Sound: headphones to reduce sound.

Sight: a class calm jar, a deck of calming images drawn or contributed by students.

Touch: basic fidgets (think squeeze, pull, texture, manipulate, cuddle), a small weighted lap blanket for compression.

Smell: scented stickers, scented markers, grow a mini herb garden, or talk with families about making a bag with a preferred scent that the student can keep in their desk or backpack.

Taste: snack from home or class, herb from mini herb garden, mint, or talk with families about having a preferred taste/snack the student can keep in their desk or backpack.

It is difficult to get into ourselves when others are staring or we feel pressured. At the same time, adults are expected to supervise students at all times for safety. Therefore, privacy is a complex consideration in designing a calm space. Consider a corner of the classroom where it is possible for low furniture to block peer view while still allowing adult access for support as needed. Low bookshelves or the side of a teacher desk or a storage cart can provide an artificial barrier for privacy, while also keeping the space open enough for adult supervision.

Before you design your space, consider when and how it will be accessed by students throughout the day. Use these resources to consider accessibility.

Peace Corner Design Template by Kathleen Bennett

Regulation Station by Aiste Solly

Take-A-Break Cards

How students treat this space is important. This is a shared community space. It could be an expectation to clean up or reset the calm area before returning to class.

Being comfortable goes a long way towards making sure a space is welcoming. Consider seating items such as a plush rug or cushions. Consider allowing students to bring a water bottle or eat a snack. Consider esthetic appeal of the space - would you feel comfortable using this space to de-escalate?

While in this space, the participant(s) should be engaging in building social-emotional skills. In order to do this, participants need tools they can engage with mostly to completely independently. Visuals are helpful for students to understand the steps of a process as well as to recall abstract concepts. For example, create a visual with steps for using this space. What should the student do first, next, then and last? Keep it simple and clear. Use feeling charts with visuals. Use the needs chart below to help students identify needs. Explicitly teach students how to use the space through instruction, modeling and role-play and continue to reference tools in the space throughout the year to make it a true part of class culture. For younger students, consider having a class job such as Friend Helper to support peers in using this space when needed.

Rules example 1, Rules example 2 from Kathleen Bennett

Identify Feelings by Tanna Tucker

Emotion Cards and Emotion Thermometer

Identify Needs by Yari Ojeda Sandel

Take 5 Breathing

5 Steps to Managing Big Emotions

Breathing Strategies by GoZen

Breathing Visuals

Garden Yoga Visual

Calm Images