A calm down corner can be so beneficial in the classroom and at home with your own kids!
A calm down corner is a designated space where students can go to take a break and regulate their emotions.
What made me want to make a calm down corner?
When my son turned 3, he morphed into a little emotional gremlin.
It was so hard to deal with the screaming and emotional roller coaster. Some of the things he would yell about were silly, but to him, they were a big deal!
So…
I made a calm down corner.
Every time he would get really upset or hyper, I would take him to his corner and go through the calming down process with him… and it worked!
He stopped losing his cool all the time… and honestly, so did I!
I knew I had to add this to my classroom too!
Here is how to make a calm down corner that works:
1: Pick a space!
I know you are probably thinking… duh! But the space is important! You want to have a space in a low traffic area in your classroom with less distractions.
If you have a wall space and corner, that is great! You can hang the feelings, deep breathing, calm tool choice, and break choice posters to the wall and add your toolkit in the corner.
HOWEVER, you don’t need a big space. All you need is a bin and a calm down toolkit. Students that need some calm down time can use the tools at their desk or a small corner of the classroom!
2: Take time to introduce the calm corner.
Before introducing the calm corner, take time to introduce all of the parts.
Start by reading some mentor texts and discuss feelings with your students. (I have included some great feelings vocabulary posters in my Calm Corner Classroom Kit to help with this!)
Show students feelings images and take time to discuss different feelings, behaviors that happen with each feeling, and body language.
You want your students to step outside of the language of just “sad” or “mad” to truly be able to express how they are feeling.
3: Introduce deep breathing exercises.
Deep breathing is so effective in bringing oxygen into your body to calm nerves and release stress and anxiety.
Introduce 1 to 3 deep breathing exercises each day for a few days. Each day you should have your students practice the new breathing exercises and the ones they have already learned.
4: Introduce Calming Sensory Tool Choices.
Here are some of my favorite calm tools that will fit in a bin and are quiet enough for the classroom:
- A stuffed animal
- Sensory tubes (These are amazing!)
- Popper Fidgets
- Tangle Fidgets
- Stress Balls (Squeeze Balls)
- Little Hashtag Blocks (You can usually find these at Target in the dollar spot!)
- Puzzle Cubes
- Stretchy strings
- Magic Boards
5: Introduce the break choices.
Some students may need a little more than a sensory tool to calm themselves. You can introduce breaks of your choice that students can choose from.
Again, it is so important to introduce these choices with very clear expectations! Make sure your students know that any break that requires leaving the classroom has to be approved by the teacher.
6: NOW IT’S TIME! Open the calm down corner.
Now that students know what will be in the corner, introduce the corner to them.
MODEL it! Model, model, model!
For a few weeks after introducing the calm corner, model how to identify feelings, choose a deep breathing exercise, use a calm tool, and take a quick break (if needed).
Have your students model it for each other too!
What if they spend too long in the corner?
What if they just want to play?
You have some options:
- Limit the calm corner to one student at a time. (In the calm corner kit, this is part of the rules included.)
- Switch out the sensory tools. If you notice a specific tool is the issue, switch it out.
- Set a time limit for students that need it. When that time is up, they rejoin the class.
- If some friends just can’t handle it, but need it, you can make them their own toolkit with personalized choices appropriate for them to use at their desk.
I have included some great drawing and writing activities in my Calm Corner Classroom Kit that will allow students to calm while still working on a task.
You know your students best and you know what they need!
If you know a student is taking advantage of the time, talk to them about it and set the expectation or limit for them. (This could be an amount of visits to the corner per day, a time limit, different tools, or their own personal toolkit.)
(This is an amazon affiliate link. I make a small commission from items purchase by using this link.)
3 Responses
How can I get a copy of the deep breathing and calming sheets you have above. They look so amazing. I have pop it toys, squishy ball so I am building my bin.. Thank you for your help.
Hi Nicole, You can click the link at the end of the blog post or go to bit.ly/calmcornerclassroomkit. So glad you love them!
I would love to check this resource out. I’m still on the fence about calming corners, but also recognize more and more kids are dealing with some big emotions.