Supporting Your Child’s Emotional World

The way you love, notice, and respond to your child matters.

If you're on a waitlist for occupational therapy, it can feel like you're standing still while your child’s needs continue to grow. Maybe your child is having daily meltdowns, avoids certain activities, or can't explain why they’re upset. Maybe you're exhausted, overwhelmed, or unsure of what to try next. We want you to know: you are not powerless.

At Little Peaks OT, we see parents as essential co-regulators and partners in their child’s growth. While you wait for formal therapy to begin, there are meaningful strategies you can use to support your child emotionally, build awareness, and reduce stress in your daily life.

This blog will explore:

• How to support emotional development through co-regulation

• How to modify your child’s environment for sensory safety

• Understanding interoception and emotional awareness

• How to teach emotional recognition

• Regulation programs you can begin exploring (e.g., Zones of Regulation, Alert Program)

• Tips to build connection and confidence in the process

Modify the Environment to Support Sensory Needs

Your child’s external environment affects their internal state. Making a few changes to your home or routines can have a huge impact on their ability to stay regulated. Below are some examples of how you may be able to modify your child's environment to limit their sensory overwhelm. Work with your child to create a sensory toolkit - they may or may not shed some insight into activities, items, or spaces that help them feel safe, calm, and regulated.

Lighting	Sound	Smells
Use soft, natural light where possible Avoid flickering fluorescent bulbs Try lamps or warm-tone lights in quiet spaces	Use noise-canceling headphones for loud outings Create quiet zones at home Try calming background sounds (e.g., white noise or nature sounds)	Keep strong scents (cleaners, perfumes, candles) to a minimum if your child is smell-sensitive Use calming essential oils like lavender (if tolerated)
Touch / Tactile Input	Movement (Vestibular)	Heavy Work (Proprioception)
Remove itchy tags or uncomfortable clothes Offer tactile fidget toys, playdough, or soft blankets Provide access to messy play if they seek touch (e.g., sand, water, mud)	Include time to bounce, swing, spin (safely), or crawl through tunnels Use sit-and-spin toys, mini trampolines, or scooter boards	Encourage pushing, pulling, lifting, and carrying (e.g., moving laundry baskets, climbing, animal walks) This kind of “deep pressure” helps calm the nervous system

Start Supporting With Co-Regulation: Connection Before Correction

Before a child can self-regulate, they must be co-regulated. That means we—parents, carers, teachers—help them return to calm through:

• A calm tone of voice

• Regulated breathing

• Empathy and validation

• Gentle presence, without rushing to fix or find solutions

Try saying:“That was a big feeling. I’m here with you. Let’s breathe together.”

Remember: A dys-regulated adult cannot regulate a dys-regulated child. Start with your own calm, even if it means taking a moment for yourself first.

What Is Interoception – And Why Does It Matter?

Interoception is the sense that tells us what’s happening inside our body—like feeling hunger, needing the toilet, having a racing heart, or feeling “butterflies” in our tummy. Children with neurodivergence (especially autism, ADHD, and trauma) may struggle to notice or interpret these signals. This affects their ability to:

• Know when they’re anxious or angry

• Recognise when they’re tired, hungry, or in pain

• Respond appropriately to internal discomfort

Why it matters: If your child doesn’t notice what’s going on in their body, it’s very hard for them to label emotions or regulate them. Many children with neurological differences experience interoceptive differences, which may look like:

Under-responsiveness:

• Doesn’t notice when hungry, thirsty, or full

• Won’t realise they need the toilet until it’s urgent or too late

• Doesn’t recognise when they’re tired or sick

• Appears “emotionally flat” or disconnected from their feelings

• Doesn't notice pain (e.g., injury without reacting)

Over-responsiveness:

• Hyper-aware of every internal sensation (e.g., “my tummy feels weird” becomes distressing)

• May interpret normal sensations as pain or danger

• Anxiety about illness or body changes (health anxiety)

• May become overwhelmed or fixated on internal discomfort

Difficulty linking body signals with emotions:

• Can't explain why they’re upset (“I don’t know why I’m crying!”)

• Struggles to connect a racing heart with feeling anxious or scared

• Doesn’t realise that being tired or hungry is making them grumpy or tearful

To Help Your Child Strengthen Their Interoception, Start Small

You may use questions like,

• “Is your heart going fast or slow right now?”

• “What’s your tummy saying?”

• “Are your muscles tight or floppy?”

• "Is your body fast or slow?"... "I can see your hands fidgeting and leg bouncing up and down." You can draw attention to physical cues before you label the emotion.

