Calm-Down Strategies Template
Blank cards to choose strategies.
The Calm-Down Strategies Template is a set of blank printable cards that students fill in with their own chosen calming techniques, creating a personalised toolkit they can reach for when emotions run high. Designed for Kindergarten through Grade 5, each card has an icon-style drawing area and a label line so a child can illustrate and name a strategy that actually works for them — deep breaths, a squeeze ball, counting backward, or drawing a picture. Teachers use this template during SEL lessons to move beyond poster-on-a-wall strategies and into child-owned choices. After a brief class brainstorm of possible techniques, students select and illustrate four to six strategies that feel right for them. Finished card sets live in calm-down corners, on a student's desk ring, or inside a personal feelings folder. School counselors find the activity especially useful for co-creating a calm plan with individual students who need a concrete, portable reference.
Learning objectives
- Identify and personalise calming strategies that work for the individual student
- Build a portable, visual toolkit for self-regulation in the moment
- Develop emotional self-awareness by connecting feelings to helpful responses
- Practise choosing an appropriate strategy before emotions escalate
- Strengthen the habit of pausing and selecting a response rather than reacting
- Support independence in managing big emotions without adult prompting
How to use this template
- Download and print the template sheet — it contains multiple blank cards per page — and cut out individual cards.
- Lead a brief class brainstorm of calm-down strategies (breathing exercises, body movement, sensory tools, visualisation) so students have options to choose from.
- Students select four to six strategies they personally find helpful and write or draw each one in a blank card, labelling it in their own words.
- Laminate or slide the finished cards into a ring binder, tape them inside a folder, or post them at a designated calm-down station.
- Revisit the cards at the start of each term — students can update their set by replacing strategies that no longer work with new ones they have discovered.
Classroom & home ideas
- Calm-down corner kit: include a completed card set in each student's calm-down corner tub alongside a stress ball and a sand timer so they have a visual menu of options.
- Morning circle self-check: hold up strategy cards at the start of the day and ask students to give a thumbs-up on the strategy they used this morning — quick, non-intrusive data for the teacher.
- Partner presentation: pairs share their completed card sets and explain why they chose each strategy, building perspective-taking and broadening each other's repertoire.
- Transition signal: when the class is moving between intense activities, prompt students to silently pick one card from their set and use that strategy for two minutes before the next task.
- Family copy: send a duplicate set home so parents can reference the same language and strategies the child uses at school, creating consistency between environments.
Skills & curriculum links
Frequently asked questions
How many cards does the template include per page?
The printable sheet contains six blank cards per page, giving students enough room to build a meaningful toolkit without feeling overwhelmed by too many choices.
What if a student cannot think of any strategies to write in the cards?
Start with a class brainstorm or show students a reference list of common strategies before they fill in their cards. The blank format is intentionally open so students adopt strategies that genuinely resonate rather than copying a pre-filled poster.
Can I use this template with students who have IEPs or anxiety support plans?
Yes. The personalised, child-created nature of the template makes it especially suitable for students with anxiety or self-regulation goals in their IEP. Work with the student and their support team to select strategies already identified in their plan.
Should students illustrate the cards or just write the strategy name?
Both work well. A drawing plus a label is most effective for younger students or reluctant readers because they can recognise their strategy at a glance during a high-emotion moment without needing to read text.
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