Highly sensitive children, how do you empower them, how do you support your child to deal with his or her sensitivity? Read our tips.

Features of high sensitivity

High sensitivity, also known as high sensitivity, is a personality trait that can occur in children. Highly sensitive children experience stimuli more intensely than other children, such as sounds, smells, emotions of others, and so on. This can cause them to become overstimulated and feel fatigued or stressed more quickly.

Tips to support your highly sensitive child

Here are some tips for dealing with high sensitivity in your child

1. Acknowledge and accept your child’s high sensitivity and help him or her understand what it means to be highly sensitive. Make sure your child knows that it’s okay to feel different and that it’s a normal part of who they are.
2. Help your child regulate emotions. Highly sensitive children can become overwhelmed by their emotions. Teach your child to deal with their emotions by, for example, doing breathing exercises together, naming feelings or offering relaxation exercises.
3. Provide a quiet and safe environment. Highly sensitive children often need peace and privacy. Make a quiet place (see also the tips of a snooze place) where they can retreat if they are overstimulated. Try to create a calm and orderly environment to help your child feel safe and comfortable. Also think of a clear visual weekly planning.
4. Help your child set boundaries. Teach your child to say no and set boundaries when he or she feels overwhelmed. Encourage them to protect themselves from too many stimuli and ask for help when they need it. See with your child what can help your child to relax, such as puzzling, reading, listening to music, sensory play or rocking.
5. Discuss with your child what your child needs at school to process the stimuli and not get overwhelmed and have this conversation with your child’s teacher.
6. Seek professional help if needed. If you notice that your child is having trouble coping with high sensitivity, seek professional help. There are therapists and coaches who specialize in working with highly sensitive children and can help them develop skills to deal with their sensitivity.