This post has the best calm down choices free printable for your calming corner, at home or in the classroom.
Looking for calm down choices free printable, either for adults or for kids? Nowadays, many classrooms and homes have a calming corner. Having options to choose from can be incredibly helpful when new to these calming practices. These free printables include many effective and accessible calm down techniques. Find the perfect addition to your calm corner set!
You will learn about calm down strategies for kids, coping skills to handle big emotions, general self-regulation skills that are beneficial for any age, coping cards and more for your own calm corner toolkit!
After learning about (and doing!) these calm-down strategies you will be able to build a calm down kit for your calm space. You will also notice a big difference in how you or your children feel and interact with each other.
This post is all about calm down choices free printable
Calm down choices free printable
I know many of you are looking for free printables, so I’ve gathered a list of ideas and inspiration for calm down corner printables. Now you can easily create a supportive safe space in your classroom or home!
I also created my own printables that are super affordable (just €0.99!). One of them is added to this list, as I believe it complements the free printables really nicely. The printables I make myself, are dyslexia-friendly and designed with cute illustrations to complement the exercises so multilingual learners can more easily understand. Have a look around this post, and find what fits your calming corner (and your wallet) best!
Why do I need self-regulation skills?
Every single one of us will have to interact with other people at one point or another. Yes, you too, you hermits! 😉 Lots of different people in our lives, means lots of different things thrown at us that cause us to react. Having an awareness and understanding of your feelings and emotions will help to:
- understand yourself and use more positive self-talk
- better problem solving skills as your understanding of yourself and others grows
- more empathy towards yourself and others
- responding from an authentic place vs. reacting without thinking
- improve communication skills
The list goes on. It is a lifelong journey, but well worth it as you will find more inner peace, clarity and improved relationships. Don’t we want that for ourselves and our children? Yes! So let’s get started.
Self Regulation Poster
This self-regulation poster is a great visual guide that assists students in identifying and regulating their emotions, making it a perfect addition to any calming corner. Recognizing their big emotions and naming them, is incredibly helpful when children build their social-emotional skills.
This zones of regulation poster features the famous Inside Out characters which will be extra engaging for your children! Inside Out is an amazing movie that teaches us about our emotions in a fun way. If you are looking for themed calm corner signs, then this is a theme I highly recommend!
Mindful Breathing for Kids
These mindful breathing cards by Little Warriors are a must-have for your calm down corner! It’s 8 pages full of calm down cards
Who knew there were so many different tools for deep breathing exercises? The arrows on the cards are a helpful tool since young children can follow along as they take deep breaths. Learning to calm yourself is one of those life skills we can all use, and this printable is full of wonderful tools to do just that. I love that there are so many calming strategies to choose from, so there is always one that feels like a great option.
Mindful Coloring Sheets
This free download of a Mandala coloring sheet by Kumarah Yoga is great for independent work for young kids. Click to print another one of their mindful coloring sheets I like. These mindful coloring pages are a great way to incorporate mindfulness in a visual arts class for example. The best thing about these mandala coloring printables is that they can be enjoyed by people of all ages. Why not make it a quality-time activity as a family?
Mindful coloring has many benefits. It fosters emotional self-regulation for kids and adults. It is a great tool to improve:
- focus and concentration
- fine motor skills
- creativity
- stress-reduction
Brain Breaks
Find my own brain breaks cards FREEBIE here.
These 12 brain breaks ideas are a fun way to include social emotional learning in your calm corner. It is a good idea to laminate them (hopefully there will be a more environmentally-friendly option soon – or if you know any to keep your printouts last, please let us know in the comments!).
These brain breaks help to identify the most effective calming strategy. They are great for elementary students, middle school, high school, and even young adults. What am I saying? Even us old people will absolutely benefit from them 🙂
The brain break cards cover a variety of emotional regulation strategies such as; positive self-talk, naming our emotions, using our senses to self-regulate, breathing and grounding exercises, and more!