Interoception and Emotional Recognition

You can’t regulate an emotion you don’t recognise. That’s where interoception comes in.

For example: If a child notices their fists are clenched, their jaw is tight, and their heart is pounding, they can learn to connect those sensations to “I feel angry”—and then use a calming strategy. But without that awareness, it may just feel confusing, scary, or overwhelming—and lead to reactive behaviour.

You May Wish to Create a “Body Clues” Chart

Together, make a simple chart showing how their body feels during different emotions:

Emotion	Body Clues
Angry	Tight fists, hot face, fast breath
Sad	Droopy shoulders, teary eyes
Happy	Light tummy, smiles, bouncy
Anxious	Tummy ache, heart racing, fidgety
Tired	Yawning, heavy body, slow moves

This helps build a language for feelings—something many neurodivergent kids struggle with.

Use Programs Like the Interoception Curriculum (by Kelly Mahler)

Teaching Emotional Recognition – Where to Begin

Understanding emotions is a skill that’s learned over time. Many children (especially those with communication or processing differences) need concrete tools and lots of practice.

Use Visuals

• Emotion faces charts

• “Zones of Regulation” visuals (colour-coded emotions)

• Mirrors for practicing facial expressions

Other Tools You Can Try Now

• Visual schedules and timers

• Breathing cards (e.g., “breathe like a bunny,” “blow out the candle”)

• Emotion check-in boards (“I feel ___ because ___ and I need ___”)

• DIY sensory toolkits (fidget toys, chewy tools, weighted lap pads, etc.)

Name Your Own Feelings

Model emotional language:

“I’m feeling frustrated right now. I’m going to take deep breaths.”“I’m excited—we get to go to the park!”

Use Books, TV & Stories

Point out emotions in characters:

“He looks really disappointed. What do you think happened?”

Keep It Concrete

Use simple language: mad, sad, scared, silly, tired, calm.Match these to physical signs:

“Your face is scrunched up. You’re clenching your fists. That might mean you’re angry.”

Tools & Programs That Teach Self-Regulation

Once a child can recognise what they feel, the next step is teaching how to change or support that state. These programs are used widely in OT and school settings, and many have resources you can begin using at home.

Zones of Regulation

• Teaches children to categorise their feelings into colour-coded zones (e.g., red = angry, blue = tired)

• Builds self-awareness and introduces tools for each zone (e.g., movement, calming strategies)

• Highly visual, structured, and great for school-aged children

🔗 https://www.zonesofregulation.com

Alert Program – “How Does Your Engine Run?”

• Helps children understand their arousal levels using car metaphors (high, low, or just right)

• Teaches sensory strategies to change “engine speed”

• Especially helpful for children with sensory modulation challenges

🔗 https://alertprogram.com

Interoception Curriculum (by Kelly Mahler)

• Builds awareness of internal body cues (like hunger, heart rate, toileting)

• Excellent for children who struggle to connect physical sensations with emotions

🔗 https://www.kelly-mahler.com

Don’t Forget: Emotional Development Happens in Relationship

Above all, emotional regulation is not learned in isolation. Children learn how to feel safe and regulate through connection with a trusted adult.

Here’s what helps most:

• Daily 1:1 play time (even just 10–15 mins)

• Shared regulation (e.g., breathing together, cuddling)

• Gentle, predictable routines

• Empathy over punishment

It's incredibly important to note:

• You are not failing.

• Your child isn’t bad.

• Their behaviour is communication.

• And with time, support, and connection—you will both grow.

While You Wait, You’re Already Helping

Even before OT services begin, the way you love, notice, and respond to your child matters. You’re already supporting their development in powerful ways:

• By adapting their environment

• By learning to name emotions together

• By holding space when they lose control

• By seeing beyond the behaviour to what they truly need

• Little Peaks OT is here for you every step of the way.

Want More Help with Emotional Regulation?

Little Peaks OT is here to help support children and families with practical, sensory-informed tools to build emotional awareness and regulation.

• 1:1 emotional regulation support using programs like Zones of Regulation, The Alert Program, and Interoception

• Parent coaching to support co-regulation at home

• Visuals and tools like emotion charts and calm-down strategies

• Support for educators to create consistent strategies across settings

Looking for something more?

Let us know if you'd like:

• A printable emotion chart

• A visual “Zones” check-in tool

• A DIY sensory break menu

• Parent handouts or workshop invites

Contact us to learn how we can support your child’s emotional wellbeing—at home, school, and beyond.

📧 admin@littlepeaksot.com.au| 🌐 www.LittlePeaksOT.com.au | 📍 Telehealth Supports Available