The Best Sensory Games to Help HEP Kids Regulate Their Emotions

by LISN Kids | available on iOS & Android

• 4 min read

Understanding Emotional Intensity in HEP Children

If you're parenting a child with High Emotional Potential (HEP), chances are you’ve witnessed emotional storms that seem to come from nowhere. Maybe your child slams the door after a misunderstood comment, crumbles under school pressure, or can’t settle down after an exciting day. You're not alone—and you're not doing anything wrong.

HEP children experience life with a heightened sensitivity and intensity that can be both beautiful and overwhelming. Their emotional experiences are vivid, fast-paced, and often hard for them to manage. As a parent, your instinct may be to calm them down with conversation or logic, but this doesn't always work because emotional regulation isn't only a cognitive process—it's often a sensory one.

That’s where sensory games come in. These are activities designed not just to entertain but to ground your child physically, helping them tune into their bodies and transition from emotional turbulence to calm awareness.

What Makes Sensory Games So Effective?

For kids with high emotional sensitivity, emotional regulation starts in the body. HEP children often experience overwhelm in a very physical way—clammy hands, rapid heartbeats, short breathing. That’s why tactile, movement-based, or rhythm-heavy activities can help reset their nervous systems. These games serve as a bridge between high emotional arousal and a state of calm. They can be used preventively or in the moment, preferably with consistency.

Instead of trying to talk them down from panic or frustration, offering a sensory task can say, "I see you're overwhelmed. Here’s a safe way to feel without judgment." It doesn't need to be complicated or expensive—just intentional.

Everyday Sensory Games That Promote Emotional Regulation

Let’s look at a few sensory-based activities that can help your child settle into their emotional experience instead of feeling hijacked by it. These aren’t tips on a checklist—they’re options to observe, adjust, and tune into based on what your child gravitates toward.

1. Heavy Work Play

These are activities that activate the body’s proprioceptive system—helping the child understand where their body is in space. This input calms the nervous system and often feels grounding after a sensory or emotional overload.

Try:

  • Carrying weighted objects from one room to another (like books or groceries)
  • Pushing a laundry basket filled with blankets
  • Building with clay or modeling putty

One parent called it “invisible yoga”—simple, physical repetition that helps restore inner peace.

2. Water and Texture Play

It's not just toddlers who get something out of splashing in a sink. Many older children with sensory sensitivities or emotional highs benefit from grounding through touch.

Consider introducing:

  • A bowl of cool water with small toys to retrieve
  • Finger painting with textured paints or cornstarch slime
  • Mixing ingredients by hand in the kitchen—kneading dough or stirring thick batter

These activities help shift focus from mental overload to simple, calming sensory input. Touch is one of the most immediate ways we return to the present moment.

3. Rhythm and Audio-Based Grounding

For some HEP children, auditory input—when intentional—can redirect attention away from spiraling thoughts. Soft drumming, tapping on a table, or even just following a predictable rhythm can be calming.

In moments when your child is too overwhelmed to play, consider audio resources that gently draw them close. The iOS and Android versions of the LISN Kids app offer a growing library of original audiobooks and immersive stories tailored for children aged 3–12. The audio content isn't just entertaining—it’s rhythmical, emotional, and often very grounding for sensitive children who need to step out of a moment of dysregulation without feeling lectured or shamed.

LISN Kids App

Helping Your Child Identify Their Sensory Profile

No two HEP children are alike. Some are soothed by deep pressure, others by silence. Some crave motion, others need stillness. That’s why a sensory toolkit should always be built through observation and trial.

Notice what calms your child rather than what distracts them. For example: does swinging make them more jittery, or does it help? Does sound help them decompress or escalate their mood? Being curious, not corrective, is the mindset that will unlock the right mix of tools for your child.

If you’re navigating sensory sensitivities for the first time, it may help to read more about what makes an HEP child different. You can look through these helpful overviews:

Consistency, Not Perfection

It might feel like a lot—juggling work, dinner, and a child who’s vibrating with emotional intensity. But sensory games aren’t about fixing your child or creating perfect routines. They’re about opening tiny windows of calm.

Even five minutes of smushing playdough or listening to a calming story can make an emotional shift. As you practice, you'll notice what works. The important thing is not to wait for meltdowns—try to invite sensory breaks into the everyday, long before things unravel.

Finally, Give Yourself the Same Grace

You’re parenting a child who feels more deeply than most. That's a gift, but it’s also exhausting. You need regulation tools too—quiet time, grounding walks, laughter when you can find it. Parenting a sensitive child means noticing your own thresholds, and honoring them without guilt.

View these sensory games not just as tools for your child, but small rituals of connection. You’re not losing time—you’re building trust. And that may be the most healing thing of all.