After-School Recovery: Managing Sensory Burnout

The witching hour is real — and it's not bad behavior, it's nervous system overload. This 16-page guide gives parents and caregivers a step-by-step way to help kids decompress after a full day of holding it together at school, before "restraint collapse" turns into a meltdown.

What you get:

• The R.E.S.E.T. Routine — a 5-step framework (Refuel, Ease Off, Sensory Reset, Engage, Transition) for turning the first hard hour after pickup into a calm reset instead of a battle
• Decompression Menu by Age — targeted strategies broken out for Little Kids, School Age, and Tweens & Teens, so the approach actually fits the child
• Troubleshooting Tough Days — what to do when the standard routine isn't landing and things escalate anyway
• When to Look Closer — warning signs worth paying attention to, so parents know the difference between a rough day and something bigger
• Printable After-School Plan — a ready-to-use worksheet for building a personalized routine
• Quick Reference & Resources page — sourced from The OT Toolbox, Child Mind Institute, and HealthyChildren.org (AAP)

Grounded in occupational-therapy guidance on sensory regulation, and fully editable in Canva if you want to adjust the design or add your own branding.

Built for: parents and caregivers of kids who fall apart after school — even when the school day itself seemed "fine."