In today's fast-paced educational environment, it's essential to provide students with opportunities to manage their stress, regulate their emotions, and maintain focus. This is especially true for students in special education and elementary settings, where sensory activities can significantly enhance concentration, reduce stress, and support IEP and behavior goals. Implementing effective de-escalation techniques is crucial for creating a supportive classroom atmosphere, especially for students who are pushing against boundaries and struggling to cope with their emotions. Here are three innovative and calming break ideas to try in your classroom this year.
1. ASMR
ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response) involves using specific sounds to elicit a calming response. This can be incredibly effective in helping students relax and more importantly pull them away from the fit of emotions that might be in. Consider incorporating ASMR activities like gentle whispering, tapping on different surfaces, or crinkling paper. These sounds can create a soothing atmosphere that helps students unwind and regain their focus. You can find many ASMR videos online or create your own sound clips tailored to your classroom's needs.
Here's how to implement them in your class:
Get on YouTube: Allow students to watch ASMR videos on YouTube with headphones. Explore ASMR artists that fit your vision and use their techniques as a guide. Search for asmr alone or add ASMR for Kids, Teacher ASMR, ASMR for Meltodowns, ASMR with toys, Sup
Become the ASMR Artist: Try speaking in a low volume and slowly. Move your body at a slower pace, which can encourage students to mirror your actions, helping to slow their adrenaline.
Let Them Create ASMR: Create a bin with items you have on hand. Anything from slowly dragging a pencil across a keyboard, to crinkling paper, to burying hands in a bin of small manipulatives, rice, or beans. Encourage them by saying, "Today you will be a creator like on TikTok." This usually sparks their interest.
Here are some of my favorite YouTube ASMRtists for classroom use:
Zeneia: A qualified professional, teacher, and childminder for kids with autism, Zeneia has over 200K subscribers.
Amakandu: This channel creates ASMR content that is sure to grab your students' attention, featuring incredible marble run races and relaxing sounds of marbles rolling over sand and wood tracks.
NS ASMR: A student himself, NS ASMR creates videos for students who love video games, making his content highly relatable.
Aoki: A child who has been creating ASMR videos since she was 4 years old, Aoki offers a relatable perspective for young viewers.
Cosmo Whispers ASMR - Your Friendly Neighborhood calming fuzzy monster.
2. Use Singing Bowls for Student Reset and De-escalation
Singing bowls produce calming vibrations that can help students feel more centered and relaxed. The gentle hum of a singing bowl can be mesmerizing, providing a unique sensory experience. To incorporate singing bowls into your classroom, start by introducing the sound to your students and have them pay attention to all the sensations they feel and hear. Then let them try. They can use the bowls during, a need deescalation break, quiet time or you can use it as a signal to transition between activities. Singing bowls are available at various price points, making them an accessible addition to your sensory toolkit.
Here's one I found for under $10 at the time of posting this.
3. Incorporate Water Play
Water play is a fantastic way to shift students' focus from overstimulation to a calming sensory experience. Setting up a water play station can be simple yet highly effective. Use a container filled with water, add some sand, stones of different textures and include a mix of heavier weighted toys like sand filled balloons, and friendly toys like floating animals. This combination of textures and weights helps students engage with the activity more deeply, providing a soothing and tactile break. Encourage students to help set up the station by gathering sand, rocks, and other items from around the school, making it a collaborative and inspiring activity.
When my students are struggling, I often give them a choice between these three calming breaks as part of our de-escalation strategies. This approach empowers them to choose the activity that best meets their current needs. These classroom calming activities are designed to provide sensory relief and help students regain focus and composure.
Implementing these three calming break ideas can make a significant difference in your students' well-being. ASMR activities, singing bowls, and slow water play are easy to integrate into your classroom routine and can provide much-needed sensory relief. Give these classroom calming activities a try and observe the positive impact they have on your students' ability to focus, stay calm, and achieve their educational goals.
Ready to transform your classroom with these modern strategies? Download our free printable "Calm Down Choice Board" with these 3 techniques and more. Sign up for our email list to get your free copy and stay updated with more educational resources!
DOWNLOAD BELOW
Affiliate Disclosure
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This means that if you click on an Amazon affiliate link on this site and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. This helps support my blog and allows me to continue to provide valuable content. Thank you for your support!
コメント