Calm Down Toolbox
The Calm Down Toolbox is an interactive and engaging activity designed to help young students identify and develop self-regulation strategies for managing their emotions.
Students will write or draw different ways they can calm down when feeling upset, overwhelmed, or frustrated. Using sentence starters and visual prompts, this resource encourages children to think about who they can talk to, where they feel safe, and what coping strategies work best for them.
Once completed, students can colour, cut, and assemble their own personalised Calm Down Toolbox, creating a handy emotional regulation tool they can refer to whenever needed.
This resource is perfect for social-emotional learning, behaviour management, and building a classroom culture that supports emotional well-being.
Learning goals
- We are learning to identify the skills of cooperating, collaborating and negotiating, why they are important and how to recognise them in a variety of scenarios.
- We are learning to express and describe our emotions.
- We are learning to seek, give, or deny permission respectfully when sharing possessions or personal space.
- We are learning to use personal and social skills to interact.
- We are learning to identify and describe different emotional responses.
Curriculum alignment
Explore how to seek, give or deny permission respectfully when sharing possessions or personal space
ACPPS004 8.4Practise personal and social skills to interact positively with others
ACPPS005 8.4Identify and describe emotional responses people may experience in different situations
Australian Curriculum covers QLD / SA / WA / NT / TAS / ACT.
Differentiation
Modifications
• Print in A3 for classroom displays or A4 for personal use.
• Provide pre-cut templates for younger students who need fine motor support.
• Offer a digital version where students can type or insert images for their toolbox.
Extensions
• Have students role-play different calming strategies to practise emotional regulation.
• Create a classroom Calm Down Zone using ideas from student toolboxes.
• Use the toolboxes as part of a mindfulness routine, where students reflect on their emotions and strategies weekly.