Introduction

In the classroom, it’s not uncommon for students to encounter situations where others may not be following the rules or behaving appropriately. As educators, it’s essential to teach students how to stay calm, ignore distractions, and focus on their work in these situations. This blog post will discuss an easy-to-implement, no-prep activity that helps students develop this vital skill. Additionally, we’ll provide discussion questions, related skills, and next steps for educators interested in incorporating more social-emotional learning (SEL) strategies into their teaching.

No-Prep Activity: The Calm Bubble

The Calm Bubble is a simple, no-preparation activity that encourages students to practice staying calm and focused amidst chaos. Here’s how it works:

1. Ask students to sit comfortably at their desks or on the floor.
2. Explain that they will be practicing staying calm and focused by imagining themselves inside a “calm bubble.”
3. Invite students to close their eyes and take a few deep breaths to help them relax.
4. As they breathe, instruct them to envision a protective bubble surrounding them, blocking out all distractions and noise.
5. Allow students to sit in their calm bubbles for a few minutes, practicing staying calm and focused on their breath.
6. After a few minutes, ask students to open their eyes and share their experience with the class.

This activity helps students practice staying calm and focused in a controlled environment, which can then be applied to real-life situations where distractions and rule-breaking may be more prevalent.

Discussion Questions

1. How did you feel when you were inside your calm bubble? Was it easy or challenging to stay focused?
2. Can you think of a time when you had to stay calm and focused despite distractions or others not following rules? How did you handle the situation?
3. Why is it important to stay calm and focused when others around us are not following rules or behaving appropriately?
4. What are some strategies you can use to stay calm and focused in challenging situations?
5. How can you support your classmates in staying calm and focused during difficult times?

Related Skills

In addition to staying calm and focused amidst chaos, there are other essential SEL skills that students can benefit from, such as:

• Active listening: This skill helps students better understand their peers and teachers by paying close attention to what is being said.
• Empathy: Developing empathy allows students to put themselves in others’ shoes and understand their emotions and perspectives.
• Conflict resolution: Learning conflict resolution skills helps students address disagreements in a constructive and respectful manner.
• Self-awareness: Fostering self-awareness enables students to recognize their emotions, strengths, and weaknesses and make better choices.

Next Steps

Incorporating SEL skills into your teaching can have a significant impact on your students’ ability to navigate challenges in the classroom and beyond. To help you get started, we invite you to sign up for free samples of the discussed skill and others at Everyday Speech. By doing so, you’ll gain access to valuable resources that can enhance your students’ social-emotional learning and set them up for success in all aspects of life.