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When emotions are strong, it can be difficult to think clearly and respond rather than react. It is essential that students are able to identify feelings within their bodies and then choose a strategy to calm down before they do something that makes a situation worse, not better. When students (and adults!) can regulate their emotions, they are more successful when focusing their attention, collaborating with others through work and play, and reflecting on their experiences to continue to grow into the best version of themselves.
At Rockfield, students in kindergarten through fifth grade learn the Calming Down Steps from the Second Step Curriculum. Grades three and four also focus on our brains natural response when strong feelings arise (flip our lid). Additionally, students in kindergarten through second grades learn about the Zones of Regulation. See below for more information.
Second Step Curriculum
How to Calm Down Steps
Stop- use your signal. When we experience a strong feeling we need to use a signal that grabs our attention and focus on our bodies. Focusing our attention on our bodies helps us find clues that might tell us how we feel.
Stop Signal Examples: Hold up! Stop! Chill out! Wait a second!
Body Clue Examples: Tight tummy, hot face, tight fists, fast heartbeat
Name your feeling. Emotion and language are processed in different parts of the brain. Language helps us engage the thinking part of our brain. Naming our feeling can help decrease the intensity of the feeling.
Example: I'm feeling sad. I'm feeling scared. I'm feeling mad.
Calm Down: Using calming tools and strategies helps us manage strong feelings and ultimately engage the thinking part of our brain to make healthy decisions.
Calming Tools/Strategies: belly breathing, counting, using positive self-talk, talking to an adult, take a walk
ZONES of Regulation
"The Zones is a systematic, cognitive behavioral approach used to teach self-regulation by categorizing all the different ways we feel and states of alertness we experience into four concrete colored zones. The Zones framework provides strategies to teach students to become more aware of and independent in controlling their emotions and impulses, manage their sensory needs, and improve their ability to problem solve conflicts. "
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