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- The explosive child lost at school
- gen ed shouldn't be earned
- st. A
- nadine burke harris- trauma & health

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-St. A's
-ACE test: Adverse Childhood Experience
-1/8 children have experiences that cause trauma
STAR free counseling

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- Kids do well if they can vs kids to well if they want to
- oriented around making kids want to do well
-skill not will
-- problem solving, flexibility, frustration tolerance,
-- learning disability in these areas vs academia
- students get props for things they aren't even trying for
- if you treat kids like they are lazy they begin to act like it
-2 year olds- limited skills and tolerance- some get better and some don't- development varies
- can't set up with a tutor (?)- need to be taught in context- problems vs opportunities
-when you teach adults to solve collaboratively with kids, it has amazing results- *Collaboration & empathy*
- listen and ask, lay out the problem for you, dont give solution- let the student get it

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dr ross greene approach to solving problems collaboratively

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Lives in the Balance and Dr. Greene's approach

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Dr. Ross Greene is the originator of the Collaborative Problem Solving approach -- now called Collaborative & Proactive Solutions -- as described in his books The Explosive Child, Lost at School, Lost & Found, and Raising Human Beings.

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This blog uses affiliate links. Basically, I make a small commission when you use these links, at no additional cost to you.

Do you need calm down kit ideas? Or have you been wondering how to make a calm down box for kids, but don't know where to start? This printable list of 40+ things to put in a calm down kit is the ideal starting point!

A major focus for us lately is to give my kids lots of tools and strategies for self-regulation. I've come up with a brilliant technique to teach visual learners to do deep breathing (I still have to blog about that though!) and made a set of visual calm down strategies cards.

Another item on my to do list is creating a calm down kit for my boys, filled with lots of tools and ideas for promoting relaxation and self-regulation.

While trying to build our ideal calm down bin, I decided to brainstorm a master list of calm down box ideas. I've compiled over 40 ideas and put together a free printable list so that you can easily brainstorm your own ideal calm down box as well!

This list is geared towards smaller children, but if you have older kids or preteens, then check out this free printable list of 40+ calm down tools for older kids!

This post contains affiliate links.

What to Include in a Calm Down Kit for Kids

There are lots of different things that you can include in a calm down kit and obviously, you will want to tailor it to your child(ren). Here are 40+ things you can put in a calm down kit for anxious kids:

1. Free printable visual calm down strategies cards

2. Bottle of bubbles

3. Chew toy or chew necklace

4. Small puzzle

5. Fidgets such as Tangle Jr. or puffer ball

6. Weighted lap cushion or stuffed animal - You can find some great DIY ideas under tip #10 here.

7. Weighted vest or pressure vest

8. Stretchy resistance bands

9. Sensory tunnel

10. Hearing protection ear muffs or noise canceling headphones

11. Chewing gum, hard candies, or lollipops - We love Pur natural chewing gum and Spry natural chewing gum!

12. Calming essential oil spray

13. Rescue remedy - I swear by this stuff! Seems to instantly calm meltdowns!

14. MP3 player with music and/or audiobooks - Be sure to include headphones and an accompanying book for the audiobook so they can read along while listening.

15. Book of yoga poses or printable yoga cards

16. Blank notebook and a writing utensil (crayons, pencil crayons, markers, or similar)

17. Sensory bottle or calm down jar - I love this post about 6 ways to make a calm down jar from Preschool Inspirations.

18. Skipping rope - Try our DIY skipping rope that's made from straws!

19. Visual stims such as a kaleidoscope or an hourglass

20. Books to read

21. Activity books: dot to dots, mazes, word searches, I Spy, etc. - Or print off a bunch of our I Spy printables and include them in your calm down kit!

22. Stress balls

23. Play dough or silly putty

24. Photo album filled with photos of family and friends

25. Small blanket

26. Bubble wrap

27. Pinwheels - To encourage deep breathing and blowing out.

28. Rubik's cube

29. Small chalk board and chalk, Magna-Doodle, Etch-a-Sketch, or Boogie Board for doodling and drawing

30. Tissue paper to rip - Fill a zipper seal bag with tissue paper and let kids rip it.

31. Light up toys, flashlight, or similar

32. Plastic snow globe - Acts like a calm down or sensory bottle and makes for a great visual stim.

33. Snacks with a variety of textures like crunchy (pretzels or nuts), chewy (fruit leather or dried fruit), or soft (marshmallows)

34. Pipe cleaners to twist and bend

35. Coloring books

36. Scarves or fabric scraps

37. Spinning top

38. Mini massager

39. Scratch and sniff stickers

40. Whistle, harmonica, party blowers, or similar small wind instrument - To encourage kids to breath out. Also, making music is a great way to release a variety of emotions.

41. Small mirror for making silly faces and exploring emotions

42. Straws and pom poms or cotton balls - A great oral motor idea to encourage deep breaths.

43. Body sock - Kids can retreat into a body sock for calming proprioceptive sensory input. Since they fold up relatively small, they make a great addition to a calm down kit.

44. Smelling bottles - Just fill bottles with calming scents, such as lavender.

45. Scratch art doodle pad

Married to her high school sweetheart, Dyan is a Canadian stay-at-home mom to two boys, J and K. She is also a part-time piano teacher. To stay connected, subscribe to the weekly newsletter to get a copy of the free Weekly Autism Planner and follow along on social media.

Other Great Calm Down Tools for Anxious Kids

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40+ Things to Put in a Calm Down Kit for Kids {Free Printable}

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This blog uses affiliate links. Basically, I make a small commission when you use these links, at no additional cost to you. Do you need calm down kit ideas? Or have you been wondering how to make a calm down box for kids, but don't know where to start?

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- no question phrases
- tell me why (describe what happened).
- look and listen
- not an option, it's okay to want to, but its not an option
- teach skills as alternates.
- tell me what you can do because in the future...

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