Confidence & feelings
Calm-down corner
- Builds: Making a calm-down plan
- 15 min
- Ages 4–6
- Calm
- No mess
From the house
- A cushion and a blanket
- A soft toy
- A favorite book
- Paper and crayons
How to play
- Pick a quiet spot together and make it cozy: it’s a place they choose to go, never a time-out.
- Trace their hand on paper, then breathe in as they trace up each finger and out as they trace down.
- Draw two or three more calm ideas on the paper, like a hug, a drink of water or squeezing teddy, and leave it in the corner.
- Act it out: they pretend to feel very angry, go to the corner, and try one idea.
Fit it to your child
- Easier: Skip the drawing and practice just one tool, like hugging teddy and taking three slow breaths.
- Harder: They draw a feelings thermometer from calm to very angry and pick a calm idea for each level.
Words to use
- calm
- angry
- breathe
- slow
- better
Why it helps
Building the spot themselves and practicing while they’re calm means they have a plan they chose ready for when a big feeling hits.