Calm Down Corner

Children are complex people. Not only are they mastering new skills but they are also learning about daily life and hitting major milestones along the way. With so much social and emotional development taking place, it can feel exciting, disorienting, and confusing all at once for little ones.

It can be difficult for your child to deal with the tidal wave of emotions that come with their growth, and this can often result in meltdowns, fits, and tantrums. The good news is that there are tools that can help. One such tool is the calm down corner. Here, we’ll discuss what the calm down corner is, how you can recreate one, and how it can help you and your children.

What is a Calm Down Corner?

A calm down corner or a calming corner is a place your child can go to voluntarily calm down. It is ultimately a tool that is used to manage emotions.

One of the most important distinctions to recognize is that the calm down corner is completely different from the time-out zone, which is used as punishment for kids. The calm down corner is not a place where children are forced to go when they misbehave. Instead, it is a safe and quiet space kids can go to in order to pause and reset. Here, kids can deal with overwhelming emotions until they return to manageable levels after which they can then discuss them or move on. This space should be positive and free of any shame or blame.

Benefits of a Calm Down Corner

There are several benefits of a calm down corner, including the following:

• It builds emotional intelligence
• It teaches children that unpleasant emotions are normal
• It provides some structure for dealing with big emotions
• It helps children learn from their mistakes
• It gives children a safe space
• It encourages self-regulation
• It helps kids work on social and emotional learning

How to Create a Calm Down Corner in the Classroom

Creating a calm down corner is easy as long as you have space and a few materials. Here’s how to do it for your classroom:

1. Choose the right location. Select a calming area that is away from the louder, busier parts of the classroom. It’s important to create the feeling of separation while still being able to keep an eye on your student.
2. Make it comfortable. Decorate the space so that it is comfortable and inviting. Use soft and calming colors. You can also add bean bags, soft floor mats, and roomy chairs. This will allow children to relax in case they need to use the calm down corner. You can even include low-maintenance plants.
3. Use sounds. You can provide students with noise-canceling headphones or play soft music in the quiet corner. This will allow them to tune out the external noise of the classroom.
4. Add sensory tools and art supplies. Sensory tools that relieve stress such as stress balls, glitter jars, putty, and kinetic sand are great to have in the calm down corner. Puzzles and blocks can be very helpful as well. Add art supplies like crayons, colored pencils markers, coloring pages, and blank paper.
5. Help children identify their emotions. You can also set up an emotions wall with feelings charts or other social-emotional resources so that kids will have an easier time identifying what it is they’re feeling. By naming the emotion, children will be able to cope with it more easily.

How to Create a Calm Down Corner at Home

You can also create a calm down corner at home. They do not have to be elaborate and are actually quite easy to set up. Here’s how you can create the calm down corner in your home:

1. Choose the right spot. Your calm down area doesn’t necessarily need to be a corner. A spot that’s quiet but not completely isolated should do the trick. This can be a closet without doors or a nook under the stairs.
2. Decorate it for comfort. Add cozy seats and furniture, such as floor cushions, bean bags, a table and chair, or a bookshelf. Hanging up signs, posters, and artwork can also be very helpful for your child when they use the calm down corner. A mirror may also allow your child to see their expressions as they calm down.
3. Add calm down tools. You can add tools that will help your children relax in the calm down area. These can be anything that your kids find useful, such as fidget toys, art supplies, and music.
4. Explain the calm down corner. Take time to explain how the calm down corner works to your kids. Go through the options they have so they can use the area as needed.

Tips for Creating and Using a Calm Down Corner

Here are some tips on creating and using a calm down corner for your children or students:

• Some children like listening to calming music to help manage their emotions. You can have headphones available at home or in the classroom so that the music doesn’t interrupt others.
• It may help to have a time limit for the calm down corner. Remember that it is an area where children are meant to regain composure and emotional control. It should not be used for play or to get away from a lesson (if it’s at school).
• Students can submit something called a “chill out pass” to their teachers before using the calm down corner.
• Make the space accessible to your child, whether that’s at home or at school. It is important for them to recognize that they are welcome to use the space as needed.

Calm Down Corner Printables

We have some printables that you can use in your calm down corner at school or at home.

Grounding Exercises

Grounding exercises such as the 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding Technique or body awareness grounding techniques can help kids focus on the present moment in a therapeutic manner. These techniques can provide both a release of physical tension and calming of the mind.

Calm Down Visuals

This worksheet offers calming strategies (beyond deep breathing) with pictures on one page and a full list on the other. A Coping Skills Alphabet also offers a variety of coping skills that can assist kids while in their calm down corner. The 101 Coping Skills For Teens handout offers coping skills for older kids.

Ways to Stay Calm

This wall art offers calming tips (walks, peaceful places, music) for work, school, or home for staying calm and thinking clearly.

Emotions Poster for Kids

This emotions poster helps kids identify feelings (happy, sad, etc.) and offers coping tips. This is great for kids who struggle to communicate emotions. There are two posters: one with feelings with faces & colors and another with coping strategies. This is especially useful for parents, teachers, and professionals.

Therapeutic Coloring Pages

The Coping Skills Alphabet Coloring Pages or Color By Coping Skills Coloring Pages offer kids a mindful experience as they learn about coping skills while focusing their attention on coloring, which can shift their attention away from stressful emotions.

Breathing Resources

There are many visual options for breathing exercises for kids that can support the calming process. Explore some of the best breathing handouts and posters, including techniques such as star breathing, rainbow breathing, square breathing, diaphragmatic breathing, and paced breathing. This handout describes many calm down strategies, and includes a reference to the physiological sigh breathing technique.

The Bottom Line

The calm down corner is ultimately a tool your child can use for their own benefit and well-being. It helps them regulate their emotions when they may feel too big to control. By using the calm down corner or area, they learn emotional intelligence and can improve their emotional expression and control as they grow into adolescents and adults.

These are just a few of the calm down corner ideas we have for you. There are many more that you can take advantage of as long as they will provide your children or students with a sense of calm and relaxation that can bring heightened emotions down. If your child is struggling to regulate their emotions, then it may be helpful for them to see a licensed mental health professional as well.

For more worksheets and handouts to support social-emotional learning check out our collection of Feelings Worksheets.