When we talk about domestic violence, the conversation often centres on adult survivors. But there's another group who desperately needs our attention: the children who witness or experience it.

Children who are exposed to domestic violence carry invisible wounds that can shape their emotional wellbeing, relationships, and mental health for years to come. Yet they're often overlooked in recovery conversations, treated as secondary victims rather than individuals who need their own dedicated support.

The truth is simple but urgent: children need support after experiencing or witnessing domestic violence just as much as adults do.

The Impact on Young Nervous Systems

When children live in environments filled with fear, unpredictability, and violence, their developing nervous systems remain in a constant state of high alert. This chronic stress response can lead to:

• Heightened anxiety and hypervigilance
• Difficulty regulating emotions
• Sleep disturbances and nightmares
• Trouble concentrating at school
• Physical symptoms like headaches and stomach aches
• Challenges forming healthy relationships

These aren't just temporary reactions. Without proper support, these patterns can become deeply embedded, affecting children well into adulthood.

An Accessible Starting Point: Mindfulness

While professional therapeutic support is essential for children who've experienced trauma, there's a gentle, accessible tool that can begin the healing journey immediately: mindfulness.

Mindfulness isn't about erasing what happened or pretending everything is fine. Instead, it gives children practical techniques to:

• Calm their overwhelmed nervous systems
• Find moments of safety in their own bodies
• Release pent-up anxiety and tension
• Regain a sense of emotional balance
• Experience connection and calm

The beauty of mindfulness is that it meets children exactly where they are, without requiring them to talk about traumatic experiences before they're ready.

Simple Techniques That Make a Real Difference

Breathwork: The Foundation of Calm

Breath is the bridge between mind and body. When children learn to regulate their breathing, they're actually learning to communicate safety to their nervous system.

Simple breathing exercises can be transformative. Our Breathing Otter makes this practice tangible and comforting for children. By breathing in time with the otter's gentle rhythm, children learn to slow their breath, activate their parasympathetic nervous system, and find genuine moments of calm and connection. It's not just a toy—it's a tool that teaches self-regulation in a way that feels safe and nurturing.

Grounding Activities

Children who've experienced trauma often feel disconnected from their bodies or "floaty." Grounding activities help them feel present and safe in the moment:

• Five senses exercises (name 5 things you can see, 4 you can touch, etc.)
• Body scan meditations adapted for children
• Mindful movement like gentle stretching or yoga
• Creative expression through drawing or colouring

Our Happy Resources Hub is filled with age-appropriate activities specifically designed to support children in calming their nervous systems and building emotional resilience. These resources give parents, carers, and educators practical tools they can use immediately.

Creating a Calming Night-Time Routine

Sleep is often deeply disrupted for children who've experienced domestic violence. Racing thoughts, hypervigilance, and nightmares can make bedtime a source of anxiety rather than rest.

A consistent night-time routine incorporating mindfulness can help children feel safe enough to sleep:

• Gentle breathing exercises before bed
• Guided visualisations or calming stories
• Gratitude practices to shift focus toward positive moments
• Physical comfort items that provide sensory regulation

Our children's weighted blankets have become incredibly popular with families for good reason. The gentle, even pressure provides deep touch stimulation that naturally calms the nervous system, reduces anxiety, and promotes better sleep. For children whose sense of safety has been shattered, that comforting weight can help them feel held and secure.

Small Steps, Profound Impact

Recovery from domestic violence isn't linear, and it doesn't happen overnight. But every small step toward calm, every moment of regulated breathing, every night of better sleep—these all matter immensely.

When we give children tools to understand and regulate their own nervous systems, we're not just helping them cope. We're empowering them with skills they'll carry throughout their lives. We're showing them that they have agency over their own wellbeing. We're helping them reclaim a sense of safety in their own bodies.

You Don't Have to Do This Alone

If you're supporting a child who's experienced or witnessed domestic violence—whether you're a parent, carer, teacher, or support worker—please know that you don't have to navigate this alone.

At Happy Little Humans®, we're dedicated to supporting children's emotional wellbeing through our OTTERLY Values approach: Optimism, Trust, Tranquility, Enough, Resilience, Love, and You-ness.

Our Happy Resources Hub offers a wealth of activities, guides, and techniques specifically designed to help children process emotions, calm anxiety, and build resilience. And our Goodie Store provides carefully selected mindfulness products—like our Breathing Otter and weighted blankets—that offer tangible support for children struggling with anxiety and sleep difficulties.

Because every child deserves to feel safe, calm, and emotionally balanced—no matter what they've been through.

Happy Little Humans Links 

Happy Resources Hub- https://www.happylittlehumansofficial.org/happyresourcehub 

Mindfulness Goodie Store-  https://happylittlehumansgoodies.com/