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Behaviour

Playful Approaches for Teaching Emotional Regulation

Help children practise getting from giddy to calm through games, so they know the way back when anger or worry takes over.

  • 25 minutes
  • 7 modules
  • 0.5 CPD hours
  • Certificate

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What you'll learn

  • Explain why excitement is a safe way to practise moving between emotional states
  • Use breathing that lengthens the out-breath to bring a group back to calm
  • Turn sensory anchors into games that bring children into the present moment
  • Run lively games like Fruit Tag, then guide children down to calm
  • Ask children how their body feels before and after calming, and use their words

About this course

"Calm down" only works if a child knows what calm feels like in their body. Most haven't had much chance to practise getting there, and the middle of a meltdown is a hard place to start.

Excitement and anxiety set off the same rush of adrenaline, so children can rehearse the journey back to calm with a feeling that's safe and fun. You'll learn to whip up some controlled chaos with a game like Fruit Tag. Then you bring the room back down with your signal for calm, a long hissing breath like a snake, and a sensory anchor such as spotting three green things or noticing the temperature of their feet.

Next time a child is overwhelmed, you can ask them to count the trees outside instead of telling them to calm down. They'll have practised the rest.

  • For early career teachers, parents and 3 other roles. Early years, primary and special.

7 modules

Open in order

  1. Introduction

    2 min

  2. Emotional regulation

    1 question

    3 min

  3. Learning to shift

    1 question

    6 min

  4. Find an anchor

    1 question

    5 min

  5. Get excited!

    1 question

    5 min

  6. Enquire into the feeling

    1 question

    4 min

  7. Wrap up

    1 question

    4 min