Relaxation Zone
I am so excited to share with you my relaxation zone in my classroom! Every child needs a space where they can go when they're feeling overwhelmed and need a break. There is a lot of things you can create in your classroom to help your students relax and calm their bodies. You can have a sensory path, do brain breaks, have them walk to another teacher's classroom to take a break, etc. You can also create a safe space within your classroom where a child can go to get away from it all. That place is typically called a "calm down corner", and in my classroom it will be our 'Relaxation Zone'!
My relaxation zone is inside out themed and I will have a separate secluded desk where my students can go to relax and unwind. If a student is feeling overwhelmed and needs to take a break, they can go here and calm down until they're back into their happy zone and ready and able to learn.
Inside Out
Why Inside Out? What better way to help students learn how to handle their emotions! I love Disney and I think there is a lesson in a lot of their movies, that can be utilized in the classroom. Kids sometimes have trouble dealing and handling their emotions and don't know how. Inside out helps explain their emotions and what they are feeling when each one is present. On YouTube, there are short clips (no more than a minute) of each emotion. I plan to start the school year off showing each emotion to my students: Fear, joy, anger, disgust, and sadness.
I will first choose an emotion to show. As a class we will all watch the clip of that emotion. I will then ask my students follow up questions. How can you tell the girl in the video was feeling joy? Tell me a time you felt joy. What can others do to make you feel joy? What can you do for others to help them feel joy? What can we do to help people in our school feel joy? And I do the same process for each emotion (I do one emotion each day). It takes about 10 minutes total and can be done during morning meeting.
How it Works
I am going to have a desk that is my designated relaxation zone. On the desk will be various breathing techniques for the student to utilize.
I will have a bunch of coloring pages for the students to color on. There will also be writing paper for the students to write. They can also"Write and Let it Go". Where they can write and or draw what is going on with them. They can then crumple it up and let it go by throwing it away in the trash. This can help with releasing negative energy they have building up inside.
There will also be a bunch of fidgets and stress balls for my students to play with and squeeze to help them relax their bodies.
I will also have an interactive relaxation board to help students get in touch with their emotions
If a student is feeling overwhelmed and cannot continue on with what they are doing, they can come to the relaxation corner. They can do this by doing one of 2 things. Raising five fingers motioning to me that they need to "Take a Five" in the relaxation corner. Sometimes students are so overwhelmed and they don't even want to talk. Raising five fingers will let me know that they need to go cool their body off. The last way is just by telling me they need to go to the relaxation zone.
They can come here and utilize any of the things at this table. This is time for them to figure get in touch with their emotions and get back to a happy one!
How to Utilize the Board
My relaxation board is interactive and has many components to it. The front of the board has a paper that tells you how to control certain emotions.
Students can read this and get tips on what to do if they are feeling anger, disgust, fear, and sadness. If students are feeling one of these emotions, this is a place they can go. The goal is to get them back to Joy and have them regroup with the classroom.
Also on the board are blown up emotions. These can detach from the board!
Students will choose which emotion they are feeling when they are at the relaxation zone. They will then take that emotion and place it on the side of the board. The side of the board has a 'How are You Feeling' paper.
Students will take the smiley and mark what emotion they are feeling. They will then take the check mark and mark if they want to talk or not. This part was really important for me to include. We have to remember that not everyone wants to talk all the time. This piece will let me know if they need some space to relax and unwind for a little bit.
Students will mark all of that and place the emotion they are feeling. I will look and quickly see if they want to talk or not. If they don't I will leave them alone and keep doing what I was doing.
If I walk over and see that they do want to talk, I will talk through whatever emotion they are feeling with them. I will refer them to the paper on the front of the board that gives them tips on how to deal and handle that emotion. I will walk away and when they feel like they are ready to be alone and will check in on them occasionally.
It is important to check in on them occasionally because how they are feeling can change. They can mark what emotion they are feeling and note how they don't want to talk
They can then mark how they are still feeling the same but are ready to talk
The ultimate goal is for them to reach Joy. You want to make sure to tell your students to mark when they are feeling better. This is a time for them to leave and join the group again
They also might want to talk through with you how they went from one emotion and what they did to become happy again. You might also want to note what the student did in case they are back in the relaxation corner. This way you can remind them on what worked last time!
In Conclusion
I really hope you like my relaxation zone! I am so excited to utilize this inside my classroom. Social and Emotional health is so important. I hope this is a great way for my students to understand why they are feeling the way they are, and figure out healthy ways to cope with it!
