A Bucket of Bubbles: Calming Tools for a Highly Sensitive Child
A bucket and some bubbles – the perfect calming tools for children. Simple. Cheap. And a highly effective bucket emptier. Tip From Sensory Integration Therapist At one point we were busy with a sensory integration (SI) therapist to learn some tools that would help bring some calm to a busy little mind and body. One…
A bucket and some bubbles – the perfect calming tools for children. Simple. Cheap. And a highly effective bucket emptier.
Tip From Sensory Integration Therapist
At one point we were busy with a sensory integration (SI) therapist to learn some tools that would help bring some calm to a busy little mind and body. One of the things that stuck as a calming tool is the ‘bucket of bubbles’. It is something that worked well for my eldest – at least for a little while.
What You Need
You need a bucket with some water and a few drops of washing-up liquid squeezed into it.
Hand over a long straw to your HSC (mine was given the longest straw I have ever seen by the SI therapist at the time but I have no idea where it came from). We simply made a long straw ourselves by fitting five or six regular sized straws into each other.
Put the straw in the bucket and then ask your child to blow through the straw.
Why A Bucket of Bubbles Works so Well as a Calming Tool
The idea is to fill (and if you don’t mind the mess then even overflow) the bucket with bubbles. But in a calm, gentle manner, with the focus on long, calm breaths out in to the straw.
If your child is bright red and panting for breath it’s not going well……
Bubbles and a bucket – great calming tools for children because it helps reset focus and children concentrate on their breathing..
Also a great tool to get a child to shake off the day, calm down in the process and clear out their head.
Try it as an after school activity, or at lunchtime if your children come home for lunch like mine used to.
The bucket of bubbles works well at any point when you can see your child heading for Angerland or the Land of Frustration…….
Tip: There are lots more bucket emptying ideas in the Happy Sensitive Kids book “101 Ways to Help Your Highly Sensitive Child Empty Their Bucket“
Over to You
Have you tried this in your home? What other calming tools do you use to avoid a meltdown?
Bubbles…… who doesn’t like bubbles?? #mysundayphoto
Exactly! Bubbles are always popular 🙂
What are they drinking? Clio lending a helping hand for Coombe Mill
Great idea… I haven’t done that but my kids love bubbles. They love to blow them and the love to chase them. I’ve found that Playdough does the trick around here. I just really don’t enjoy spending the better part of the evening cleaning it up and picking out tiny bits off the carpet. Good for them, not me.
I’m sure you have nothing better to do in the evenings than scraping up Playdough from carpets…..a parent’s favourite pastime surely?….. 😉 Have you tried Kinetic sand? That is a less messy because it sticks to itself so is easier to clean up but lovely to play with.
Not yet. I should! I have tried moon sand. Is that the same thing? Cause cleaning up moon sand makes cleaning up play dough fun! When the want to play with that stuff I set up a table outside (it does feel great though and I end up playing more than they do!).
So kinetic sand is next on my list!
Bubbles you really can’t beat them
Thank you for linking up
I havent but this is nice to try! #mysundayphoto
Can’t wait to try this
Definitely worth a try – and whatever the result they have great fun!
Nice! Another thing that has worked wonders for my 4 year old son is a “sensory bin” I call “rice and beans” which is a giant tupperware bin filled about 1/4 of the way up with dried rice and beans. For some reason he loves to play cars, planes, just about anything in there. 🙂
I did something similar with my eldest with rice, pasta and lentils but haven’t done the same with my two youngest – I should give it a try! Thanks for sharing 🙂