Cool Down Kits
A whole-brain approach to generate resilient responses
Cultivate new and fun tools to support your loved ones to handle the stressors and situational demands that come their way — with less emotional upheaval and making more way for calm.
Think about a time before a meltdown when your child looked like they were right on the verge of expressing distress. Now imagine you had a tool to help them pause and recenter themselves. We have the power to offer the children in our lives an opportunity to stay within their window of tolerance and feel empowered through connection to their minds and their bodies.
Cool Down Kits are tangible collections of tools you can use to promote self-soothing when feelings become overwhelming, grounding your child through the use of their five senses and allowing them to express their feelings even when the moment feels too difficult to communicate through (kind) words.
How Cool Down Kits can help
A Cool Down Kit is a collection of sensory tools that can be used to both calm and stimulate a child’s sensory system during intense feelings. Gathering these items in one place helps children utilize coping skills rather than defaulting to less-welcome behaviors and teaches them how to self-regulate their physiological and emotional responses to stressors using outside sources.
Here are the ways that Cool Down Kits can support your child in emotionally skilling up:
Practice self-soothing behavior
Improve impulse control
Foster self-awareness
Sustain attention and concentration
Advance the safe experience and expression of feelings
Inspire the identification and differentiation of internal signals
Facilitate knowledge of strengths and inner resources
Promote the resolution of internal struggles
Stimulate awareness of problem-solving processes
Bolster awareness of movement
Regulate energy and arousal levels
Communicate implicit information to others
Reinforce alertness to information processed through somatic means
The Three-Step Approach
Dr. Bruce Perry’s research shows that we first need to help our children regulate their stress responses before addressing emotions or behavior. That’s why we start with sensory-based tools that target the most primitive parts of the brain. It’s important to remember that your child’s brain is still developing, and consistent practice is key — something that’s challenging even for us as adults! We’ll provide you with an easy-to-follow handout on how to introduce and use your Cool Down Kit effectively.
CALM IN 1-2-3
Regulate: Use sensory tools to help your child calm their fight/flight/freeze reactions.
Relate: Connect with your child through empathy, showing them they are seen, heard, and understood.
Reason (Spoiler alert - this is where we often try to start and often are met with an escalation!): Once your child is calm, guide them in reflecting on their experience, understanding their needs, and planning for future challenges.
This approach helps your child move from feeling overwhelmed to feeling empowered, teaching them valuable skills for emotional resilience.
Make Your Own Cool Down Kit
Learn how to build your own cool down kit with items you already have and customize to your heart’s content!