How to Create a Calm Down Corner

A calm down centre or mindfulness centre is a constructive approach to dealing with students who have a hard time controlling their emotions. Used right, it can help you meet your student’s social and emotional needs, allowing them to calm down and work through their problems, rather than lashing out.

So, How do you build a calm down corner?

You need an ideal spot in the room

You want somewhere slightly secluded from the rest of the class, preferably a corner or somewhere in the back of the room The corner should be somewhere where the distressed student won’t feel other students stare or judge them

The corner should also:

• Have enough room for a small chair or table
• The space should be at least semi-private
• It should be out of eyesight of fellow students

Add some furniture

Once you have the perfect space, set up a small chair and desk there so that they can be comfortable and safe. Alternatively, you might want to consider a bean bag chair if you want them to be even more comfortable. Creating desk space allows you to set up reflection and worksheets they can use later to work out their emotions.

Add some meaningful posters

The purpose of the space is to help children work through and deal with their emotions, and you can add meaningful posters to help them with this process.

Here are some suggestions

• A breathing technique sign
• A sign asking students to rate their anger/ feelings on a scale of 1-1
• A sign listing out what the students could do in the space
• A sign discussing dealing with emotional outbursts or bullies

A great resource for classroom resources is Canva.com

Add in a few toys and tools

No calm down centre is complete without tools that help the students do just that – calm down. You can add toys that you’ve noticed have the most effect on your student’s behaviour. Here are some of our top picks:

• Glitter Jars
• Puffer Squeeze balls
• Sensory Stixx
• Timers
• Playdough, etc.

Tell the students about the corner

The final and most important step is to tell the students in your early learning centre about the corner and show them how to use it. Your end goal is to help each student that gets sent into the corner to calm down and rejoin the class. Be clear that it’s not a fancy detention spot or a play space.

Conclusion

Take them through all the exercises, and in time, they should understand and use the space for its intended purpose. If it’s successful in the learning centre, they’ll likely use it in other areas of their lives too.