Many children struggle to explain how they feel. Parents often hear, “I do not know,” especially during meltdowns, shutdowns, or moments of anxiety. This is not defiance or lack of insight. For many neurodivergent children, the challenge begins inside the body.
Interoception plays a key role here.
This post explains interoception in clear terms, why it matters for emotional regulation, and how a short drawing-based activity supports children in building body awareness safely and respectfully.
What Is Interoception?
Interoception refers to the ability to notice internal body signals. These include hunger, thirst, temperature, muscle tension, heart rate, breathing changes, or a heavy or fluttery feeling in the chest or stomach.
For many autistic, ADHD, PDA, and sensory-sensitive children, these signals feel intense or confusing. The body reacts before words arrive. When children cannot identify what is happening inside, emotions spill out through behavior.
This is not a skills gap. This is a nervous system experience.
Why Interoception Supports Emotional Regulation
Emotional regulation does not begin with naming emotions. It begins with noticing body cues.
When a child learns to recognize internal signals early, several shifts happen over time:
- Emotions feel less sudden and overwhelming
- Meltdowns reduce in intensity and duration
- Anxiety becomes easier to talk about
- Adults respond with more attunement, less correction
Interoception builds a bridge between the body and communication. This bridge develops slowly, through repeated gentle experiences, not through questioning or correction.
A Simple Interoception Check Using Drawing
Expressive arts offer a safe way to explore body awareness without pressure to speak. Drawing allows children to externalize sensations visually.
What you need
- One sheet of paper
- Crayons, markers, or pencils
- A calm, unhurried moment
How to do it
- Draw a simple body outline. A stick figure is enough.
- Pause together. Invite the child to notice the body.
- Ask an open prompt: “What do you notice inside your body right now?”
- Let the child use colors, shapes, or marks anywhere on the body drawing.
- Avoid interpretation. Avoid problem-solving. Stay curious.
Red might mean tight. Blue might mean tired. Scribbles might mean too much. There are no wrong responses.
The goal is noticing, not naming emotions correctly.
What Adults Should Keep in Mind
This practice works best when adults focus on presence rather than outcomes.
Helpful responses include:
- “Thank you for showing me.”
- “I see a lot happening here.”
- “Your body shared something important.”
Avoid asking why. Avoid linking the drawing to behavior immediately. Interoception grows through safety and repetition.
When and Where to Use This Practice
This activity fits well:
- After school transitions
- Before bedtime
- During therapy sessions
- In classrooms as a quiet check-in
- Before or after challenging tasks
Even one minute of body noticing builds awareness.
Watch the Guided 45-Second Video
If you prefer a visual walkthrough, watch the short guided video where this activity is demonstrated step by step using drawing and calm prompts.
👉 Watch the YouTube Short on Educateable
It shows how to guide the activity simply, without over-explaining.
Support Beyond the Activity
Interoception develops over time. Some children benefit from deeper therapeutic support that blends body awareness, art, and emotional safety.
Work with me 1:1
Counselling & Emotional Wellness
A 60-minute expressive-arts experience for children, teens, and adults.
This space supports regulation, emotional expression, and nervous system awareness at a pace that respects the individual.
Final Thought
Children do not need to be taught to feel differently. They need support noticing what is already happening inside.
Interoception gives them language that starts in the body.
Save the video, return to the practice often, and allow the process to unfold slowly.
For more tools rooted in neurodiversity-affirming care, follow Educateable and explore the resources shared on the channel and website.
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