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Elementary students often grapple with intense emotions, and they are still in the process of learning how to navigate these feelings. This is why incorporating a calm down corner in any classroom is vital. A calm down corner doesn’t need to occupy much space to have a significant positive impact on students. Explore various ideas for decor, activities, and sensory tools for a calm down corner, along with the numerous advantages these areas offer to both students and the overall classroom environment.
How to Build a Calm Down Corner
A calm down corner is a designated, secure space where students can pause to process their emotions and practice self-regulation. It shouldn’t be perceived as a form of punishment but rather as a supportive strategy in effective classroom management, particularly for elementary settings.
When establishing a calm down corner in your classroom, the first step is to select the right location.
- Identify a quiet area away from distractions like pencil sharpeners, doors, or bins for turning in assignments.
- Consider the lighting: soft, calming light or light covers can create a more soothing atmosphere (think of fairy lights).
- Ensure the space and decor are bright enough for visibility but gentle enough to help students calm their emotions.
After choosing your location, the next step involves curating a suitable combination of decor, activities, and sensory supports that align with the needs of your students and the space available.
Calm Down Corner Ideas for Decor
Enhance your calm down corner with soft, cozy decor. Items that promote comfort and calming strategies include:
- Soft rugs
- Oversized cushions
- Bean bag chairs
- Small foam sofas
- Tactile pillows (like those with sequins)
- Stuffed animals
- Posters and guides in pastel or earth tones
Calm Down Corner Kit – Strategies, Posters, Social Story, and Guides for Behavior
By NoodleNook
Grades: Not specific
This comprehensive bundle includes everything necessary to establish a calm down corner, featuring posters, activities, strategies, and more. It also contains reflection tools and educational supports, such as guides on logical consequences and take-home sheets.
Calm Down Corner Sign and Printable SEL Posters for Special Education
By Adapted by Kimmie D
Grades: PreK-2nd
Equip your corner with posters and printables that illustrate how to recognize emotions, employ self-talk phrases, and utilize regulation techniques in calming blue tones. These calm down corner ideas provide children with clear visuals to guide them in recognizing and managing their feelings.
Include Calm Down Activities and Strategies for Kids
In addition to comfortable decor, it’s crucial to offer quiet, relaxing activities that can help students soften overwhelming emotions. The nature of calm down activities will vary depending on the age group in your classroom. For PreK students, visuals with minimal text or fidget tools can be particularly beneficial. Conversely, older elementary students may appreciate more introspective options, such as journals and reflective prompts to explore their emotions more deeply.
Calm Down Corner Strategies for Classroom Management & Social Emotional Learning
By Just Reed
Grades: PreK-2nd
This extensive package includes calm down choice cards, yoga cards, tracing cards, emotion cards, and breathing exercises. Additionally, it features a feelings check-in card and a clickable list of SEL materials.
Self-Regulation Coping Skills for School Spinner Craft: Use in Calm Down Corner
By WholeHearted School Counseling
Grades: K-5th
The resource includes pre-made spinners and game templates designed to teach students self-regulation. It also comes with line art for coloring and a breathing board to facilitate calmness.
Calm Down Corner Spanish and Bilingual
By Hola Bilinguals – Dayana
Grades: PreK-2nd
This resource, available in Spanish, is tailored for multilingual learners, featuring labels, posters, sensory cards, 11 yoga poses, and 17 breathing exercises, alongside two pages dedicated to breathing techniques.
Calming Strategies Visual Cards and Poster for Calm Down Corner
By Amy Murray – Teaching Exceptional Kinders
Grades: K-2nd
This resource provides all the necessary cards for a calming corner, including strategies such as bouncing on a ball, listening to music, wall pushes, and thinking happy thoughts. The printables are available in both color and black and white formats.
