How to “Ground” Your Child

Photo by Ben Griffiths on Unsplash

I know most of you started reading this in hopes of finding the magic bullet for dealing with your child’s misbehavior. You should know, that’s not the type of grounding we are talking about. While you won’t be getting any discipline tips, the mindfulness and grounding techniques for kids presented here pose many benefits for you and your child, including allowing your child to be more present especially when becoming behaviorally or emotionally dysregulated.

Grounding Exercises and How They Help

The goal of grounding is to calm the emotional and irrational part of our brain so that we can begin to think more logically about what is going on. Grounding exercises allow individuals to:

• Remain calm and present when we become over-stimulated or experience a flashback from a negative past experience

• Begin to feel and express big emotions such as anxiety or anger

• Catch ourselves in a whirlwind of worrying thoughts

Grounding Exercises for Kids

One helpful grounding exercise is to bring our mind to what we are sensing in the present moment by carefully observing our surroundings and noticing what we are seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, or touching. This draws the mind away from worries, concerns, or large emotions and grounds us to the current space we are in.

One specific grounding technique I use with families and their children involves Lego mini-figures. Using a Lego mini-figure for this technique is not required; however, it is nice as it can have unique details and is easy to bring along anywhere you go. When the child gets upset they begin to describe the details they see on the mini-figure and what it reminds them of. Often children will describe the figure’s facial expression, specific clothes they are wearing, and memories of playing with the figure. After the child has done this, I will have them take a deep breath before checking in with their parent or going back to play.

While most children can do this on their own, I recommend having the parent participate and do this with the child in the beginning. By doing this grounding exercise for kids with them, the child will become more comfortable using this technique when they are upset.

Mindfulness and Grounding Exercises for Adults

It is important to note that while this specific technique is geared toward children, it can also apply to us as adults. As adults, we can look at our surroundings and describe what we see, hear, smell, taste, or touch. If we apply this, and other mindfulness techniques, alongside our children, we may feel less anxiety and stress and could find that escalated situations will deescalate more quickly.

If you, or your child, would like to learn more about other helpful grounding techniques and strategies to positively manage your child’s emotional or behavioral challenges, schedule your initial appointment by calling or texting 801-944-4555 or emailing us here. Our child and family therapists are ready to provide a more specific approach to meet your individual or family needs.