Calming Strategies for Preschool: I Want to Go Home
This session teaches calming strategies for preschoolers, helping young students notice sad feelings, like missing home during the school day. After a short live-action video, students talk about what one classmate could do to feel better, then play a quick movement game where they stop and show with their bodies how they might respond. Along the way they learn to spot body clues, use "I feel" words, and try belly breathing.
Extension activity
- Skill
- Self-Regulation
- Goal
- Using Your Self-Controller
- 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 lessonI Want to Go Home
In this video, learners explore ways to manage feelings of sadness when they miss home. Through live-action modeling, students learn self-regulation strategies like recognizing body clues, using “I feel” words, and practicing calming techniques to feel more comfortable at school.
- Extension activity
Interactive Worksheet: My Self-Control Strategies
In this interactive Magic Hat activity, students practice self-control strategies by acting out different calming techniques while their peers guess the strategy.
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 helps you when you feel sad?
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 feeling sad or lonely when they miss home is okay. They can still have a good day at school. They practiced noticing body clues that signal a feeling, using "I feel" words to tell an adult, and trying calming strategies like belly breaths to feel more comfortable at school.
Key Terms
- 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.
- Belly Breathing
- Belly breathing is when you put your hands on your belly, breathe in slowly through your nose, and breathe out through your mouth. It can help your body feel calm when you have a big feeling.
Sample IEP Goal This Session Supports
-
Using Your Self-Controller
Learner will use their Self-Controller to manage stress responses when triggers arise (e.g., unexpected changes, transitions away from preferred activities) by recognizing stress signals and applying a self-selected strategy before reacting in 4 out of 5 opportunities independently/given X prompt(s).
Send this tip home to support generalization
If a student seems sad or misses home, try asking what their tummy or body feels like first, then taking a few belly breaths together. Naming the body clue helps them connect it to the feeling.
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Frequently asked questions
Is this intervention free?
Yes, this ready-to-teach session on I Want to Go Home 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 I Want to Go Home, three practice prompts, and an extension activity, Interactive Worksheet: My Self-Control Strategies.
What skill does this intervention teach?
This ready-to-teach session is on self-regulation - more specifically, using your self-controller.
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