Miles, our newly 4-year-old, has been talking lately about a few different spaces in his preschool classroom, like the "big feelings table" and the "one-person space." I thought it would be easy to create a calming area in our home too, where he can find tools and books to help him self-regulate. He's started referring to it as the "one-person space" at home too! He likes identifying the emotions on the feelings chart, and trying different yoga poses (links to those printables below).
I gathered a few things from around the house – sensory toys, books about big feelings – and put them with a comfy pillow in a corner of our living room. I want to add more pillows and maybe a super-soft blanket, for the time being, Miles has really taken to it! He's added a few of his own toys to the basket, and heads over there whenever he's feeling frustrated, wants to be alone (while still feeling close by) or space out, or just wants to try out different emotions or feelings.
In the basket:
- Sensory toys. I added this pop-it [affiliate link], a glitter wand from here, a calm-down bottle that we made together with supplies we already had (so many tutorials on Pinterest!), a squishy bath toy, a soft cuddly friend, and a little stuffy with reversible sequins (that I think originally came from Once Upon a Child)
- Books about big feelings, meditation, and mindfulness. I searched through our bookshelves and found a couple titles that it made sense to include. We have a lot of the Slumberkins books, so I put in the one about stress relief and the one about feeling mad. He's familiar with these and knows the stories pretty well. I also added Alphabreaths: The ABCs of Mindful Breathing and The Snow Bear: A Mindfulness Parable for Kids, which was actually illustrated by our old neighbor!
- Cards with coping options. I bought the calming corner printables from My Party Design after seeing them on my Pinterest feed, laminated them, and put them on a ring so he can page through. (This collection also included the feelings printable that's hanging on the wall!)
Printables
- Feelings chart
- Yoga chart (free)
It's cuddly over there, and really does feel calm. Miles can go in whenever he wants to play, read, or just get away from us for a little while!
