🤝 Personal & Social Development · Self-Regulation & Resilience

Simple Calming Strategies

Use simple calming strategies when feeling upset or overwhelmed — such as taking deep breaths, counting to ten, or going to a quiet space — and understand that these help the body and mind settle down

Typical age: 5–7 years

“When your child gets really upset — say they lose a game or argue with a sibling — can they use a strategy like deep breaths to calm themselves down rather than staying in meltdown mode?”

0 / 3 mastered

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Needs first

Naming Basic Emotions
Calming strategies benefit from naming the emotion you're trying to manage
Words for Big FeelingsREQUIRED
Calming strategies (calm, breathe, settle) rely on knowing this vocabulary to name and apply the techniques

Unlocks next

Positive Self-TalkREQUIRED
Positive self-talk builds on basic calming strategies
Choosing the Right Coping StrategyREQUIRED
Different coping strategies builds on knowing basic calming strategies
Expressing Feelings with Words
Expressing feelings in words benefits from calming down first
Patience and Delayed Gratification
Patience benefits from calming strategies when waiting is hard