Stock It with Sensory Items
While activities and strategies are essential for maximizing the effectiveness of your calm down corner, some students also require tactile or auditory tools to help with regulation. In addition to calming colors, coloring books, and timers, consider adding the following sensory-friendly items to your classroom:
- Wobble seats
- Stress balls
- Calming music
- Playdough
- Noise-reducing headphones
- Fidget toys
- Balance disks
- Various fabric textures
- Breathing apps
- Stretch bands
Customize Must-Haves for Different Age Groups
Each classroom is a unique blend of personalities and needs. When considering calm down corner ideas, it’s crucial to tailor them to the specific grade level.
Use More Pictures and Structured Activities for Younger Students
For young learners who are just starting to develop their literacy skills, a calm down corner is most effective when it includes strong visuals and simple activities. Implement picture-based guides for breathing techniques or feelings charts featuring emojis to assist them in identifying their emotions, whether it’s mad, sad, or something in between. Plush toys or small blankets can provide comfort, and activities should be kept brief and straightforward, such as bubble breathing or tracing shapes with their fingers.
Support Upper Elementary Students with Hands-On Tools and Options
By third and fourth grade, students may have outgrown some of the calming tools, yet they still require structure in their calming corner. Instead of relying solely on visuals, provide check-in charts that combine words and images, alongside a broader selection of emojis to help them articulate their feelings accurately.
Calm down corner ideas for this age group might include sentence starters for positive self-talk and short reflection sheets with guiding prompts. Empower students with more independence by offering choice cards, such as “take a walk” or “do a stretch.” At this developmental stage, students tend to respond positively to hands-on tools like stretchy putty or various tactile fidgets.
Prepare Older Students with Long-Term Tools
For older students, the calm down corner can evolve into a genuine self-regulation station stocked with mature tools for reflection and emotional control. Include notebooks and pencils for journaling, along with positive affirmation cards that students can personalize. Replace simple posters with QR codes linking to breathing apps or mindfulness exercises, and add calming strategy posters that feature clear, concise wording. Choice cards can guide them toward regulation strategies such as journaling or listening to music. Access to calming music also serves as a powerful means for students to rest and reset.
Teach Students How to Use the Calm Down Corner
While calm down corner signs and decor help set the tone for the space, they alone are insufficient. Students need explicit guidance on how to effectively utilize this area. Highlight that it is not a punishment but rather a tool for emotion management.
- Set Clear Expectations: During the initial days of class, clarify the rules regarding when and how the corner should be utilized.
- Role-Play the Process: Demonstrate the use of strategies and activities so that students can observe what effective self-regulation looks like.
- Reinforce it as a Learning Tool: Position the calm down corner as an essential resource for learning, akin to pencils or paper.
- Establish Time Limits: Utilize timers to keep the focus on regulation rather than leisure.
- Check In Afterward: Engage with students to discuss what worked, what didn’t, and which techniques helped them reset.
Recognize the Benefits for Classroom Management and SEL
Recent research indicates that students who can manage their emotions are better prepared to learn. A calming corner supports this development and offers numerous additional benefits for social and emotional learning.
- Teaches Mindful Practices: Strategies learned in this space can be applied both in and out of the classroom.
- Reduces Classroom Disruptions: Students can step away, regroup, and return with renewed focus.
- Builds Independence: Activities and tools empower students to manage their emotions without relying solely on adult intervention.
- Supports Emotional Growth: Aids students in recognizing disruptive feelings and practicing healthy coping strategies.
- Creates a Safe Environment: Validates emotions while offering students a space to process them safely.
- Normalizes Unpleasant Emotions: Reinforces that everyone experiences difficult feelings, and acknowledges that it’s perfectly okay.
Create a Calming Space for Students with TPT
Establishing a calm down corner encompasses more than just allocating space within your classroom — it involves constructing a sanctuary where students can learn to regulate and de-escalate their emotions. When organizing your classroom, factor in the calm down corner as a vital component. Discover a variety of calm down corner resources on TPT to provide your students with a safe environment to navigate their emotions.
