I don’t know about you, but my boys are obsessed with the phone and tablet. They request to use it any chance they get. I know a lot of recent articles and research out there regarding electronic devices and young children discuss the dangers of it. While I don’t condone using electronic devices constantly, they do have their place and can be beneficial for young children when used in moderation.
Two of the biggest qualms I have with the use of electronic devices regarding the sensory development of young children are:
- The blue light in electronic devices can have a stimulatory effect on young children. When used excessively they can lead to aggressive behaviors when taken away due to the fact that the blue light has overstimulated the child’s visual sensory system.
- The excessive use of electronic devices for long periods of time can take away from the multisensory experiences that young children are exposed to. Electronic devices do stimulate the visual system, however, they tend to lack activities involving the other senses. Therefore, I recommend that electronic devices be used for no more than 30-45 minutes at a time (less is more). Remember we want our children’s sensory experiences to be well rounded using all the senses.
That being said I do let my own kids use electronic devices. I try to only use the electronic devices during certain times like if we are running an errand that will take longer than usual or if we are eating out at a restaurant to keep their attention and keep them seated. Usually during these instances my children utilize my phone or my husbands; they are convenient and honestly the phones are always on us, so we never forget them. My children do not have their own tablets, and I think this helps to limit the electronic use to only certain occasions or times of day. I also use the tablet during my clinical practice as an occupational therapist and I have to say all the children absolutely love the sessions when I do bring it. In this day and age it’s inevitable that your children will at some point have interest in or access to electronic devices and it’s not always a bad thing.
There are several educational and therapeutic apps out there that are designed specifically for children with sensory processing difficulties. Here are my Top 5 List of Sensory Regulation Apps to help kids calm down and stay regulated.
- Fluidity: I absolutely love this app! It’s basically like a lava lamp for your phone. As you swipe your finger across the screen it causes ripple effects and it changes colors as it moves as well. Even if you don’t touch the screen the “liquid” on the screen continues to passively move like a lava lamp. I use this app all the time both at work and at home with my own kids. It’s exactly like having one of those sensory calm down bottles on your phone.
- Bubbles: Who doesn’t like popping bubbles? You can either passively watch the bubbles float across the screen or you can use your finger to pop them. This activity keeps little hands and fingers busy, and the slow moving bubbles are rather calming. This app is another go to if we are out and about and I need to keep my little guys occupied. It’s similar to having a fidget to keep those little hands busy.
- Pocket Pond: This one is another one of my favorites. It’s a koi pond for your phone or tablet. You can poke and drag your finger across the water to watch it ripple. You can also add fish to your pond and you can feed them. Overall, the app is calming and relaxing, as well as, engaging enough to keep little hands busy.
- Chill Outz: This app is a sensory strategy teaching app. It features 5 different kid friendly characters with corresponding videos for each to teach sensory strategies and how to use them appropriately to self regulate. Each video is about 2-3 minutes in length and teach strategies such as humming (the story of buzzy the bee), deep breathing (the story of panicky penguin), shoulder shrugging (the story of timid turtle) and more. The stories are cute and appropriate to teach young preschoolers beginning sensory strategies to self regulate and calm their bodies.
- Calm Counter: This is a simple, but effective app to help children calm down. It features simple graphics helping young children let you know they need a sensory break. Once clicked, the app begins a simple countdown from 10 to 1 featuring corresponding emotions working from mad/upset to happy/calm. When you make it through the countdown it then instructs you to do some deep breathing to further calm your child. I like this app because it is so simple to use even my youngest preschoolers can use it to begin to understand and learn how to take a sensory break.
28 thoughts on “Top 5 Sensory Regulation Apps to Help Kids Calm Down”
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