Seeing all of the school supplies and Back to School sales at every store makes me realize that Back to School Night is almost here. I am so excited to meet my new kiddos. A few of my kiddos I taught preschool to when I first came to my school district so it will be so exciting to see how much they have grown and changed.
Every year that goes by I feel like I learned so much from my kiddos. This past year was no different. I wish that I had more time to spend with each and everyone, especially when a lot of time was spent calming down those couple of kiddos with severe behaviors. I am hoping that the Leader in Me program my school is implementing this year will help along with my Calming Kit that I am going to use.
My Calming Kit contains materials that any one of my kiddos can take to the Calming Spot for a break and to relax. I started with a basic basket, put on a cute black chevron label, and filled with stress-free related items. I have a hand mirror with an emotion wheel and eight emotion cards for my kiddos to compare their facial expressions and determine their mood. I also put play dough and two stress balls (one cupcake and one Superhero's for both girls and boys) for my kiddos to work out that anger, frustration, or stress. To practice their deep breathing I add a visual card and bubbles. To finish my kit I will place a feelings book, or two, that my kiddos can read. Almost everything I bought from the Dollar Tree.
While teaching classroom procedures at the beginning of the year I will teach my kiddos when is an appropriate time to grab the basket and take it to the calming spot. I have placed a sand timer inside the basket, which lasts 5 minutes, so my kiddos do not plan on using the kit as a "get out of classroom work pass". All the expectations will be clearly explained to my kiddos.I want them to know that it is alright to step away from a problem or situation that is frustrating and take a few moments to calm themselves down. You can download this kit from my TPT store by clicking on the image below.
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