Calm Down Corner: How to create one for your child to regulate emotions

Parenting hyper kids is challenging, to be sure. Sometimes our little ones get too wild or “too excited” as my 5-year-old calls it. Sometimes their big emotions consume them. A calm down corner is a great way to let kids settle in, regulate their emotions, and recover from a tantrum.

My rental house is small and currently still very cluttered from moving in so I haven’t set up a calm down corner. But to be honest my son would really benefit from something like this. So I need to figure out where to set one up.

Here are some tips for setting up your own perfect calm down corner (also called a time-in corner). These are the resources I plan on using.

Create a calm and quiet environment to teach children emotional regulation skills

Here are the steps to follow to create your perfect calm down corner.

1. Pick a great Location
2. Add cozy Furniture 
3. Consider lighting
4. Include items for Sensory needs
5. Calming corner posters

Location: Pick an area of the house that is currently empty and quiet. This could be part of the living room, or maybe even a corner in the child’s bedroom.

You want to create an inviting space that your child can go and “recharge” themselves. This area should be free of distractions (so don’t set it up in front of the TV) and have a nice place to sit.

Furniture: You can do this with a cozy kids chair, or even a tent or teepee! This will be the perfect chill-out space for toddlers and older kids.

Marshmallow Furniture – PJ Masks Flip Open Sofa

EQOYA Teepee Tent for Kids, 100% Cotton Toddler Play-House, with Bag and Mat

Lighting: This safe space can also have the option to turn off the main lights and use gentle night lights or calming projectors. Perhaps a sounds machine would help here as well.

Exelme Night Light Projector Ocean Wave – Sound Machine with Soothing Nature Noise and Relaxing Light Show

Sensory: You also want to include loveys and soft items for snuggling, as well as any sensory items that help your child (this could include squeezing or pulling items). For more ideas for items and toys with sensory input, read this post.

Calming corner posters:  Teaching children emotional regulation starts with being able to identify emotions. Having a great printable poster to identify and name their emotion is key from an early age.  The calm down corner should contain books discussing moods and posters with mood charts.

Here are some book ideas:

Use the Time-In Toolkit to create the calm down corner

The Time-In ToolKit gives you everything you need to create a calming space for children ages 3+. It is full of calming corner posters and is your ultimate calm down corner kit.

What the toolkit includes:

• PeaceMakers Mindfulness Card Game: 42 cards plus instructions
• Meet the PeaceMakers Poster
• My Calming Strategies Poster
• 32 Feeling Faces Poster
• PeaceMakers Feel Many Emotions Poster
• My Calming Corner Poster
• Calming Steps Poster
• My Feelings Card Set including the “What Can I Do?” Activity Mat
• 8-page full color printed mini-manual
• 50+ page Digital Manual – Creating A Calming Corner & Using Time-Ins with a 40 page set of calm down corner printables
• 35 Resealable Animal Stickers & 32 sticky tabs

Add SnuggleBuddies for Big Emotions to your calm down corner

The four color-coded mood emojis inside every SnuggleBuddies encourage children to share their emotions on a daily basis.

Each SnuggleBuddies plush comes with a laminated feelings poster and calendar/journal and dry erase marker.

The SnuggleBuddies are a perfect companion to your Time-In Toolkit.

Here is a lovely example of a great calming corner or nook.

What does your calm down corner look like?

Read more articles on Parenting

You might also like: