Creating a calming corner for your elementary classroom can be a great way to help your students regulate their emotions and build emotional intelligence. They’re soothing to your students and add an instant welcoming vibe to your classroom.
As teachers, we all have experienced a scenario like this:
Your class comes in from recess. One of your students walks in with sadness welling up inside of her. You can tell she’s distraught. You try to pull her aside to talk to her, but she won’t speak. She folds her arm and sits at her desk as the rest of the class sits in a circle on the carpet.
You calmly invite her to the carpet, but she ignores you and starts drawing on her desk with a marker. You ask her again and she still ignores you.
What do you do? How do you support her?
Maybe you feel disrespected that she’s not joining the class on the carpet. You get embarrassed and upset that she’s disrespecting your authority. This causes an emotional rise in you. “Fine- go out to the hall if you’re not going to listen!”
Or maybe you ignore her and let her cool down, but wonder in the back of your mind if you’re sending a message to other students that it’s okay to ignore your directions.
Creating a designated space for students to implement self-calming strategies can eliminate a lot of scenarios similar to the one mentioned above.
What is a Calming Corner and Why Do You Need One in Your Classroom?
A calming corner is a quiet area of the room that serves as a safe place in the classroom where students can go to calm down if they’re feeling mad, stressed, or sad. Calming corners do not have to be an actual corner in your classroom. Some teachers choose to give their students independent calm down kits at the beginning of the year. Some teachers dedicate a desk or beanbag and wall area for their cool down area. While others may create nooks for their calm down area. So as you read, imagine the physical space of your classroom and be open to tweaking the advice to work for you and your space.
Calming Corners can also be known as:
- Calm Down Corner
- Cool Down Corner
- Cool Down Spot
- Zen Zone
- Mindfulness Corner
- Calm Down Area
- Calm Down Space
- Safe Space
- Safe Spot
- Sensory Corner
- Peace Corner
- Relaxation Station
You and your students might think of a brand new name for this safe space in your classroom. The calming corning can be reimagined to fit your needs. The most important element of your calming corner is the message you give to your students about it. It shouldn’t become just another cozy spot to read, or worse, a place that collects dust because it goes unused. It is most effective when used as an environmental social-emotional support tool for your students.
The Importance of Calming Areas for Elementary Students
Having a calm-down area in your classroom serves as an excellent place to implement the self-calming strategies and coping strategies you’ve taught your students, just like your classroom library is a great place for your students to curl up with a book and implement the reading strategies you’ve taught them.
Calming corners are an essential resource for students, as they can provide a safe and supportive space where children can go to de-escalate and calm down.
Without the safe and supportive space, the likelihood of students running out of the classroom, taking extended amounts of time to frequent the bathroom, or hiding under the desk increase.
Calming corners help students manage their emotions in times of stress. And because it is a physical space and not just strategies in their head, it serves as a visual reminder to PAUSE before acting out in a disrespectful or harmful way (side note: a fun name for your cool-down area could be the Pause Palace-that just came to my mind!).
Calm-down areas also help build positive relationships between students as they navigate friendships and collaborative group work. Every time your students interact with each other social conflicts and challenges may arise. I’ve noticed that just the very presence of a calming corner can be something that you glance at as you and a student who’s becoming frustrated meet eyes. That student can then be instantly reminded of self-calming strategies you taught them and can begin using some right there in their seat (i.e. deep breathing). The uses of a calming area in your classroom are endless!
Do Calm-down Corners work? The Benefits of Calming Corners for students
We’ve only scratched the surface as to why adding a calming corner is so beneficial to your students, but here are my favorite reasons:
- Calming corners help students learn how to manage their emotions in times of stress or other big emotions.
- Calming corners help keep all of your self-regulation tools and activities all in one place for quick access. (Who wants to go stumbling around for a breathing mat in the middle of a meltdown?)
- Calming corners give you a space to place reminders to your students that there are many ways to handle stress, anxiety, and big emotions in the form of calm-down posters, calming sensory toys, breathing mats, etc.
