How to Create a Highly Sensitive Kids Survival Kit
Making a survival kit for your highly sensitive child can make all the difference to how your child copes with challenges. Comfort, reassurance and safety. Three things that highly sensitive children thrive on. And you can provide them with all three with a survival kit. When a highly sensitive child’s sensory needs are met they can more easily face challenges, new places or meet new people. Thankfully, creating an effective survival kit for your highly sensitive child is easy.
A Highly Sensitive Survival Kit is All About Sensory Comfort
Think about the overwhelm your child faces when you are out and about. Think about how your highly sensitive child reacts in different situations. Consider the different senses.
Do they have an issue with noise?
Are lights or the sun too bright?
Are they often cold? Or too warm?
Is hunger or thirst common when you go somewhere?
Do they need quiet time? To escape somewhere?
Do they (need to) fidget?
Snacks and Drink
We all get hangry sometimes and it’s not a fun state to be in. If a child is hungry or thirsty they will not be able to cope with much else around them.
Make sure you put snack and a drink in their survival kit. Packing a beaker is a great idea because you can simply refill it whilst you are out and about.
Clothing
What does your highly sensitive child feel most comfortable in? If your highly sensitive child says an item of clothing feels itchy or too tight then that is how it feels. Comfort is important.
In summer dress in layers so that a child can more easily cool down by shedding a layer of clothing.
Hoodies and Sweaters
If your child feels the cold then put a sweater in a bag for them. My three sons all love wearing hoodies. The hood gives them a sense of being tucked away, cocooned in safety.
Hoods shield against noise. And provide warmth and safety.
In short, hoodies are a great item to have in a highly sensitive child’s survival kit.
Winter Woolies
If your child feels the cold then pack away the winter woolies in a bag. Gloves, hat and scarf. Your child may not want them when you leave the house, but an hour later they may thank you for bringing them with you.
Favourite Comfort Item
A favourite cuddly toy or a beloved blanket is a must in a highly sensitive survival kit.
A tired, overwhelmed highly sensitive child will ultimately reach out for the item that gives them the most comfort.
Fidget Toys
A child that gets restless or fidgety when uncomfortable could benefit from fidget toys in their survival kit. This is particularly true when a child is expected to sit still and remain quiet – watching a sibling’s recital for example.
Consider items such as a fidget spinner, a Tangle (a favourite in our house), a stress ball or squishies.
Bucket Emptying Tools
When your child needs to retreat and empty their bucket, make sure you have a tool in the survival kit to help them do this. Ideas include:
- a journal
- a reading book
- sketch book and crayons
- colouring book and pencils
Visual Overload
If your child has an issue with bright lights or bright sunshine then sunglasses are an obvious part of their survival kit.
A baseball cap may also do the trick and will stand out less inside or outside of the summer season.
Reducing Noise
Noise is a common source of overwhelm for highly sensitive children. Headphones as part of their survival kit will help tremendously. Consider either noise reducing headphones, or earphones so they can listen to music, a meditation story or an audio book.
Highly Sensitive Survival Kit Poster Download
If you want to download a copy of the Happy Sensitive Kids Survival Kit as a visual reminder then click on one of the links below. The poster is available with a red, green or pink background
