A calm down corner works best when a child knows what to do once they are in it. This poster gives them four steps in pictures: notice the feeling, breathe, choose a tool, come back. It is the same sequence many school counselors teach, written for a five-year-old.
What is on it
Four large steps with simple illustrations and one line each: Notice ("My body feels big"), Breathe (three slow breaths), Choose a tool (from the corner), Come back (when I feel ready). A short grown-up tip runs along the bottom.
Who it is for
Children from about four to eight, in a calm corner at home or at school. It suits children who go to the calm corner and then do not know what to do there, and adults who want a shared routine that every teacher, parent and sitter can point to without lecturing.
How to use it
- Hang it at a seated child's eye level inside the calm corner.
- Walk through the steps together when your child is calm, like a game of pretend.
- When your child goes to the corner, point to step one rather than talking.
- Celebrate step four: coming back is the skill you are teaching.
Tips
- Keep the calm corner a place your child chooses to go, not a time-out spot.
- Pair the poster with the calm down steps cards for a portable version.
Keep going
Building the corner itself? Start with how to build a calm down corner and our small-space calm corner at home guide.
US Letter, one page, full color (it also prints fine in black and white, and on A4 with "fit to page"). Free for home, classroom and therapy use; please share the link rather than re-uploading the file. More on our free tools and printables page.
