Why Do My Kids Need a Calm Down Kit?
Every child should learn to cope and manage their strong emotions.
By having a Calm Down Kit, kids can have an easy-to-carry kit with a variety of items that will help them regulate in those dysregulated moments. The choices will give your kids agency, and confidence in learning to calm down with the help of a trusted adult, and eventually, on their own.
Related: Top 6 Must-Haves to Include in Your CalmDown Corner Free Printables
What's Included in This Download?
This free printable list has 5 categories of items, and examples to help your kid learn to calm down.
See recommendations and instructions for:
- DIY Calm Down Bottles
- Sensory/ Fidget Toys that are Mom and Early Childhood Teacher approved
- Suggestions for personalized comfort items
- Instructions on how to make a DIY Feelings Book, for your classroom or home
- Book Lists to help navigate tough topics such as:
- Violence or scary times
- Grief, loss, or death
- Racism and exclusion
- Emotions and mental health
- Divorce and family changes
- Illness
How Should I Use My Calm Down Kit?
- Find a time when your child is not dysregulated to talk about each item.
- Spend some time every day practicing calming down, and using the items, when the child is not dysregulated. (You can practice a different item each day.)
- Help the child role-play common scenarios-- both positive and negative.
- Help the child learn words to identify the emotions or feelings they might feel, the causes of the emotions or feelings, how it might look or feel in their face or body, how to express it appropriately, and how to regulate or calm down the emotion.
- Validate that all emotions are normal, and acceptable, and with practice, we can learn to calm them down to feel better and express them appropriately.
