The Calm Down Corner: How to create a safe space for your child’s feelings

Every calm down corner is defined by an inviting, comfortable place to sit. Not only is this meditation cushion and zabuton set comfortable, but it provides plenty of space for you and your child to sit together, practice meditation, and feel grounded in the midst of your child’s emotional storms. Not to mention the soft, neutral colors provide a calming esthetic.

Before you shop for all the tools you’ll need to cultivate an effective calm down corner for your child, you’ll want a place to put all the things. This little corner shelf is just the right size, with low shelves for your child’s easy access, and a corner design that fits snugly in small spaces. Bamboo lends a fresh, zen aesthetic perfect for promoting calm.

One of my therapy office staples, Thinking Putty is the perfect solution for keeping hands and minds engaged and focused, even during difficult conversations. As kids squish and pull the putty, they are also working on hand strength and fine motor development in the process of handling their big emotions!

The classic Hoberman Sphere is a great tool to have in your child’s calm down corner for one reason – deep breathing. Nothing beats the visual this material provides as your child inhales deeply, expanding the sphere, and exhales completely, collapsing the sphere. Encourage your child to watch their belly rise and fall, just like the sphere, as they breathe to ensure deep, diaphragmatic breathing.

Having a task to work on with their hands can help to regulate even the most upset child, offering distraction and an opportunity for stress-reduction. When you and your child each use a fidget while processing a challenge, it helps to create a more comfortable, collaborative, and non-threatening environment for successful problem-solving.

This little spiral-bound “feelings flips” book is the perfect tool for helping your child to be better able to identify how they are feeling, with activities that correspond with each feeling offering positive ways of coping with different emotions. Not only will this valuable tool help your child gain positive coping strategies, but it will also scaffold productive communication during challenges. These free printable cards can be a great extension resource as you teach your child to use I-statements to express themselves when they are upset.

These finger labyrinths for kids are a visually appealing addition to your child’s calm down corner, offering a sensory experience that is sure to help your child focus as they practice different breathing patterns, calming the nervous system. Because there are two in the set, you can easily model this activity along with your child.

Every calm down corner needs to be cozy, and this throw pillow is a fun, practical tool that not only provides added comfort, but also offers an emotions chart that is perfect for kids to identify how they’re feeling!

This set of feelings puppets are a fun and helpful tool for young children to engage with their feelings. You can use these puppets in a variety of creative ways, to work through difficult emotions or role play approaches to problem solving.

Recent studies show that yoga helps to reduce stress perception and stress reactivity. This kids yoga kit is the perfect tool to introduce yoga practice to your child, with a mat that is just their size. The yoga pose cards use fun, simple illustrations to teach kids poses that they’ll soon master as they build strength, focus, and mindfulness.

This book of illustrated meditations for children is perfect for helping little ones calm down. Filled with bright, colorful illustrations and short mindfulness activities, your child will feel actively engaged in practicing tools like deep breathing, visualization, progressive muscle relaxation, positive affirmations, and more.

An authentic Tibetan singing bowl is a beautiful addition to your family’s calm down corner. This special gift will offer your child an opportunity to practice gentleness and stillness as they master the skill of playing the bowl. Hand cast and tuned by skilled artisans in Kathmandu, Nepal, this singing bowl is decorated with the repeated mantra of compassion, Om Mani Padme Hum, in Tibetan script, a sacred reminder of the compassion we have for our deeply feeling children.

This adorable mindfulness breathing puppy is a high-tech solution for emotion regulation. The puppy turns green as your child inhales for 4 seconds, purple as they hold their breath for 7 seconds, and blue as they exhale for 8 seconds, following the popular 4-7-8 breathing technique. It can also serve as a calming light, and includes a white noise machine, which helps some children with sensory sensitivities self-regulate.

Studies over recent years have pointed to the many benefits of journaling, including happiness, goal attainment, and even physical health. This journal created especially for children ages 3-6 is the perfect place to start developing this healthy habit early in life, with fun illustrations and prompts that guide them in using a journal to increase their self-reflective capacity. The calm down corner offers a safe environment for your child to visit their journal.