Don’t give up managing BIG emotions is HARD. It’s a hard skill to learn and will not happen overnight. You are teaching your child about feelings, building self-regulation, and self-awareness. It’s hard to stay calm when they are upset so take deep breaths or a break yourself when you need to. Remember you want to talk to your students in a calm voice to help calm them. Remember, it is our job to be CALM for them, not add to the big emotions they are experiencing. You can go over there with them OR just observe them staying kinda close, so you can help them if they need it. Do you want to go to the safe place to help you feel better?” Do not leave the student at this point because they may need more support from you. Do you want to go to the safe place to feel better?” or “I see your face is red and your body looks tight. I might say something like, “I see you have a frown on your face, and you look sad. It’s also important to give verbal cues at the beginning of the year to remind students that they can go to the safe place when they are upset. When I see students using the safe place appropriately, I give them verbal praise, high-fives, and shouts outs during circle time or at the end of the day. Other books I love are In My Heart: A Book of Feelings, My Magic Breath, and B is for Breathe. We take turns pretending to be upset (while we are still sitting at circle) and squeezing the squishy to calm down. ![]() After we read the book, I get out one thing from the calm-down kit, like a stuffed animal or something they can squeeze. You can also put items from the calm down kit out at table time for students to explore.Īnother day during circle, I read the social story, I Can Calm Down When I am Upset. It’s also a time when you can talk about when to use and when not to use the safe place. Next, I show items in the calm-down kit, and let students play with them. Then I used the materials to help me feel better. Then I walk back to circle and review what I did: I was sad. The whole time I am talking through what I am doing and feeling (private speech which are those things you think to yourself but say them out loud for students to hear). I pretend I’m sad, and I walk over to the safe place I then move the feeling wheel to sad, look at the feeling photos, and play with items from the calm down kit. I then model being upset and how to use the safe place appropriately. I explain how it’s a place they can go when they want to be alone or feel upset. Then I introduce the safe place in our classroom. It’s about a little girl who gets mad and goes up into a tree to calm down. To introduce the safe place, I read When Sophie Gets Angry. You can download my FREE Curriculum Map HERE. I typically introduce it around week three in my classroom after I teach all the basic classroom routines. Just like anything else in your classroom, you have to teach students what a safe place is and how to use it. Personally, I stay away from things hanging from the ceiling for safety reasons because when a student is upset, he or she may pull on them or wrap themselves in them. Just remember, when students are upset, they cry, sneeze, and cough, so make sure the items in the safe place can be easily washed and cleaned. Place a rug, pillows, and/or combination of bean bags in the safe place. ![]() sand timer (to be used for turn taking when sharing toys in the classroom, NOT for time out).calm down kit with sensory goodies (squishy toys, sensory bottles, child-safe mirror, social story, deep breath chart, etc.).pillow, bean bag, or rug in cool, relaxing colors.What you need to create a safe place or cozy corner: Being upset or having a problem is not a punishment it’s a life skill. You want to make a place students WANT to go to calm down. Just remember: the safe place is NOT time out. This post contains affiliate links which means I earn a tiny commission when you use my links at no cost to you. ![]() Grab the FREEBIE by entering your email in the box at the bottom of this post. Make sure you read to the end and grab the FREEBIE! Sometimes students (teachers too) need to take a break from what’s going on around them so they can regain control of their emotions. It is a place students can go when they feel various emotions like sad, mad, frustration, nervous, or even tired. It should be a place that is cozy with visual supports, that is away from the load spaces in the classroom. Every classroom needs a place for students to go where they feel safe, can calm down, or solve problems.
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