This won’t be true for every kid but for most of us climbing into a small space helps for a lot of reasons. One, it cuts down on extra noise and visual overstimulation.

Taking a break from the everyday sights and sounds of the house are a good way to recharge our batteries. Two, small spaces give us a cozy feeling. It’s intimate and it’s “our” little spot.

This helps with body awareness. Knowing where our bodies are in space is calming and organizing to the brain. That’s proprioception!

Making our calm down corner cozy and cuddly wouldn’t be possible without some comfy stuff in them. Using blankets, pillows, stuffed animals, etc. helps us get some excellent tactile input.

Having our favorite cuddlies gives us that light touch that can be extremely calming for some of our cherubs. As well, packing the space full of pillows and things lets a kid squeeze in between them all and get that deep squeeze which can also be very comforting and calming.

Using things like weighted blankets or weighted pillows is an excellent idea to add in here. Tac tile input is lightweight and deep pressure.

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Having fidgets or something to keep busy hands is a great way to connect mind & body and bring yourself into the present. When the hands are busy fidgeting, squeezing, pushing, pulling, etc they are actively using their muscles and getting resistance.

This is another excellent way to get proprioception! Using fidgets like a marble maze, resistance band, squeezy balls, things that provide resistance can connect our brains to our bodies and help us be more self aware.

One step to helping to self regulate. Avoid things that light up and make noise if possible. If there is an object that a kid really likes that does light up and make noise, then that can still work. Just watch their behavior afterwards and if they are not calm, then that is something to consider removing.

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As I said earlier, being in a small space helps reduce visual overstimulation. It’s fine to have pictures and books and cool things to look at in the cozy corner but I would be aware of blinking lights, bright colors, or too many things.

Some kids like these things and remember, these are guidelines not hard fast rules! Sometimes the blinky blinky lights might help some kids calm (Just remember to watch behaviors after they come out). One cool thing to do is to keep flash lights or glow in the dark things.

This helps focus vision and reduce peripheral vision. So the brain only has to concentrate on a smaller funnel to look through. This can be helpful. And it’s fun! Head lamps, finger lights, glow-in-the-dark thingies, and, my personal favorite, the hand crank flashlight. Because then they have to work for it! Think of that as a type of fidget.

We are bombarded by noises all day. Phones, washing machines, dogs, fans, and all the other things that operate both inside and outside the house. Even the chatter of some birds might drive a kid overboard!

Being in the small space can be enough to reduce the noise but you might consider putting in some noise cancelling headphones or even padding the space with more pillows or foam, things like that.

Some kids might like music in their space too. This can be great! I always go for things that have a steady calming rhythm and music with no or few words. Being in the cozy corner is a good spot to listen to stories. Read-alouds can be rhythmic due to the cadence of the reader's voice.

Harmonicas work really well or instruments kids might be able to play can be near or in the space too. Think reducing audio and any audio that is there, keeping it rhythmic.

Now, this can be a tricky one to pull off but some of our kiddos respond extremely well to gentle, linear swinging. Having a hammock, platform swing, or tear drop swing in the space or even making that the space itself can be completely awesome!

Getting vestibular input during the day Is excellent, not only for brain development, but also for regulation. Again, always look at the behavior after using something like this. If behaviors are up and not really calm then perhaps consider removing the swing. Also HOW they swing is important. Linear, rhythmic swinging can be calming. Kiddos that might use it to pump up the jam or especially spin might be increasing their alert levels.

Getting that intensity can be calming too but since we are talking about cozy corners and calm sensory spaces I’d keep to the chill factor..

Although equipment and items can be helpful there are lots of things you can use right at home. I always look to make sure that whatever I use can fall into these following categories.

1. Tactile: They are nice to the touch. Something soft or a texture your kiddo likes. Also can provide deep pressure. Heavy things like weighted objects, blankets, or packed full of pillows. Things like that.

2. Proprioception: Adding resistive things like resistance bands, putty (not slime!), squeezy things, etc. Also busy hands. Things that keep my hands busy. Marble maze, fidgets, things my hands can manipulate. Things that make me use my muscles both big and small.

3. Vestibular: This is movement of the head. If you can get some vestibular input that is gentle and linear then go for it!. It’s a little harder to pull off in a calm down corner so don’t stress if you can’t do it.

4. Visual: Keeping this to the minimum. Allowing kids to see when they want but turning down the lights and staying away from bright colors or blinking lights.

5. Audio: Reduce audio input and making sure any noises are rhythmic is some way.

Having a calm space in your home can help in a lot of ways. Many times we talk about “self-regulation”, the ability to calm ourselves down. To do this we need body awareness. Having a spot to do this helps us block out the external world and get in touch with ourselves externally and internally. This is a step towards the ability to self-regulate. They also help to calm the nervous system to decompress and get bodies and minds ready for the tasks demanded for the rest of the day.