10 Gifts To Calm Highly Sensitive Children

Looking for calming gifts for children? Highly sensitive children need to build quiet time in to their day, particular on those busy days. There are many ways to help a child (or their highly sensitive parent) restore a little calm. So why not encourage that with your gifts? Here are ten perfect calming gifts ideas to get you started.

Books for Children

Books are miracle workers if you have an enthusiastic reader in house. Even for those more reluctant readers books can work wonders. Make a cosy corner, a reading nook or sit regularly with your child for story time.

I can not reiterate how far the very act of sitting and reading with a child is calming. So books are always good!

Check out these book lists:

9 book tips perfect for highly sensitive children

The Top 10 Happy Sensitive Kids Community Books

18 Perfect Books for Highly Sensitive Children

If your child is restless or overwhelmed in the evenings, whilst processing their day, I highly recommend the Relax Kids series of meditation story books. They work wonders to calm a child and clear their mind to help them sleep better. Many of the stories are familiar to children (but have a Relax Kids twist). The books are for a range of ages from 4 to 12 years. This series has been a firm favourite in our house.

CDs and Audio Books

There are lots of relaxation CDs around for both adults and children so it’s worth shopping around to find something that fits.

For us, the Relax Kids series has been a huge hit and I can personally vouch for it working a treat for tired mothers should they be listening along with their child……

Bedtime Meditations for Kids by Christiane Kerr is also a firm favourite.

Audio CDs of your children’s favourite books are also a great idea for gifts. Mine love listening to Harry Potter, the Storey Treehouse series and the David Walliams collection at bedtime for example.

Lava Lamp

There’s something very mesmerising about watching lava lamps (as well as quite retro – my parents had one in the 1970s…) and that’s no exception for children.

We bought a Mathos Lava Lamp for our son years ago. He uses it still every night and it’s still going strong.

Play Doh

Play doh is a great sensory tool. It’s incredibly soothing to play with, it’s a creative outlet and you just never know what your child will make. There are a billion sets out there, so you are sure to find something that matches your child’s interests.

Journals

Writing down thoughts, experiences and feelings helps process them. For both children and adults journaling can help instil calm in a busy mind. After a busy day in particular, asking your child to write down their experiences can help them process and understand their day. This relates to both positive and negative experiences.

The world is full of beautiful books for kids to fill with words, so you are spoiled for choice.

The Big Life Journal journals and tools  are also excellent ways to connect with your children and they help foster a growth mindset and have prompts and direct questions to get your child thinking about how they are feeling and how they maybe could have handled things different, for example.

Sensory Swing

The rocking effect of a sensory swing is calming for children, reduces anxiety and can help with sleep issues. And just as important – they are lots of fun too! Check out Sensory Harbor for indoor and outdoor sensory swings, as well as pod swings. Use Discount Code HAPPY10 for 10% off your purchase at Sensory Harbor.

MP3 player and Headphones

One of the things that is guaranteed to relax my sons is listening to his mp3 player with his headphones on, whilst lying on his bed.

He has a very simple player but there’s so much choice out there depending on the age of the child you are buying for. MP3 players have restored the peace in our home on many an occasion! Don’t forget the headphones!

Weighted Blanket

Weighted blankets are all the rage and the stories are positive if you want to help calm a highly sensitive child. And the good news is that these aren’t just great gift ideas for kids, but adults too. Put one on your wish list!

Read all about the benefits of weighted blankets in this post: 3 Reasons to Consider a Weighted Blanket if You Are Highly Sensitive 

Kinetic Sand

We bought kinetic sand for my sons one Christmas. It was a real hit. From my youngest to my oldest it had a calming effect.

You can get lots of accessories or tables for the sand too – or just put the sand on a table and let imaginations run wild. And as an added bonus it works wonders for parents too…..

Lego

I’ve saved the best for last. Lego is the number one bucket emptier in our home. Lego works so well for getting a child to focus, to concentrate on something else other than their worries or the busyness of their day.

The effect on my children is astounding and I utter the words, “go play with your Lego” often.

My sons inherited a lot of bricks and sets from their father’s childhood – it must be one of the most long lasting toys on the market! So many friends I speak to say the same thing.

The act of building and creating calms children and of course the other wonderful thing about Lego is that there is a set available that will meet every possible child’s interest that you can imagine! And of course, there are now many sets for adults too.

Tip for More Calming Gifts Ideas

For more calming gifts or bucket emptying ideas get your copy of 101 Ways to Help Your Highly Sensitive Child Empty Their Bucket: Calming Tools During Times of Overwhelm.

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*For your convenience, this post includes affiliate links to products and books I find useful for the HSK community. They cost you nothing more to buy, but I get a small commission.*