What you'll need: 530949 – Emotions Stones 306763 – Kindness Hearts 803022 – Play Sand 800162 – Natural River Pebbles D49429 – Wooden Oval Discs


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3. Name that feeling


Naming emotions is a powerful step in helping children to understand themselves. Hide emotion faces in sand, uncooked rice, or soil, and ask children: “How do you think this person is feeling?”


4. Retreat to safety


When we feel overwhelmed, it’s only natural that we retreat to somewhere we feel safe – and nature can provide the perfect antidote to that sensory overload.


Create an outdoor sensory retreat for children using teepees or dens. Include baskets of calming resources, soft fabrics, lavender/ peppermint plants, smooth stones and pinecones to enhance a natural sensory effect. Place picture books that explore emotions and communication boards to help support emotional awareness and literacy. Make sure to allow children to use the space freely. These peaceful pauses help them to decompress and feel ready to return to play.


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Follow up with W.I.N. scripts to explore these emotions further, and then invite children to create their own emotion faces using twigs, pebbles, leaves, and log slices, referring to books or photos for inspiration. Complement this with resources and strategies to help them regulate, feel safe and effectively communicate how they feel.


What you’ll need: 309474 – Sensory Calming Trails 520056 – Sensory Worry Stones


D70195 – Calm and Wellbeing Den Making Kit


306741 – Pawz The Calming Pup 427122 – Sensory Fidget Tubes


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What you’ll need: 308675 – Let’s Roll Seasons


810463 – Let’s Investigate Woodland Footprints


742752 – Play-Doh Assorted Colours About the author


Mitch Pinkney is a former Montessori Teacher and Nursery Nurse and now a Product Developer at Yellow Door Education. Mitch has a special interest in children's mental health and sensory-based learning.


5. Mould your memories


Like the seasons, each term brings challenges, changes, and celebrations. When you’re outside, ask children to tune into their senses – noticing sounds, smells, colours, temperature, and movement. Can they observe the changes in the weather, trees, plants, and wildlife? See if they can explore natural movement – balance on logs, jump puddles, swing from low branches, collect leaves, seeds and other treasures.


Afterwards, provide a calming sensory activity. Give each child some dough and invite them to use natural loose parts to create a seasonal memory. This combination of movement, nature, and tactile play stimulates the proprioceptive and vestibular systems—important regulators of emotional wellbeing.


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