A short instructional YouTube video (Day 20: Safe spaces) by Mary Kostka giving caregivers concrete ideas to make small calming retreats for children — examples include a small pop-up/pup tent, blanket forts over tables, and cardboard boxes. These options help dampen light, sound, and odors, reduce sensory overload (useful in busy households or with multiple siblings), and offer children a quick private break. The speaker also notes behavioral cues that indicate a child may need a smaller space (e.g., hiding) and reminds viewers to fill out the accompanying worksheet and share in the community.
Aloha, sensory heroes. Welcome to day 20. So now we're going to talk about safe spaces. So we talked about lighting and scents and sounds. One of the ways that you can help children have a more calm environment is just to create them a little safe space. So this is one of my favorites. It's just a little pup tent that folds flat, goes right in the closet. We use it all the time at Ohana. When the kids are needing just a little smaller environment or sometimes they just. You can tell that they're needing to go into a little smaller space because they start hiding behind things. And so this is going to dampen the light, it's going to dampen the sounds and also dampen the. Any. Any orders that they might be smelling. And. And you can also do it just by creating the classic fort at home with blankets or sheets or pillows. And, you know, when you see your child tucking themselves away in a small space, they need something like this. A lot of times they'll, like, go under the table and just literally having a big blanket over table makes a quick little, quick little tent. Boxes are awesome, too. And all three of these are going to change the lighting, they're going to change this. The way the sounds feel, and just their exposure to any stimulation, even the smells, especially really nice if there's a lot going on in a house. So if there's a lot of other siblings, just a way to kind of create a little space that's just for them and that they can go to anytime they're feeling a little overwhelmed. A lot of times they just need a little break, a few minutes in there, and then they're ready to go. Okay. Don't forget to. Don't forget to fill out your worksheet. And I hope that you're getting some AHAs. And be sure to share, share in the community.
