😴 Down-Regulation Activities for All Children
Discover research-backed techniques to help children regulate emotions, reduce anxiety, and refocus in the classroom.
👋 Welcome to SEMH Education!
Every week, I share insights, strategies, and tips from my experience working with children and professionals on social, emotional, and mental health in education. This week, we’re exploring down-regulation activities and how to implement them effectively and appropriately in your setting!
🤷 What Are They? 🤔
Down-regulation activities help children transition from high-energy, anxious, or dysregulated states into calm, focused, and learning-ready states.
These activities are useful for all pupils, and particularly beneficial for children with SEMH needs, ADHD, Autism, or sensory processing differences, as they support emotional regulation, impulse control, and overall well-being.
🧑🏫 Own Experience
I’ve used these in my previous settings with amazing impact. I was initially very conscious of taking up 5 or 10 minutes of a lesson to implement what essentially felt like a game.
However, I quickly learnt that sacrificing 5 or 10 minutes of a lesson actually gained me the remainder of the lesson and/or days of learning with minimal disruptions.
They really do work, and I would encourage everyone to implement one activity where appropriate.
I found these activities were best placed after a PE lesson, science experiment lesson, debate lesson etc - basically any lesson that was more active (physically or mentally) than the typical lessons. It’s a great way to ground children and refocus them on the task at hand.
Which activity will you use? Let me know in the comments!
💆Down-Regulation Activities
In this post, I will be outlining multiple down-regulation activities you may be able to use in your setting. I’ve worked in both mainstream and specialist settings therefore some of these activities may require some specialist resources. I have tried to be mindful of this and provided different options for each activity.
I know there are some of you out there who really appreciate the literature behind the technique too! So I’ve included journal articles that reference each technique.
This is NOT an exhaustive list so please feel free to comment any activities you use that I haven’t mentioned!
🫂Deep Pressure & Proprioceptive Input
Deep pressure activities provide calming sensory input, helping children feel more grounded and in control. These activities work particularly well for children who struggle with hyperactivity, anxiety, or sensory overload.
✔️ Weighted items (lap pads, weighted blankets, or vests).
✔️ Firm self-hugs or "bear hugs" from a trusted adult.
✔️ Pushing or pulling activities (wall push-ups, resistance bands, chair push-ups).
✔️ Carrying or stacking weighted objects (books, bean bags).
✔️ Gentle compression (tight squeezes on arms or legs, Lycra body socks).
🔎 Why it works: Deep pressure input activates the parasympathetic nervous system, reducing stress and promoting relaxation (Ayres, 2005).
🧑🏫 Own Experience: Weighted blankets are amazing! Ask a child to carry back the heavy PE equipment from the playground to the store cupboard then provide them with a weighted blanket to put over their legs at their desk. It really works!
Resistance bands strapped to chair legs also work a treat!
🫁Slow, Rhythmic Breathing
Breathing exercises are one of the simplest yet most effective ways to down-regulate. Slowing the breath can decrease heart rate, lower cortisol levels, and help children regain control of their emotions.
✔️ 4-7-8 breathing (Inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 7, exhale for 8).
✔️ Belly breathing (Place a hand on the stomach and breathe deeply).
✔️ Box breathing (Inhale for 4, hold for 4, exhale for 4, hold for 4).
✔️ Bubble breathing (Slow exhale as if blowing a bubble).
✔️ Humming breath (Inhale deeply, then exhale with a humming sound).
🔎 Why it works: Slow, controlled breathing stimulates the vagus nerve, helping to regulate emotions and reduce stress (Porges, 2011).
🧑🏫 Own Experience: On the cool-down walk from PE or walk back from the science lesson, practice breathing exercises. It’s hilarious watching all the children breathing in sync and it genuinely relaxes them!
🔁 Gentle, Repetitive Movements
Slow, predictable movement can have a calming effect, helping to reduce agitation and overstimulation. These activities are particularly helpful for children who struggle with emotional dysregulation.
✔️ Rocking gently in a chair or swaying side to side.
✔️ Tracing patterns with fingers (e.g., drawing slow circles or figure eights on a table or in the air).
✔️ Slow marching in place (lifting knees gently and rhythmically).
✔️ Tapping a soft rhythm on legs or arms (e.g., slow drumming motion with fingertips).
✔️ Passing a small weighted object between hands in a steady, controlled motion.
✔️ Rolling a therapy ball or small weighted object over arms or legs for calming sensory input.
✔️ Squeezing and releasing fists slowly (progressive muscle relaxation technique).
✔️ Blowing bubbles with slow, controlled breaths to match the movement of the floating bubbles.
✔️ Using a hand fidget in a repetitive motion (e.g., rolling a stress ball, flipping a smooth stone).
🔎 Why it works: Rhythmic, predictable movement helps regulate the nervous system, making it easier to transition into a calm state (Ratey, 2008).
🧑🏫 Own Experience: If trusted, stress balls or therapy balls are excellent. Something like these have worked well for me in the past!
🕯️Calming Sensory Input
For children who become overwhelmed by sensory stimuli, providing calming sensory experiences can help them self-regulate and return to a focused state.
✔️ Soft textures (stuffed animals, fleece blankets, smooth stones).
✔️ Dim lighting (soft lamps, natural light, avoiding harsh fluorescent lights).
