also be effective.

Make It Comfortable

  • Place blankets, quilts, and cushions in the space to make it cozy. Use favorite textures and colors to make the space more inviting. A beanbag can provide support and additional calming sensory feedback. Consider using weighted cushions or equipment like a shoulder wrap or lap pad, which can be sourced from sensory equipment suppliers.

Use Calming Apps

  • Utilise a tablet/iPad or other devices with calming apps in the space. Apps like Fluidity, which allows users to create beautiful colours and shapes by touching and swiping the screen, or Heat Pad, which reacts to touch with different sequences of colours and shapes, can be very soothing. More information can be found here and here. Relaxing sound videos are also available on YouTube.

Use a Visual Schedule

  • Implement a visual daily schedule and tick off activities or tasks as they are completed. Provide regular reminders and verbal prompts before an activity ends (e.g., 15 minutes, 10 minutes, and 5 minutes). Use a countdown clock or timer to help prepare for transitions to the next activity.