Cooldown Process

Sometimes big feelings make it hard to focus, learn, play, or get along with others. If we practice cool down steps, we can learn how to manage big feelings in the moment so we can deal with difficult feelings effectively. What are some things you can do to help you calm down?

1. Write the Cooldown Process steps on a piece of poster paper or digital whiteboard.

• Pause
• Identify Feeling: I feel ___ (angry, nervous, hurt, frustrated, etc.)
• Choose something that helps you Cool Down (five deep breaths, neck stretches, coloring, take a break and come back later, squeeze ball or fidget toy, etc.) Remember this can look different for each person or even for one person from moment to moment.
• Go (Return to activity or conversation)

2. Introduce the Cooldown Process to the class, taking time to review each step.
3. Use role-play scenarios to have students practice using the Cooldown Process in pairs or as a whole class. Use puppets, create scenarios from common conflicts that happen in or out of the classroom, or use the plot of a book that students are reading.
4. Discuss multiple options for Cool Down activities in your classroom and school.
5. Practice the Cooldown Process many times as a class in calm moments so students are ready to use it when needed.

• What does your body feel like when you’re about to “lose control?” (e.g., tense, heart beating fast, sweating, talking loudly, on the verge of tears, difficulty focusing, etc.)?
• What does your body feel like when you are calm? Can you calm down quickly, or does it take you some time? (Either way is fine, it’s just good to know yourself!)?
• What helps you to feel more grounded or calm when you’re experience a big feeling? Is it always the same or do you choose different ways to ground yourself sometimes?
• What are some other ways we could practice the Cooldown Process as a class?

For primary school students:

• Use the Cooldown Process with book characters. Discuss which emotions the character is feeling. Then, recommend a strategy the character can use to calm down. Facilitate a conversation about what would have happened if the character had used the strategy recommended.
• Create a Cooldown Corner. Identify a place in the classroom for using Cooldown Process and post the visual there. You can also include materials for writing or drawing, visuals/manipulatives that help students identify feelings and strategies for calming down, and other sensory tools. Examples include stuffed animals, calming pictures, fidget toys, and comfortable seating.
• Share the Cooldown Process with families. Encourage students to share the steps with families and discuss how each family member prefers to calm down. Families can discuss the process and choose strategies to independently and together at home.
• Create visual cues for each step with students.
• Brainstorm cooldown strategies with students to get their input. Options include talking/writing about what happened, taking a break, getting a drink of water, doing a stretch, reciting a mantra, or going to a “Cooldown Corner” either in the classroom or within their home. Then, learn and discuss each step multiple times over the year.

For students in grades 5-6:

• Incorporate facts about the body and brain, such as how emotions (fear, anxiety, anger) can initiate the brain’s fight or flight responses. Explain that emotions can cause hormones to be released that facilitate changes in the body and brain (increased heart rate and blood flow to extremities, flush cheeks, difficulty focusing or remembering, etc.).
• Remind students that they can take breaks from their screen when they feel they need to engage in a cool down activity.