✔️ White noise or nature sounds (ocean waves, rain sounds, slow instrumental music).
✔️ Calming scents from candles (lavender, chamomile, peppermint).
✔️ Gum or chewy snacks (oral sensory input can have a grounding effect).
🔎 Why it works: Sensory modulation helps regulate arousal levels and reduce feelings of overstimulation (Dunn, 1999).
🧑🏫 Own Experience: If you’ve not got a sensory box, corner or classroom in your setting yet then I’d definitely think about creating one!
Start with a small box of sensory resources and build up to a sensory corner. I’d combine the reading and sensory corner into one space.
I’ve always had a writing playlist on Spotify full of calming songs with no lyrics. For younger children, the music from Minecraft is actually quite calming and it’s something they will already know!
Grounding and Mindfulness Techniques
Grounding techniques help children shift focus away from distressing emotions and bring them back to the present moment. These are particularly useful for children experiencing anxiety, frustration, or sensory overload.
✔️ 5-4-3-2-1 technique (Name 5 things you see, 4 you touch, 3 you hear, 2 you smell, 1 you taste).
✔️ Body scanning (Slowly notice and relax each part of the body from head to toe).
✔️ Holding a grounding object (smooth stone, textured fabric, small fidget item).
✔️ Mindful colouring or tracing patterns (mandalas, Zentangle patterns).
✔️ Listening to a guided meditation or storytelling (especially with slow, rhythmic speech).
🔎 Why it works: Grounding techniques provide sensory input and cognitive distraction, reducing stress and increasing emotional regulation (Kabat-Zinn, 1990).
🧑🏫 Own Experience: The 5-4-3-2-1 technique is amazing. I’ve used this with children on school trips before who were becoming anxious. Having a drawer full of colouring pages is a good idea too. Allowing children to access these as and when needed can help maintain their focus.
For those children who genuinely needed it, I would allow them to have a colouring page and pencils at their desks at all times. You might be thinking the children would choose to colour over completing their work and you’d be right - initially!
Once the novelty has worn off, and given that you’ve got a good relationship with the pupils in your class already, I guarantee that children will be more productive and less disruptive with this in place. If they need a break, they no longer distract others, they do a couple of minutes of colouring. If they finish early and are waiting for a teacher to check their work, they can colour until a teacher arrives.
🤝 Low-Stimulation Social Connection
While social interaction can be energizing, some forms of connection can also have a calming effect. Quiet, predictable interactions help children feel safe and regulated.
✔️ Silent buddy reading (reading with a friend without talking).
✔️ Gentle partner activities (slow back-and-forth ball rolling, mirroring movements).
✔️ Whispered conversations or storytelling (low-volume interactions).
✔️ Co-regulation strategies (a calm, regulated adult modelling slow breathing).
✔️ Restorative conversations (structured discussions using a quiet, predictable tone).
🔎 Why it works: Safe, low-pressure social engagement increases oxytocin, reducing stress and promoting calmness (Lieberman, 2013).
🧑🏫 Own Experience: Silent reading is a classic and it works, personally I believe that it’s also got something to do with everyone mirroring each others body language although I can’t find any research on this!
Restorative conversations are great too! They really help you unpick what happened and why, which gives you the tools to prevent further incidents.
🎒Primary vs Secondary Settings 🏫
The effectiveness of down-regulation activities can depend on the setting and developmental stage. Having taught in both settings, this is my overall take on the Primary and Secondary divide:
🎒Primary Schools: Younger children often benefit from sensory-based calming activities, such as deep pressure, rhythmic movement, and grounding techniques. Playful elements (e.g., slow rocking with a stuffed animal, and mindful colouring) can help maintain engagement.
🏫Secondary Schools: Older children may prefer more structured techniques, such as mindful breathing or colouring, therapy balls, or having independent access to a sensory room. Activities should be adapted to be age-appropriate, ensuring children don’t feel self-conscious about engaging in regulation strategies.
Opportunities to Implement Down-Regulation Activities in the Classroom
Now you’ve got the ideas, when on earth can you implement them? I’ve given some ideas within the post but I’ve outlined the key times and places I would target initially.
💡 End-of-Day Wind-Down – Use slow breathing, gentle movement or colouring activities at the end of the school day.
💡 Post-High-Energy Activity– This helps children settle after break time or P.E. with grounding exercises.
💡 De-escalation Strategy – Offer calming activities when children show signs of frustration or anxiety.
💡 Child Choice – Provide a menu of down-regulation activities so children can select what works best for them.
📝 Conclusion & Key Takeaways
Here we are then, down-regulation activities are a simple yet powerful tool for creating a calm and focused learning environment. By incorporating strategies like deep pressure input, slow breathing, rhythmic movement, sensory-based calming techniques, and grounding exercises, you can help children regulate their emotions and maintain engagement.
These activities are particularly beneficial for pupils with SEMH needs, ADHD, Autism, and sensory processing differences, but can support all students in managing transitions and reducing disruptions. The key is to find what works best for your setting. Whether it’s a quick breathing exercise after P.E., a sensory corner for independent regulation, or a structured wind-down at the end of the day. Start small, be consistent, and observe the impact on behaviour and learning.
If you’ve found this useful, don’t forget to share it with a colleague and subscribe for next week’s post on Up-Regulation Activities! 🚀
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