Calming Activities for Kids: Asking to Take a Break
This session includes calming activities for kids, helping students notice when they feel upset or overwhelmed and ask for a break. Through a short video, a discussion about what to say when a hard task makes their heart race, and a quick game where they finish open-ended sentences, they practice putting their needs into words. The takeaway: asking for a break is a helpful calming strategy they can use anytime.
Extension activity
- Skill
- Self-Regulation
- Goal
- Managing Stress
- Grade level
- Elementary School
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 lessonAsking to Take a Break
In this lesson, students will learn how to ask for a break when they are feeling upset or need to calm down.
- Extension activity
Interactive Worksheet: Matching Strategies
There are many things that can stress us out or make us feel bad throughout our day. If we use strategies for each one, we can make ourselves feel better!
Plus everything you need to teach them
Warm-up
- Video: Hot Cocoa Breathing2:05
- Video: Daily Intention2:59
- Video: Body Squeeze2:12
Session Opener
Guiding Question: How does taking a break help someone calm down?
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 how to ask for a break when they feel upset or need help feeling ready to keep going. They practiced noticing body signals like a fast heartbeat or an upset stomach, taking a deep breath, and asking an adult in a kind voice.
Key Terms
- Asking to Take a Break
- When you notice you are getting upset, you ask an adult or teacher calmly if you can step away to calm down. A break gives you time and space, like getting a drink of water or going for a short walk.
- Calming Strategy
- Something you do to shrink a big feeling, like taking slow breaths, walking to a calm spot, or tensing then relaxing your muscles. You use it when you notice a strong feeling starting so it doesn't get too big.
Sample IEP Goal This Session Supports
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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 seems frustrated, you can offer the words by saying something like "It looks like a break might help. Want to ask for one?" This gives them a chance to practice asking before big feelings grow.
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More Self-Regulation Activities
Frequently asked questions
Is this intervention free?
Yes, this ready-to-teach session on Asking to Take a Break 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 elementary school students.
What's included?
You'll get access to your choice of warm-up videos, a session opener, a core material on Asking to Take a Break, three practice prompts, and an extension activity, Interactive Worksheet: Matching Strategies.
What skill does this intervention teach?
This ready-to-teach session is on self-regulation - more specifically, managing stress.
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