Parent says five slow sentences: 'Close your eyes. Imagine the best place you've ever been or the best place you can imagine. What does the ground feel like under your feet? What can you smell? What sounds are there?' Then: 'Open your eyes and draw that place in as much detail as you can.' Guided sensory imagery is a clinically validated pain and discomfort management technique used in pediatric care. It is not distraction but active mental engagement that competes with physical discomfort at a neurological level.

What you need

Paper
Colored pencils

How to do it

1Sit beside them and speak slowly: close your eyes. Imagine the best place you've ever been or can imagine.
2What does the ground feel like under your feet? What's the temperature? What can you smell? What sounds are there?
3Open your eyes. Draw that place in as much detail as you can. Hand over paper and pencils. Leave.

Variations

If they won't close their eyes: let them stare at the ceiling instead while you describe — the stillness matters more than the eyes.
How it ends: once the drawing has a few details on it, say 'that's a place you can go back to anytime' and step away.

💡 Parent tip

Say the prompts slowly with a real pause between each. The pause is where the imagination does its work. Rushing produces a vague picture; slow delivery produces a real place.

What your child develops

Multi-sensory imagination — activating texture, smell, and sound in imagination creates a stronger mental anchor than visual imagery alone
Pain and discomfort management — guided sensory imagery measurably reduces perceived pain intensity in children; this is the same mechanism applied at home without any equipment
World-building — a fully imagined place becomes a mental resource the child can return to when they need it