Helping Young Children Regulate Emotions with the Calming Kit
Have you noticed that your students are coming into school more dysregulated than ever? Many young autistic children, especially non-speaking preschoolers, struggle with regulating emotions in new or overstimulating environments. That’s why having a Calming Kit in your Calming Corner or at home can be a game-changer for self-regulation and emotional regulation.
If you are an educator or therapist, you have likely relied on co-regulation techniques more than ever to support your students. If you are a parent, you may be wondering how to help your child regulate their emotions at home. The good news is that this Calming Kit provides visual supports, sensory strategies, and structured tools to guide young children toward self-regulation.
Building Self-Regulation with Visual Supports
For many 3- and 4-year-old non-speaking autistic children, self-regulation can be particularly challenging. Teaching deep breathing as a calming strategy can feel difficult if a child doesn’t yet understand verbal directions. That’s where blowing activities come in!
This Calming Kit includes visual cue cards and ideas to encourage blowing pinwheels, dandelions, bubbles, and candles—all of which help children take deep breaths naturally. These sensory-friendly activities provide a foundation for self-regulation and make calming techniques more accessible for young learners.
Predictable Routines Lead to Self-Regulation
The visual supports in this kit are designed to help build predictable routines, which is key for developing self-regulation skills. Over time, these routines help children transition from relying on co-regulation (support from an adult) to independently using self-regulation strategies when they need them.
Better yet, the visuals are editable, meaning you can personalize them with pictures of your child or students, or use familiar characters they love. This makes the tools more meaningful and increases engagement.
What’s Included in the Calming Kit?
- Full-size “I Feel” and “I Need” visuals – Includes 12 basic feelings and 36 choice cards, plus an editable page to add custom images.
- Blowing Activity Cue Cards – Real pictures and visuals to encourage deep breathing through blowing activities.
- Breathing Technique Cue Cards – Includes buzzy bee breaths, snake breathing, dragon breathing, and smell-the-flower-blow-out-the-candle.
- Editable Cue Cards – Customize for individual student needs.
- Multiple Calming Kit Cover Options – Choose from different designs or insert your own images.
- Small & Medium “I Feel – I Need” Cards – Handy cue cards to support self-regulation on the go.
- Calming Sequences – Step-by-step guides with editable versions to create personalized strategies.
- Visual Cue Cards for “Blow 5 Times” & “Take 5 Deep Breaths” – Includes editable options.
Make Emotional Regulation Easier with Visuals
This Calming Kit is an essential tool if you are looking for effective, research-based strategies to help young autistic learners regulate their emotions. Whether used in the classroom, therapy sessions, or at home, these sensory-friendly visuals provide the structure children need to learn self-regulation skills.
Want more? Download my free Visual Supports Starter Set to get started with additional resources!
Also, check out these related products:
- Preschool Self-Regulation Activities for Little Learners
- Visual Schedule for Special Education and Autism
- Home Visual Schedule for Autism & Special Education
- Visual Communication Book for Non-Verbal & Non-Speaking Autism (PECS icons)
Supporting emotional regulation in young children doesn’t have to be overwhelming. With the right tools in place, we can help our little learners thrive!
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