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Calm Down Corner Ideas – Free Printables

Do you want to create a space in your classroom or home to help children to calm down?  These 5 calm down corner ideas are all FREE to print to help your students take a break.

Do you want to create a space in your classroom or home to help children to calm down?  These calm down corner ideas are all FREE to print to help your students take a break.

Calm Down Corner Ideas to Print and Use

This Just Breathe poster is perfect to set the mood in the quiet area.  You can download it for free here.

Help guide your students to determine what helps them to calm down with the All About Staying Calm Glyph.  A glyph is a symbol or code that conveys information nonverbally. The student follows the directions to color and draw a visual representation of his/her information. Students can then analyze the completed glyphs and compare everyone’s information/preferences. A glyph is a nice alternative to written responses.  Here is a freebie from the All About Me Glyphs packet on All About Staying Calm.  You can download it for free here.

Cool Your Emotions:  Use clay and deep breathing to calm down.  Here is a great freebie from the Emotions Packet.  Practice fine motor, visual motor and self-regulation skills with these freebies.  Download them here.

Self Calming Deep Breathing Activity:  Print and cut out the deep breathing cards.  The child can take 4 deep breaths trying to breath in through the nose (smelling the flowers) and out through the mouth (blowing out the candles).  You can print the FREE activity and use as one of your calm down corner ideas.

Calming Mandalas to Color:  Mandala means “circle” or “center.” Coloring mandalas can help to encourage relaxation, relieve stress, facilitate creativity and balance the body.  Here are three simple mandalas to color to help to calm the body.  They are perfect to add to a quiet corner or calm down kit in the classroom.

Deep Breathing Self Calming Page – Directions for belly breathing.

Try deep breathing in the calm down corner.  Did you know that deep breathing exercises can help to alleviate stress, reduce anxiety, strengthen the attention span and sharpen the ability to focus and learn?  In addition, deep breathing helps certain physiological responses as well such as slow the heart rate and decrease blood pressure.  Seems like an easy fix right?  Well, maybe not that easy since it takes practice and time to become mindful of your breathing and to improve your deep breathing techniques.  Give it a try with this FREE Bumble Bee Breathing Break.  Download your FREE breathing break here (a tab will open in a new window).  This is from the Breathing Breaks complete packet.

Ask the Student for Help for Calm Down Corner Ideas

Try filling out the Calm-O-Meter to get a basic idea of what activities may help the child to calm down.  Page one of the FREE download includes 6 self-calming ideas with picture symbols.  On page two, children and/or adults can write down their own ideas and reflect on what techniques are successful.
How to Help a Child During a Meltdown
When a child is already in a meltdown, children can call on the information they learned previously to learn how to self-calm with various techniques.  Hang up the calming inventory Calm-O-Meter form to help a child remember what has been effective in the past to help with self-regulation and calming down.
Once the child has achieved a calm state, here are some steps you can take to help the child grow and learn from the situation.
  1. Acknowledge that there was a problem. In a calm voice, say the problem to the child.
  2. Start a conversation to problem solve the situation. Begin your phrase with “Let’s”.  For example – “Let’s think of what we can do next” or “Let’s talk about what might help”. Don’t provide the solution yourself. Stick to problem-solving the situation together. Discuss solutions and alternative solutions. Talk about how the child is interpreting the situation making sure he/she can see the bigger picture or understand a different perspective.
  3. Discuss what self-calming techniques the child utilized.
  4. Reinforce with the child how the technique was successful.

Resources to Help Students Calm Down

Use visual imagery to self-calm with this digital collection of Calm Down Cards.

Calming Strategies for the Classroom.

Calming Strategies for the Classroom cover

Self Calming Strategies

Emotions Packet

Do you want to create a space in your classroom or home to help children to calm down?  These 5 calm down corner ideas are all FREE to print to help your students take a break.

 

 

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