Anger Management for Preschool: Staying Calm When I'm Angry
This session includes anger management activities for preschoolers, helping young students notice when they feel angry and choose a calm response. After a short video, students talk about what they could try when they feel mad, then play a quick movement game where they march, freeze, and show with their bodies what they could do. The focus is on spotting body clues and choosing a calm response.
Extension activity
- Skill
- Self-Regulation
- Goal
- Managing Stress
- Grade level
- Pre-K & K
Get everything you need to teach the skill
These materials are part of a no-prep session designed by our clinical team, with all the structure, scaffolding, and support you need to teach included.
Engaging materials
Video modeling lessonStaying Calm When I'm Angry
We all feel angry or mad sometimes. Today we’re learning about how we can try our best to keep our minds and bodies calm when we feel angry.
- Extension activity
Interactive Worksheet: My Calming Toolbox
Students will explore and practice different calm-down strategies by picking 3 strategies or 'tools' to add to their toolbox that work best for them to manage feelings of anger, frustration, or anxiety.
Plus everything you need to teach them
Warm-up
- Video: Lion and Cat Breathing3:12
- Video: Our Senses Calming Break2:27
- Video: Yoga Pose Library
Session Opener
Guiding Question: What is a body clue that someone might feel angry?
Practice
- Discussion Question
- Role-Play Activity
- Mini Game
How to use it with your students
- 1Watch Play the video modeling lesson so students see the skill in action.
- 2Practice Try the skill together with a discussion prompt, role-play, or mini game.
- 3Extend Use the extension activity to help students carry the skill further.
What's Covered
In this lesson, students learned that everyone feels angry sometimes, and that there are ways to help their minds and bodies feel settled when those big feelings come up. They explored different strategies they could use when they feel mad, like taking deep breaths or asking for a break, and practiced noticing which ones felt right for them.
Key Terms
- Brain Refocus
- Brain Refocus is a way to help your mind and body feel calm again when you start to feel upset. You can take deep breaths, count to 10, picture something happy, or ask for a break.
- Body Clues
- Body clues are signals inside your body that tell you how you are feeling, like a fast heartbeat or a tight tummy. When you notice them, you can name your feeling and choose a helpful strategy.
Sample IEP Goal This Session Supports
-
Managing Stress
Learner will recognize signs of stress in their own body or thinking (e.g., tight chest, racing thoughts, feeling overwhelmed) and apply a self-selected strategy (e.g., deep breathing, positive self-talk, taking a break) to manage the feeling in 4 out of 5 opportunities independently/given X prompt(s).
Send this tip home to support generalization
At home or in the classroom, when a student starts to feel angry, try naming one strategy together, like taking a deep breath or counting to 10.
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More Self-Regulation Activities
Frequently asked questions
Is this intervention free?
Yes, this ready-to-teach session on Staying Calm When I'm Angry is free. You can access this intervention free for 14 days through the Everyday Speech Session Library. Every user gets three free sessions, but you can get more or extend your access by sharing the Session Library with friends and colleagues.
What ages is this for?
These materials are designed for PreK and kindergarten students.
What's included?
You'll get access to your choice of warm-up videos, a session opener, a core material on Staying Calm When I'm Angry, three practice prompts, and an extension activity, Interactive Worksheet: My Calming Toolbox.
What skill does this intervention teach?
This ready-to-teach session is on self-regulation - more specifically, managing stress.
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