A calm down kit is a box, bag or basket of things a child can reach for when a feeling gets big. It won’t fix a hard moment. It gives your child one thing to try, and it can go wherever you go.
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A calm down corner is a place: a cushion, a quiet spot and a few things within reach. A calm down kit is the things themselves, packed so they can move. It can sit in the corner at home, then go in the car, to a grandparent’s house or to the dentist.
You don’t have to choose. You can keep the kit in the corner. Our guide to setting up a calm down corner covers the place. This page covers what goes in the box.
Four or five things is plenty to start. Pick from these groups and let your child choose. Each group comes with the Calmlings cards for the same idea, so the picture and the thing to hold go together.
Put in a soft ball, a small tub of play dough or one fidget toy.
SqueezleSqueeze and let goSqueeze, count to 3, then let it all go.
CalmlingsDoughbySquish doughSquish and roll some play dough.Unlock every card
CalmlingsFidgetfoxBusy handsKeep your hands busy with a fidget toy.Unlock every cardPut in a small soft toy or a scrap of soft fabric to stroke.
CalmlingsSnugglebugCosy hugHug your soft toy, nice and snug.Unlock every card
CalmlingsPettlepupSoft strokeStroke a pet or a soft toy gently.Unlock every cardPut in a glitter jar with the lid glued shut, or a small book of favourite pictures.
CalmlingsGlimmerjarGlitter jarShake the jar, watch the glitter settle.Unlock every card
CalmlingsSkygazerCloud watchLook up and find shapes in the clouds.Unlock every card
CalmlingsDimmySoft lightsTurn lights down low for a soft, calm glow.Free in the Halloween packPut in headphones or ear defenders, a water bottle, a chewy toy, and a crunchy snack if that suits where you are. Add something with a smell your child likes, like a small lavender bag.
CalmlingsHushpupQuiet earsHeadphones on when sounds get too big.Unlock every card
CalmlingsSippySlow sipsTake three slow sips of cool water.Unlock every card
CalmlingsMunchkinCrunch and chewCrunch a snack or chew something safe.Unlock every card
CalmlingsChompyChew timeChew a chewy toy or a chewy snack.Unlock every card
CalmlingsHummingbeeHum a tuneHum a favourite song nice and low.Unlock every card
CalmlingsScentleCalm smellSmell something nice, like a flower.Unlock every cardPut in a small bottle of bubbles or a paper pinwheel.
BreathoBig slow breathSmell the flower, blow out the candle.
BubbloBubble breathsBlow slow bubbles, big and round.
CalmlingsWhirlywindPinwheel breathBlow a pinwheel round and round.Unlock every card
CalmlingsTracetailFinger breathingTrace your fingers, breathe in and out.Unlock every cardPut in a little paper and some crayons, and a small sand timer to watch.
CalmlingsDoodlephantDraw it outDraw how you feel, then colour it calm.Unlock every card
CalmlingsTickatockCheck the timerThe timer shows how long until it's done.Unlock every cardPut in a few picture cards and a feelings chart, so your child can point instead of talk. A favourite song or a calm story to listen to fits here too.
CalmlingsBreakbeakBreak pleaseUse your words to ask for a little pause.Unlock every card
FeelioName the feelingSay it out loud: "I feel worried."
CalmlingsChatterbirdTell someoneTell a grown-up how you feel.Unlock every card
CalmlingsMelodeeFavourite songSing or play your favourite song.Unlock every card
CalmlingsTalebirdStory timeListen to a calm story or audiobook.Unlock every cardFor more ideas, see our sensory calm-down ideas for kids.
Things to hold are half the kit. The other half is pictures that show your child what to try, so they don’t have to remember it in a hard moment. Here is what to print, free first.
Nine calming moves on picture cards, plus a “What can I do?” poster.
See the free pack
Thirteen feelings faces with a 1 to 5 scale, plus six feelings cards and three Calmlings.
See the free pack
A soft place to land: 8 calming strategies for big feelings.
View workbookBoth card sets open in the Calmlings app on your phone and iPad, and come with the Printable Pack of A4 and US Letter PDFs to print at home. The Starter Set has 28 Calmlings and 17 Wobbles. The Complete Collection has all 53 Calmlings and every other card.
61 cards to begin with: Calmlings, Wobbles and Feelings Friends, plus the Tamed! seals.
Get the starter setSecure checkout by Polar, our payment partner. Checkout shows your price in your currency (US$, A$, £, €, C$ or NZ$); tax is included or added as your country requires.
All 1000 cards. New Calmlings, Wobbles and Feelings Friends cards are added to the Complete Collection as we make them.
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Some hard moments come with a warning: a dentist visit, a haircut, a busy place. Before you go, pack two or three cards for that moment. Each Wobble card is a tricky moment, and it names two Calmlings to try.
DrillbugThe dentistTame with Breatho and Dreamdrift
BuzzbeardHaircutsTame with Hushpup and Squeezle
WobblesCrowdleCrowdsTame with Nestle and SpottoFree in the Halloween packRead the card together before you go, then let your child choose one Calmling for when the moment comes. There’s more on helping a child who is scared of the dentist and making haircuts easier. Buzzbeard, the haircut Wobble, is free to print.
A few things to squeeze, hold, look at and breathe with, plus picture cards of calming moves. Four or five things is plenty to start. Let your child choose, and swap things over now and then.
Yes. A calm down box, a calm down kit and a calm down bag are the same idea: a few calming things packed together where your child can reach them. A box suits a shelf at home. A bag is easier to take out.
Not quite. A corner is a place in your home or classroom. A kit is the things, packed so they can go with you. You can keep the kit in the corner. Here is how to set up a calm down corner.
No. Things from around the house and the free printables are enough to start: the free calm down cards and the free feelings chart.
A kit can be built around what your child needs: more to squeeze and move for some children, quiet and soft things for others. See our printables for autistic and ADHD kids. Calmlings cards are educational tools, not therapy or medical advice. Every child is different, so use the cards in whatever way works, alongside the doctors, therapists and teachers who know them.
Calmlings cards are educational tools, not therapy or medical advice. Every child is different, so use the cards in whatever way works, alongside the doctors, therapists and teachers who know them.
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Printable ideas for big feelings at home and in class. The free packs download as soon as you enter your email.
All 26 Feelings Friends: name a feeling and show how big it is.
Take a look →Every Calmling: 53 calming moves sorted by type.
Take a look →Where to put it, what goes in it and how to start, at home or in class.
Take a look →Nine calming moves on picture cards, plus a “What can I do?” poster.
Take a look →Thirteen feelings faces with a 1 to 5 scale, plus six feelings cards and three Calmlings.
Take a look →
