Calming Activities for Preschool: Taking a Break When Needed
This session includes calming activities for kids, helping young students practice taking a break when their feelings get really big. After a short video, students talk about a good spot in the classroom to go when they feel upset, then take turns naming one thing they can do to feel ready again, like taking a big breath or drinking some water. The focus is on noticing big feelings and choosing a helpful next step.
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 lessonTaking a Break When You Need It
Today we’re going to talk about how sometimes when we feel really mad or upset, we can make bad choices. When we feel like this, we always want to take a break to calm ourselves down.
- Extension activity
Interactive Worksheet: Taking Breaks
Taking a break doesn’t just mean sitting away from the group. Students will identify how different feelings are best suited for different types of breaks.
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: Why does taking a break help?
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 big feelings like mad or upset can lead to choices they don't feel good about, and that taking a break first can help. They practiced noticing when a feeling was getting too big and trying something to feel settled again, like taking a deep breath, before deciding what to do. Students also talked about how it's okay to feel upset, and that there are safe and fair ways to handle those feelings.
Key Terms
- Take a Break
- Taking a break means stepping away for a short time to help your body feel calm when you have a big feeling.
- Safe Body
- A safe body means keeping your hands and feet to yourself, leaving space for the people around you, and moving in a way that keeps everyone from getting hurt.
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
When a big feeling comes up at home or at school, try offering two break options and letting the student pick one. Having a choice makes it easier to settle.
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More Self-Regulation Activities
Frequently asked questions
Is this intervention free?
Yes, this ready-to-teach session on Taking a Break When Needed 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 Taking a Break When You Need It, three practice prompts, and an extension activity, Interactive Worksheet: Taking Breaks.
What skill does this intervention teach?
This ready-to-teach session is on self-regulation - more specifically, managing stress.
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