These free printable kids calming activities are a great tool to use in teaching your kids self-regulation and identifying emotions.
As an early learning teacher, I had to learn a variety of tools to help my students self-regulate.
Teaching young learners was one of the most rewarding times I have ever had. Thankfully, I still can teach little ones in our home church’s kids bible study.
I remember working in the inner city where coping skills and self-regulation were almost non-existent. Many little ones were just made to tough things out or just told to be quiet or even ignored.
This lack of guidance in dealing with emotions surely resulted in some acting out in the classroom. However, I took those experiences as challenges to help my kids (students) deal well with their feelings.
I love getting down to a child’s eye level or sitting with them to give them my attention and just listen. Sometimes without listening – we won’t be able to “see” what is in their little minds and hearts.
Back then, I didn’t really know how to deal with many characters, but I let the kids teach me what worked best for them.
It was then where I learned to get kids to draw and make circle pictures in order to get their feelings down on paper, then talk about it in the third person. it was easier for them that way.
Example:
I also remember my very favorite student – yes, teachers have them. He was a little boy who no one could deal with. He was defiant, hyper, and disrespectful to many teachers.
Well, my classroom was a teaching classroom, where tea hers from all over the city can observe how I ran my classroom (lots of routines was the key for me).
My favorite student stole my heart and we learned to communicate well. At quiet time I let him do forward rolls on a mat at the back of the class.
It helped his anger, his energy levels, got his wiggles out and cleared his mind it seems. Any way, Isay this becasue it got to a poitn where he knew when he was getting to a poitn where he needed to self-regulate that way.
Thankfully, now I see there are numerous calming activities to try with our children to help them to self-regulate when they would normally throw tantrums or act out.
These FREE Printable Kids Calming Activities will help your students in a calmer corner, to de-escalate, practice deep breathing, and practice to identify emotions.
Grab more resources to help kids with their emotions at home.
- 10-pack of FREE Keep Calm & Carry On Cards
- Regulating Emotions FREE Printable for Kids
- FREE Emotions Scripture Memory Cards
Click here for the calming activities for kids (free printables) from Your Therapy Source.
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