- Calming corners can be used as a preventative measure to avoid meltdowns. One of the fastest ways to decrease emotional meltdowns is for your students to be able to recognize their feelings before it gets too out of control and begin using calming strategies proactively.
- Calming corners provide an opportunity for students to take a break if they are feeling overstimulated. This is especially helpful for students who struggle with too much stimuli or sensory overload during certain activities.
How to Setup a Calming Corner in Your Classroom
Setting up your calming corner can be quick and easy. The most important thing is to find a location in your classroom that is quiet and secluded. Once you’ve found the perfect spot, you can start stocking it with calming activities and resources. Here are a few action steps to get you started:
- Find the perfect spot for your calming corner. Aim for an area that is free of distractions. Avoid high traffic areas such as right next to your door. If you can use furniture to create a nook that carves out a defined space (similar to how library shelves can carve out a defined library space) then that’s even better. Just make sure that you can still see the calm down corner easily from different vantage points in your classroom.
- Add furniture to your calming corner. Begin with a cozy place for students to sit down and relax such as chairs, stability ball, bean bag, or floor cushions. Next, add a small table that will house calming activities, books, and resources. A small table lamp can also add a soothing vibe. If you want students to be able to do movement, consider adding yoga mats, jump ropes, resistance bands, or Hula Hoops.
- Add wall decorations and calming posters. Maybe a sign that says “Take a Break” or “Relaxation Station” (or whatever name you and your students choose for your cool down area). You can find calming posters and printables online or in stores. Look for calming images that can help promote relaxation, such as nature scenes, animals, or inspiring quotes. Or print out poster sized versions of breathing mats and posters that list out calming strategies or yoga poses. Feelings wheels and other social emotional posters are also great to add. At the beginning of the year, when you introduce the calming corner, you can make an expectations chart about how to use the space. Just make sure that the wall space is clean, simple, and not overly cluttered.
Stocking Your Calming Corner With Calming Activities and Resources
Once you’ve got the basics of your calming area, now the fun begins! You can use Amazon wishlist, parent donations, grants, and sites like Donors Choose to stock your calming corner with tools, resources, and student self-calming activities that will help support your students with regulating their emotions and behavior. Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Add Calming Tools. Timers, breathing mats, noise-cancelling headphones, and even weighted vests for kids can be great calming tools to add to your calming corner.
- Add Calming Sensory Tools and Toys: Such as sensory bottles, fidget toys, stress balls, sponge balls, or any sensory tools that promote relaxation for students to focus on when they’re upset.
- Add Calming SEL Books. Fill your calming corner with a variety of calming books that students can read when they need a break. Books that feature coping skills for the various emotions that your students are dealing with are great to include as well as some class favorites that can take their mind off of their feelings. (You can also include calming books in your classroom library for students to check out and take home if they’re having a rough day.)
- Add calming activities to your calm down corner. Provide calming activities that students can do when they need a break. Examples of calming activities that you could include are coloring, drawing, crafts, and quiet games.
- Add calming printables to your calm down corner: Printables are the perfect addition to your calming corner. Calming coloring pages that feature calming images and patterns that students can color to help them relax are always a hit with elementary students and preschoolers. Calming word searches that include calming words and phrases that students can look for as they search help them stay focused on those keywords such as “breathe.” Calming visualization printables that feature visualization exercises can help students focus on calming their body and mind. Calm down mats are my favorite way to help students instantly calm down using breathing games embedded on the mats.
- Add calming music and scents to your calm down corner. Diffusing lavender essential oil is a scent synonymous with evoking calmness. Add an iPad, QR code playlist, or even an old cd player with headphones so that students can listen to calming music. This is great for taking a break, since you can use the length of songs as a check-in of returning back to the learning activities. (i.e. “1-2 songs then coming back ready to learn.)
Amazon Essentials For Your Calm Down Corner
- DIY SENSORY BOTTLES: I own these bottles and love them for creating my own sensory bottles.
