Calm Down Techniques

3:00 AM

Hey guys! Julie from Big Ideas for Little Hands here. It is that time of year that Spring Fever is hitting and the kids can tell Spring Break is coming soon. Are your kids just a little bit more wild than they usually are? Maybe it's not just me. Here are a few tips that I hope help you survive the Spring Fever!


 The main thing that helps calm my kids the most and they absolutely love is GoNoodle! If you have not tried it yet, you need to! GoNoodle is great for Brain Breaks but also has many calm down videos that help relax your kids and help them focus again. My kids are always asking to do these videos. Check them out below!

https://app.gonoodle.com/channels 

https://app.gonoodle.com/channels

Another thing that really helps my kids is the Calm Down Bottle. These are so fun and easy to make.


Grab a bottle of any type and fill it about 2/3 with water.



Then add the entire bottle of colored glitter glue to the water bottle. You can also add extra glitter or beads to the bottle if you wish.


Now it's time to shake and mix it all up!



When the kids use the calm down bottle, all they do is shake and mix everything up. Then they can watch the glitter settle as they breathe and calm down and re-focus. When the glitter has settled, they can rejoin the group.



I also have a calm down area in my room where kids are able to go and relax and read a book and just be by themselves to regroup and calm down before rejoining the rest of the class. Sometimes just a few minutes alone and quiet is all a child needs to be able to focus and work again.




At times, you may have a child that is having a more severe outburst but they do not know how to regain control or their self. This is when you come in to teach them calm down strategies. I wear these cards around my neck on my badge just to have them handy because you never know when you need them and you do not want to be digging for them when you need them quickly. 



I teach the kids how to use these at the beginning of the year so that way when I am sitting with them to help them calm down, they already know what to do. Some kids will remember the strategies without the cards too which is great!

The first card is a stop sign to teach the kids to stop and freeze.
Next is a flower and a cupcake. The student smells the flower (takes a deep breath) then blows out the candle (exhales their deep breath)
The number card is next for the students to slowly count to 10. The goal at this point is for the student to have calmed down and be able to control their emotions.
The last 3 cards are choice cards for the students. They can show you what they need to finish calming down (a few minute break, a stuffed animal, or to read a book)

I am giving you a copy of these cards to use in your class. I hope they help you to teach your students how to calm down and gain control of their emotions!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByX88jF8o5gKZkpBaHFzVGhFUDA/view?usp=sharing

What other strategies do you use in your room to help your students calm down?

by Julie Davis

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