Polyvagal-informed activities for young people: using cards and movement in sessions
Young people often come to sessions without the words for what they feel. Asking “how are you?” can lead to a shrug.
Polyvagal-informed activities give them another way in: pictures, colour and movement.
In this article
- Why visual and movement work helps
- Activity 1: where are you now?
- Activity 2: match the pairs
- Activity 3: where do you feel it?
- Activity 4: find the right word
- Activity 5: the way back
- Questions people ask
Why visual and movement work helps
Many young people find it easier to point, sort or place than to explain. This is especially true for neurodivergent clients and those with trauma histories.
Working side by side with a board also feels less intense than face-to-face talk.
A note on the science: polyvagal theory is a model, and researchers still debate parts of it. We use it as a helpful map for talking about feelings and behaviour, not as a diagnosis.
Activity 1: where are you now?
Lay the track between you. Ask the young person to place a figure where they are today. Then ask where they were this morning.
This opens up talk about what moved them, without asking them to explain feelings directly.
Activity 2: match the pairs
Use pairs of picture cards: one with a word, one without. The young person picks an unlabelled card and guesses the feeling. Then they find its labelled match.
There are no wrong answers. The gap between guess and label is often where the best conversations happen.
Activity 3: where do you feel it?
Turn a card over to see body sensations on the back. Ask: “Where do you feel this in your body?”
This builds interoception: noticing signals from inside the body. It is a key skill for self-regulation.
“I use the cards to explore trauma states, like rage or shutdown, with clients who struggle with interoception. It’s a gentle way to start conversations about what’s happening in their bodies.”
Jill Holly, Neurodivergent Therapist
Activity 4: find the right word
The matching card has other words for the same behaviour. Ask the young person to choose the one that fits best.
Building a wider feelings vocabulary helps them tell you, and others, what is going on.
Activity 5: the way back
Ask: “What helps you get back to yellow?” Move the figure as you talk through each idea.
Record their answers. It becomes a personal regulation plan they helped make.
Questions people ask
Who can use these activities?
Counsellors, therapists, mentors, youth workers, SENCOs and pastoral staff. They work alongside your own approach and training.
Do I need polyvagal training?
No, but it helps to understand the three states. The toolbag includes simple steps to get started.
Are these activities therapy?
They are tools to support conversation. They do not replace therapy or clinical assessment.
Can I use them online?
They work best in person. Online, you can hold cards up to the camera or describe the track.
Try the What’s Your State? Toolbag
The toolbag includes a fold-out track board and 90 picture cards in matching pairs, with body sensations and feeling words on the back. Built for sessions with young people.
£29.99, free UK postage. For practitioner training, see Finding My Steady for Practitioners.
See the toolbag and how to use it