Calm Down Strategies Games

I love helping students learn calm down strategies in a fun and interactive way through the use of games. Learning these types of skills through play helps children add those tools to their toolbox. My most recent way to help kids learn to keep calm is through the use of falling dominos.

In life, we can have a perfect plan. We can set up all the pieces and have a spectacular finished product and something outside of our control could easily come along and knock it all down. Life is always changing like that. There are so many moving parts and life is unpredictable, students have to learn how to cope. I thought knocking down a bunch of dominoes would be a good visual for this concept.

Life is Unpredictable, We Have to Keep Calm

I’ve been teaching kids to cope with the unexpected by having them line up dominoes that will inevitably fall down. Kids, understandably, get really upset. I make the comparison between the falling dominoes and the unpredictability of life. I ask the kids what they are doing to do when the dominoes all start to fall. How are they going to handle it when something does not go their way? I love the connections students make while using this domino visual.

Once they get over their initial annoyance with their dominos falling down, there are some really strong connections and life lessons to be learned.

Below is how I expanded on this idea to create small group activities for some of my third and fourth graders that are struggling to keep themselves calm and regulated.

Game Time

Icebreaker Activity

I like to start the conversation by showing students this ten-sided dice. Students are always surprised by the structure of the dice, most haven’t seen something like this. I have students roll the dice and land on a calm down strategy. I then have students describe how someone could use that calm down strategy in real life. P

We then use the poster to discuss the various calm down strategies students can utilize during the school day.

Domino Calm Down Strategies Game

Once students feel comfortable, we play the domino question game.

The game is very simple to play. Students are given the task of matching dominos the dominos on the table with dominos in their hand that have the same numbers on them. If they are unable to match a domino, they have to answer a question card.

There are 120 question cards students can randomly choose. Once the question is answered, students have another shot at trying to match up a domino.

This is a really engaging way to get students thinking and talking about ways they can stay calm.

Calm Down Strategies Game, Follow Up Activities to Keep the Calm

I have a variety of follow up activities that I use with students after we have played the calm down strategies game. These activities are used to help reinforce the lessons long after our group ends and students go back to class. Many of these activities are designed to allow students to complete them on their own (or with minimal help) at their desk.

Break Charts

I give this to students and let them cross out strategies that do not work for them and color in strategies that they have found to work or that they want to practice the next time they are upset.

These can also be laminated so that they can be used multiple times (students will use dry erase markers instead of crayons/colored pencils).

Clothes Pin Check In Activity

Laminate and have students keep at their desks. Have students assess their emotions and move the clothes pin accordingly. This is a great way for them to self monitor and recognize when they need to take a break and/or calm themselves.

Break Request Cards

This is a great tool for helping students express what they need in order to calm down. It allows students to take ownership of their feelings and recognize their ability to regulate their emotions. This is also a great tool for collecting data or tracking student calm down corner use.

Calm Down Strategies Desk Dominoes

I laminate and use these dominoes as a system for my students to let me know they are taking a break. Students can either leave a domino in the corner of their desk letting me know they are utilizing a break time, or they can place the tile on my desk to let me know they are taking a break.

This helps build upon and reinforce strategies learned during the domino calm down game. It also allows students to ask for a break in a silent, nondisruptive manner.

Domino Breathing Visual

Laminate and tape to the corner of student’s desk for an instant reminder. Teach students how to use the diagram so they can utilize it on their own when upset.

Self Tracker

Give to students and allow them to self monitor their use of calm down strategies. Every time students utilize one of their calm down strategies, encourage them to write about it in the boxes.

Download your very own copy of this resource from my TpT store by clickinghere.

How do you help reinforce calm down strategies with your students? What follow up activities do you give them to make sure the skills stick once they go back to the classroom? I would love to hear your ideas and collaborate! Drop a comment in the boxes below!

Calm Down Strategies Games

Life is Unpredictable, We Have to Keep Calm