Self-regulation for Adults
Adults need self-regulation skills too of course! This square-breathing printable by Ball University can be a great addition to your deep breathing exercises. Regularly pausing and taking a conscious breath, is a great way to build on your emotional regulation strategies. It can, and will, make a big difference in your communication skills and your overall sense of well-being.
Whether it’s our partner, children, co-workers, or anyone we interact with, we influence them with our mood and behavior. Communicating from an authentic place makes all the difference. Breathing practices help us stay connected to ourselves and stay calm, where we otherwise might not have been able to.
Mirroring these self-regulation skills to our children is a great gift we can give them (and ourselves!). Learn to be calm (not composed, there is a huge difference!), and watch your relationships change in a positive manner.
Self-awareness Activities
Making good choices for ourselves starts with self-awareness. Once we learn to be aware of how we ‘do’ feelings and emotions in our body, we regain agency over them. This body awareness printable is one that I designed so you can practice this awareness and choice principle.
I admit, considering the post title, adding this printable is a little cheeky. It is the only one in the list that is not free, and as I mentioned at the start of this post, I believe it complements the other calming strategies beautifully and is worth the 99 cents. But don’t believe me, try it out for yourself if you like!
When we use calm-down strategies it is important to notice how we feel beforehand and after. For example, check in with yourself before taking deep breaths or moving through big emotions, and take the time to observe the difference afterward. This way we can learn to make better choices for ourselves and choose the best calm down techniques in each moment.
This self-awareness printable helps to become aware of our body, our posture, and how we feel. You can use this as a stand-alone exercise, or combine it with an activity in the other printables.
For example, start with the awareness practice. Next, think about how you would like to feel. Then, choose an activity that helps you get there. Last, ‘do’ this feeling with your posture and expression as explained in the self-awareness printable.
Calm down cards
What I love most about these calm down cards by Liz’s Early Learning Spot, is that they are available in many languages, including Portuguese, Dutch, Icelandic, Spanish, Romanian, Swedish and more! The download link is slightly hidden, but if you scroll down to the 3rd image then you can find the calm down cards printables right below it.
Another thing that is great about these calming cards, is that it includes an “anger meter”. The effectiveness of activities depends on the level of anger or frustration children experience. Identifying where they are at on the scale first, is a great first step to then deciding which strategy cards work best in the moment.
Calming Cards
These finger tracing calming cards by Adayinourshoes.com, is a great addition for your calm corner. Tracing the patterns on these calming cards can be a great way for children to practice mindfulness effectively. Not only does it increase concentration and focus, out of all the activities in this post, I think these calming cards are the best way to develop fine-motor skills. Win-win!
Depending on the intensity level of emotions of an upset child, this could be a fantastic tool that can be used independently. When students self-regulate, it is important they learn what works for them and that they can get to calmness by themselves too. This builds confidence, trust in themselves, and eventually a sense of safety and knowing that they are OK, no matter the situation.
Tip: Practice focusing on deep breaths while finger tracing.
The Importance of Breathwork
We can use all these calming strategies as instructed, but if we hold our breath, or keep breathing high in our chest, we continue to send signals to our brain that we aren’t safe. Pay close attention to your own breathing when doing these self-regulation exercises, and watch for belly breaths in your kids.
Deep belly breaths are our natural way of breathing. This tells our nervous system we are in a safe place, we are OK. Think about moments you are overwhelmed, stressed, experience anxiety, or any emotion that isn’t calm. How is your breath? Most likely, it is in your chest, fast-paced breaths, or perhaps you hold your breath.
Most of us have unlearned our natural deep breathing patterns somewhere in childhood (most books I’ve read on this suggest around the age of 5). That is a long time to have gotten used to unnatural patterns of breathing. So, give yourself time. Be kind. It takes regular practice to make belly breaths the default again.
Do make that time to practice belly breaths! It is life-changing, truly. Try it, and experience it for yourself!
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