[Printables] When I Feel Upset I Can...

When big feelings take over, it's tough to take a step back before exerting an emotional response to a perceived issue. As students learn and grow in their social-emotional development, the best help we can provide as educators is giving them the tools and tips necessary to work through these big feelings in a productive way.

As adults, we have all heard the "count to 10" or "sleep on it" suggestions to prevent reacting irrationally when we're angry, but there are lots of coping mechanisms that are great calming techniques. And because many students are visual learners, and repetition is key for retention, we've got some visuals for you!

Download this printable pack, designed for elementary and special education students' social-emotional learning, containing a poster and flipbook pages that students can refer to in the classroom, in a calming corner, or as a take-home resource!

VariQuest® Customers: download this template from the VariQuest Resource Center for time-saving printing on your VariQuest® Perfecta® Poster Design System and Motiva® 400 Specialty Printer!

Here are some ideas on how you can use these printables:

Class Discussion

Place the "When I Feel Upset I Can..." poster on your classroom wall, or on the whiteboard at the front of the class during your dedicated lesson. Have students share scenarios where they might use each one of the coping ideas, and why the idea is a good one.

Example: "Take a Walk" - this might be a good one to utilize when you're at home and your sibling does something you don't like, such as taking a toy from your room without asking, or teasing you in front of your friends. A walk can be a good idea to calm someone down because exercise is good for your body, and being alone for a little bit gives you some time to think about how you'd like to respond to the issue at hand.

In a Calming Corner

Place the "When I Feel Upset I Can..." poster on one of your corner room dividers, or use a key ring to group together the flipbook cards to place in the activities area. Students who need to spend time in the calming corner can refer to the poster, or if they perform better with hands-on supports, can flip through the flipbook cards to decide which coping mechanism will work best for them to re-center and find their calm before re-joining the class.

As a Take-Home Resource or Journal Support

Print the "Coping Skills Flipbook" cards and connect them together using a key ring, or print them as stickers on your Motiva 400 Specialty Printing System for sending in a take-home folder or for use in student journals or interactive workbooks. Following a class discussion on what students can do when they feel upset, give these individual flipbooks to students for use as at-home references when things are overwhelming, or writing prompts to be affixed in their daily journals. 

Interested in more social-emotional learning content from VariQuest? Check out our Social-Emotional Lesson Plan Unit featuring lessons on kindness, cooperation, integrity, and more!

Want to learn more about the VariQuest Visual and Kinesthetic Learning Suite and how it can make creating lessons like these easier with time-saving templates? Contact us for a no-obligation demonstration with one of our expert education consultants today!