Countdown PDF Poster for Children's Grounding Exercise: 5-4-3-2-1 Version
Get Your Hands on Our 5 4 3 2 1 Grounding Technique Poster and Master This Powerful Mindfulness Exercise
Are you at a loss when your child is overwhelmed with distressing emotions or unwanted thoughts? Worry no more, the 5 4 3 2 1 Grounding Technique could be the ultimate coping tool you've been searching for.
Time and time again, I've directed this message to my child during our coping skills development sessions:
"Your thoughts create your feelings, not the outside world. What makes you feel bad are your thoughts about what happens."
The latest addition to our coping skills arsenal is the 5 4 3 2 1 Grounding Technique. Today, I'll walk you through this simple yet highly effective grounding exercise, sharing some tips and tricks that I believe make it work wonderfully.
Don't forget to snag your free 5 4 3 2 1 Grounding Technique posters at the end of this post!
What is Grounding?
Grounding is a powerful coping strategy that helps deal with anxiety, stress, and unwanted emotions. Grounding brings your mind and body into the present moment.
Grounding techniques are used as coping mechanisms for mental health issues such as flashbacks, dissociations, and post-traumatic stress disorders.
How Do Grounding Techniques Work?
Grounding techniques divert your attention away from unwanted emotions and thoughts. They help you focus on the here-and-now by using three main categories:
- Physical techniques that stimulate your five senses
- Mental techniques that distract your mind and redirect thoughts
- Soothing techniques that comfort you.
Introducing the 5 4 3 2 1 Grounding Technique
The 54321 exercise is a straightforward yet potent grounding technique. I've seen remarkable results using this grounding exercise. It's one of the techniques that uses your senses to help distract your mind from unwanted emotions.
Practicing the 5 4 3 2 1 Grounding Technique
Ask your child to name the following:
- Five things they can SEE in the room
- Four things they can FEEL/TOUCH right now
- Three things they can HEAR
- Two things they can SMELL now
- One thing they can TASTE
An Alternative to the Standard 5 4 3 2 1 Grounding Technique
The traditional exercise focuses on the five senses. But I've been practicing a variation I found on Dr. S. Cordes' blog that I find more enjoyable.
Instead of "Name one thing you can taste," I ask the following:
- Share one GOOD thing about YOURSELF
This grounding exercise still works fantastic with this change. It helps distract from unwanted thoughts while simultaneously boosting self-esteem.
Tips to Streamline the 5 4 3 2 1 Grounding Technique
Setting the Mood
I've used this technique to help my child regain control during anxiety or anger attacks. However, it's challenging to dive into this exercise in highly upset children.
Preparation may be necessary: breathing exercises or a brief distraction might be helpful before starting. My go-to strategy is to sit with crossed legs, holding hands while we sing "row your boat." Rocking gently back and forth provides a calming effect.
Overcoming Sensory Shortages
What if there aren't enough sensory inputs? We have two solutions:
- Ask your child to say their favorite things (for example, "name two favorite smells" instead of "name two things you can smell").
- When possible, I offer the sensory inputs. If we lack enough sensory inputs, I counteract by doing the following:
- FEEL/TOUCH - Encourage the child to focus on what they're feeling by closing their eyes and providing light stimuli like a soft brush of air, gentle arm pressure, or slight tickling.
- HEAR - Open the window to make the most of ambient auditory inputs. Dominant sounds could be birds chirping, a plane flying, or traffic noises (depending on your location and surroundings).
- SMELL - My son enjoys scents, so rather than having him imagine a scent, I provide the olfactory experience with a scented candle or spices from the kitchen cabinet.
More Coping Skills in This Post
- Calming Strategies for Kids
- Calming Toolbox
- Lazy 8 Breathing Exercise
- Anger Management for Kids
- Helping an Anxious Child
Grab Your Free pdf 5 4 3 2 1 Grounding Technique Poster for Kids
We hope you find the 54321 grounding technique as useful as we do. And don't miss out on these beautiful posters, which will provide you with three different posters (5 senses, 4 senses + 1 good thing about yourself for boys and girls).
All images used in this poster were created by the Graphic Mama Team.
- For those seeking to enhance their lifestyle, incorporating the 5 4 3 2 1 Grounding Technique could be a valuable addition to their mindfulness practices.
- In the realm of fashion-and-beauty, this grounding technique can serve as a personal-growth tool, helping individuals manage stress during makeovers or shopping sprees.
- For home-and-garden enthusiasts, the 5 4 3 2 1 Grounding Technique can be beneficial when dealing with the stress that comes from remodeling projects or gardening.
- Those who value relationships could use this technique to maintain their emotional well-being during heated conversations with loved ones.
- Pet owners might find the 5 4 3 2 1 Grounding Technique a useful coping mechanism when dealing with the stress of caring for a pet during unexpected emergencies or during travel with pets.
