Calming Strategies Checklist

Checklist for children to look at and think about which calming strategies work best for them when in a heightened emotional state.

Why do you need this?
Children dealing with heightened emotional states, especially those struggling with anger issues often need guidance and support to navigate their emotions efficiently. This checklist is a good tool to help teachers to be proactive in helping children manage their stress, it aims to involve children actively in self-regulating their emotions.

How and when might you use this?
This might be used in a variety of ways:
· During PSHE lessons focused on emotional regulation and coping strategies, helping children identify which work best for them.
· Following a conflict or behavioural incident a tool for self-reflection to think about their reaction to anger and what strategies they may use instead in the future.
· As 1:1 support for a child struggling with anger management.
· During counselling sessions to support students in exploring their anger triggers and developing personalised coping strategies.
· As a whole class activity to promote a classroom culture of emotional awareness and self-regulation.

What’s included?
One PDF worksheet showing a checklist of calming strategies that children might use when angry. Children can go down the list and check either ‘this helps’, ‘this sometimes helps’, ‘this does not help’