Awareness of emotions
Toddlers participate in a book sharing focused on ways to calm down when feeling upset.
[Invite 3–5 toddlers to join you in reading a book about calming down.]
We are learning ways to help our body feel quiet. We can calm down by taking deep breaths and by moving our bodies in special ways. We know how to pretend we are seaweed moving in the water or a cornstalk moving in the wind.
Our book tells us how to calm down when we feel upset. We can feel upset when we are angry or sad about something. All of us can feel upset sometimes.
[Show the book cover.]
Our book is called Calm-Down Time. Let’s look inside our book.
[Add your own words to the book text to help toddlers understand pictures and concepts, including what it means to feel upset.
Point to and describe facial expressions and behaviors of children in the pictures. Example: picture of boy who looks unhappy and is shouting. Invite toddlers to describe what they see in a picture, especially facial expressions.
Emphasize how situations are related to what we feel. Example: the pictured situation of children not sharing toys: a girl with all play pieces and a boy with none. The boy feels mad.
Explain that sometimes we need help from someone else to calm down. Describe the teacher’s help in the book. Draw attention to getting a hug from someone else.
Emphasize ways children in the book are getting calm. Examples: giving ourselves “a squeeze” (hug). “The girl in this picture is singing a quiet song. Look at her face. What do you think the singing is making her feel?”
Explain that “taking care of me” means we do things to make sure we feel good.
Pause frequently to provide time for toddlers to talk. Acknowledge and build on toddlers’ comments, facial responses, and pointing.]
Sometimes we feel upset about something. We are upset when we feel mad or sad. Our book told us some ways we can calm down when we feel upset. One way we can feel better when we are upset is to give ourselves “a squeeze.” Let’s all give ourselves a hug!
Children will be very familiar with the idea of “calm-down time.” The ELM Curriculum gives important attention to ways we can regulate our feelings, behaviors, and thoughts. Young children are often asked something like “What are you upset about?” This activity can help toddlers connect the feelings of sad and mad to the word upset. The book builds on information shared in many prior activities, including feeling mad and sad, plus ways to calm down. Look for ways to remind toddlers of what we are learning about feelings and helping our body feel quiet.
Extra support
Enrichment
Awareness of emotions
Toddlers practice some ways to calm down when feeling upset.
This is a follow-up activity for toddlers who participated in Option 1 or have been introduced to the Calm-Down Time book through a similar book sharing.
Show the book cover and remind toddlers that our book tells us some ways to calm down when feeling upset (mad or sad). Explain that all of us feel upset sometimes. Show and describe 1–2 pictures in the book that involve a child feeling upset.
Explain that we do not need to stay mad or sad. We can do things to feel better. Remind toddlers that the book talks about “take care of me.”
Select book pages that show calm-down strategies you think would be especially helpful to toddlers in your gathering. It is fine and helpful to repeat practices previously introduced. Describe the picture while pointing to specifics. Then demonstrate and invite toddlers to practice the strategy. Ask a toddler to describe and demonstrate strategies that are familiar, such as wrapping arms around oneself for a squeeze (suggested in Option 1’s Recap). Other possibilities to highlight include the following:
Emphasize how a strategy can help us feel better. Conclude the session by asking toddlers to talk about their favorite way to calm down.
Some toddlers may prefer to watch rather than practice the strategies featured in the session. Positively acknowledge different forms of participation. Watching is an active way to learn.
Toddlers will differ in their familiarity with calming-down practices you select for attention. Use a pace that matches toddlers’ responses to pictures and descriptions. Spend more time describing a strategy that seems unfamiliar to toddlers. In contrast, some practices will be very familiar to some toddlers. Invite them to describe and demonstrate the practice.
Extra support
Enrichment
Materials Needed: see activity description, Calm-Down Time by Elizabeth Verdick
Take several toddlers on a walk through your room and invite them to point to and talk about materials that can help us calm down. If space is available in your room for a temporary calming-down area, invite toddlers to gather some items in your room and place them in the designated space for helping us quiet our minds and bodies. Show and describe the pertinent book picture, if appropriate. Encourage toddlers to select materials for doing quiet things. Examples: crayons or markers, paper, books, stuffed toy animals (such as teddy bears), foam balls for squeezing. Set up the space with comfortable seating. The space does not need to be maintained long term or necessarily used by toddlers. What is important in the current activity is helping toddlers think about materials that can help us get calm. Carrying the items to the designated space can help reinforce the choices. Talk with toddlers about their selections.
Materials Needed: see activity description
In addition to offering Options 1 and 2 for toddlers, encourage preschool-age children to participate in Option 2. They may enjoy leading toddlers in repeating the phrase “1, 2, 3. Take care of me” offered in the book. Preschool-age and older children also may enjoy demonstrating some of the calming practices you select for attention in Option 2.
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