For Students
Mrs. Brooks' virtual calming corner
Need a little break? Looking to find your peaceful place? This virtual calm down corner is a great place to start! You can visit as many times as you need to and can try different strategies each time. Just click on the item that interests you and it will take you to a slide where you can do the activity. Have fun!
Stay-At-Home Care Package by Big Life Journal.pdfActivities
This care package from Big Life Journal has so many great ideas for indoor play. There are games and activities just for you! Or you can ask a sibling or your whole family to join you. All ages will enjoy these activities.
Coloring and drawing
Color - I love coloring mandalas! It helps ease stress and can reduce anxiety. Coloring is great for every mood! You can print some great mandalas and color them at home by visiting: https://mondaymandala.com
No printer? No problem! Go to my calming corner to color online or you can make your own mandala! Start by drawing something like you see above...a shape of some kind. Next, draw lines and shapes inside of it. Then, start coloring it one section at a time. Watch your idea come to life!
Draw - If you're learning to draw or want some helpful tips, Art for Kids Hub is a Youtube channel devoted to kids art and drawing. You can find them at: https://www.youtube.com/user/ArtforKidsHub. I attached an example of one of their lessons: Drawing Emoji's!
I gave some ideas for drawing and coloring because it is so relaxing and fun! You can also draw and/or color whatever is on your mind. Think of something that makes you feel good or something that puts a smile on your face.
Crafts
Crafts are a great way to forget your worries and have some fun. Ask someone in your home to join you or try to make something on your own. One way to start is to think of something you'd like to create, like a sun for example. Then you can walk around your house or outside and find things that will create that image. Maybe I can start with a paper plate that is round and find yellow and gold things to glue to it like... yellow leaves, yellow flowers, pennies, etc. Let your creative side shine! Not coming up with any ideas? Try this website that uses items around your house to make cool creations: https://www.happinessishomemade.net/
Coping Strategies - working through difficult feelings
Really feeling down? Upset? Worried? Frustrated? We can easily get "stuck" in these feelings. But guess what??? You can do something to help yourself through it. I talk to kids a lot about using strategies to help them cope, or deal with, difficult feelings. The idea is to help yourself calm down, relax, and figure out what you need to feel better. Once you get there, you can move on with your day. Here are some of my ideas:
Cosmic Kids Relaxation exercises. This Youtube series is called "Peace Out." There are over 15 relaxation exercises to help kids with stress, anxiety and worries. This is one example.
The rest can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8snGkhBF7njO0QvtE97AJFL3xZYQSGh5
You can also download their free app called "Cosmic Kids."
Create a calm spot in your home so you can have a special place to go and relax. Start with a place that is somewhat separated from others. Put a blanket, pillows, beanbag or anything else that is comfy in there. Then, add in items that help you to relax like: a journal to write your feelings in, books, coloring books, fidgets, stuffed animals and maybe some toys. Now that you have your spot set up, let others in your house know about it. Let them know what you need during your time in there.
Mindfulness
Think of mindfulness as being present. It is thinking about and appreciating what is happening right now. What is going on around me? What do I see? Hear? Smell? Who am I with? If we are present, we are not thinking about what happened yesterday or what might happen in the future. We are noticing and enjoying the here and now.
Being present and mindful helps us to live a healthier and happier life. Here are some ideas on how you can become more mindful:
Understanding mindfulness - This is a helpful way to understand Mindfulness
Mindful walking - noticing what is around you. I love mindful walking. I do this often!
Cosmic Kids has a mindful series called Zen Den on Youtube. This series helps kids to be aware of their emotions, stay calm and be present. Here is one example. The rest can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8snGkhBF7ngDp1oJtx5VcjwatxZn8xLK
Read aloud Books!
"Ruby Finds a Worry" - I love this book! We talk about worries a lot at school and how they can grow and take over if we let them. Find out how Ruby learns to deal with her worry!
"The Way I Feel" - This is a book about feelings. We feel all sorts of ways and every feeling is okay to have.
"My Heart Fills With Happiness" - This book reminds us of the many ways we can find our happiness :)
"I Can Handle it!" read by Mrs. Brooks.webmMrs. Brooks reads, "I Can Handle It!"
This book is about mantras. When we are having difficult feelings, we can repeat a positive phrase and work our way through our problem. We can handle it!
Mrs. Brooks reads "I Like Myself"Mrs. Brooks reads, "I Like Myself"
This book is about loving yourself just the way you are :-)
Yoga for kids
It feels so good to stretch, relax and have fun with yoga! I've included some great yoga video's in my virtual calming corner and here are a few more of my favorites:
Cosmic Kids Yoga has a variety of yoga activities for younger and older kids on Youtube. Here is a sample video.
You can also visit them at: https://www.youtube.com/user/CosmicKidsYoga or download the free app, Cosmic Kids.
They also have video's in spanish!
Yoga positionsYoga Poses - Here are some fun yoga poses you can try - Zoo Yoga, Unicorn Yoga and Spring Yoga!