Helpful Tools for Sensory Kids and Busy Brains

Visual Timers

What it is: A visual timer shows time passing in a way that your child can see, often using a coloured disc or a digital bar that shrinks as time runs out. There’s no need for your child to be able to tell the time.

Why it helps: Many neurodivergent children struggle with abstract concepts like time. Visual timers help make time tangible, reducing anxiety and supporting smoother transitions between tasks.

Great for: Transitions, emotional regulation, time awareness, independence.

Sensory Stickers (Fidget Stickers)

What it is: Small, discreet stickers made from textured materials like silicone, sandpaper or fabric that can be stuck onto desks, water bottles, or laptops.

Why it helps: These offer a subtle fidgeting outlet for kids who need to keep their hands busy to concentrate or manage anxiety.

Great for: Focus, anxiety, reducing self-injurious behaviours (e.g. skin picking).

Coloured Reading Filters (Overlays)

What it is: Transparent coloured sheets placed over books or worksheets to help with visual stress while reading.

Why it helps: Overlays can reduce glare and make text easier to read, especially for children with dyslexia or Irlen Syndrome.

Great for: Dyslexia, ADHD, visual processing differences, fatigue when reading.

Chewable Pencil Toppers

What it is: Food-grade silicone toppers that fit onto pencils and are safe to chew.

Why it helps: Satisfies oral sensory needs in a safe and socially acceptable way.

Great for: Oral sensory seekers, focus, anxiety, reducing clothing destruction.

Chewable Necklaces

What it is: Food-grade silicone toppers that fit onto pencils and are safe to chew.

Why it helps: Offers constant sensory support for kids who self-soothe through chewing.

Great for: Anxiety, oral sensory needs, ADHD, autism.

Skin Picker Fidget Toys

What it is: Textured toys with pickable surfaces that mimic the sensation of skin picking.

Why it helps: Redirects body-focused behaviours like skin picking or nail biting into a safer outlet.

Great for: Anxiety, BFRBs (Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviour), emotional regulation, stimming.

CALMER® Kids Earplugs by Flare Audio

What it is: Soft silicone earplugs designed not to block sound, but to reduce harsh frequencies that can cause sensory overwhelm.

Why it helps: CALMER® Kids don’t muffle sound like traditional earplugs. Instead, they smooth out disruptive sounds, helping children with auditory sensitivity stay calm and present in noisy environments – perfect for classrooms, assemblies, or busy public places.

Great for: Sound sensitivity, autistic children, anxiety, sensory overwhelm.

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Noise-Cancelling Headphones or Ear Defenders

What it is: Headphones that reduce background noise, supporting kids in managing sensory overload.

Why it helps: Helps children feel safe and regulated in loud environments like school or shopping centres. Can help filter sound when working during class.

Great for: Sensory sensitivity, autistic children, anxiety in crowds.

Weighted Lap Pads, Weighted Toys or Cushions

What it is: Cushions filled with beads or sand that provide calming deep pressure on the lap.

Why it helps: Deep pressure input can ground and calm the nervous system, improving attention and reducing fidgeting.

Great for: ADHD, sensory seekers, anxiety, restlessness.

Visual Schedules and First-Then Boards

What it is: Picture-based routines that help children understand what’s happening next.

Why it helps: Creates structure and predictability, reducing resistance and emotional dysregulation during transitions.

Great for: Autistic kids, ADHD, anxiety, executive functioning support.

Tactile Fidgets (Squishies, Putty, Bead Balls)

What it is: Handheld tools that provide touch input through squeezing or shaping.

Why it helps: Regulates sensory needs and improves focus – great for hands that need to move to stay engaged.

Great for: Sensory seekers, focus, calming, anxiety.

Wobble Cushions (or Wiggle Cushions)

What it is: An inflatable cushion with a slightly unstable surface, placed on a chair to allow gentle movement while sitting.

Why it helps: Lets kids move while staying seated, helping with attention and reducing the urge to get up constantly.

Great for: ADHD, sensory seekers, classroom focus, postural support.

Fidget Spinners

What it is: Handheld toys that spin between the fingers, offering a rhythmic, calming motion.

Why it helps: Spinning can provide repetitive sensory input that helps some children concentrate or self-soothe.

Great for: Focus, anxiety, stimming, breaks between tasks.

Elastic Foot Bands (Chair Bands)

What it is: Stretchy resistance bands that wrap around the front legs of a chair, allowing a child to push and stretch with their feet.

Why it helps: Gives sensory-seeking kids a way to move their legs without disrupting others – ideal for classrooms.

Great for: ADHD, focus, reducing restlessness, classroom success.