- Skip the DIY and buy ready-made sensory bottles.
- Mindful Maze breathing boards
- Stress Relief Balls: These are so cool and soothing to squeeze because you can see the tiny balls inside as you squeeze!
- Therapy Putty: I first fell in love with Therapy Putty my first year teaching and I’ve been a fan since. It doubles as a way to increase hand flexibility for your students who need that additional support.
Introducing the Calming Corner With Rules and Expectations
Some teachers I’ve talked to have said, “I could never have something like that in my classroom, my students would tear it to pieces.” If you’re feeling hesitant to implement a calming area in your classroom, then I would highly suggest setting expectations for your students.
Have a discussion with your class about the difference between tools and toys. Introduce any fidget toy, sensory bottle, etc. individually with the entire class and talk about its purpose as well as how to use it.
Pass out different calming tools and toys and have students investigate, observe, and explore the items.
Talk about what to do if they discover that a tool is broken. I like to refer to the book hospital (which is a bin where broken, torn, or ripped books go to be repaired) as an example of how to also treat calm down corner items they come in contact with that need repair.
Some calming corner expectations/rules you may want to set are:
- Only one person can be in the calming corner at a time.
- Students can stay in the calming corner for a maximum of _ minutes (if you plan to use a timer).
- No talking is allowed in the calming corner. (Unless you’ve explicitly discuss how to calm down with more than one person in the space or you have peer mediators).
- Students must respect the materials in the calming corner and use them as a tool not a toy.
When you place an emphasis on how to use and treat the calm down corner students respect it so much more.
Teaching Calming Strategies and encourage using the calming corner Throughout the YEar
With the rise of social emotional learning and SEL standards, calm down areas are becoming more and more widely known and used, but it may not be something your students have personally encountered. Keep in mind during your SEL lessons and SEL activities that lend itself to being able to refer to the calming corner.
Giving students practical ways to use the calm down corner throughout the year will remind students that they don’t have to be seeing red in order to use the calming corner. Modeling how to use it is the best.
I recommend modeling it as if you were the student and use think alouds to narrate what’s happening as you utilize the space and tools in your calming corner. Have students think back to a time when they could’ve used the calming corner as a way to help support them with a big emotion they were feeling.
Calming Corner Ideas
If you’re looking for additional ways to make your calming corner more effective, here are a few ideas.
- Make sure the calming corner is stocked with fresh resources on a regular basis so that students don’t get bored with it. Research about the effects of novelty on the brain suggests that changes in the environment produce dopamine which can help stimulate positive emotions and reduce stress. Not to mention keep your students actively interested in using the calming corner rather than resorting to old behaviors of ineffectively handling emotions.
- Work with other teachers, school psychologists or guidance counselors to provide additional calming support for students who may need it on a more regular basis beyond the scope of the classroom.
- Keep a log of how often students are using the calming corner and what types of activities seem to be the most effective in helping them calm down. This information can be used to adjust the calming resources and activities as needed. Gotta keep it fresh.
- Help specific students who really need to use the calming corner by having them visit the corner at a set time each day. Brainstorm times when specific emotions or behaviors are happening such as during morning work time or after lunch. This doesn’t have to be permanent, just a nice nudge until that student gets the hang of using the calm down corner as a positive support tool. *It should not feel like a punishment* For extra reluctant students, if you invited them into the corner during lunch and casually chat about using it, and can be a non-threatening introduction to their customized routine.
- Have students take turns being in charge of the calming corner. You can assign roles such as stocking it with calming resources (if you plan to rotate resources), cleaning it up, or leading calming activities.
So, there you have it! Everything you need to set up your own calming corner in your classroom. This is a great way to help all of your students, but especially those who struggle with intense emotions. If you decide to set up a calming corner in your room, be sure to let me know how it goes! I’d love to hear about your experiences and see pictures of your finished space. And if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask in the comments below. Finally, before I go, I want to ask: what am I missing? What materials do you think are essential for a calm down area? Let me know in the comments and I may add them to this post!