6 Tips to Promote Calm in your Classroom ...We Can ALL Use a Bit of Calmness in Our Lives

In today's fast paced world of quick meals before practices and quick breakfasts before the bus comes and quick...lets get up and get moving before we're late, there is not much room for children to ease into their day and notice the beauty around them.

If they are running late Mom or Dad is dressing them in their practice uniform while they are eating or while they are eating an adult might be helping them tie their shoes or get their socks on so they will not be late for whatever the activity for the morning, afternoon or evening is that day!

Believe me...I was right there with this when my 3, now adult children, were little and involved in so many activities...so many, in fact, that I look back on those days and wonder how I did all of it with a traveling husband and really not much support to get them back and forth to cheerleading, football, dance, play rehearsals, violin, viola and piano lessons, field hockey practice, baseball, basketball, lacrosse, Brownies, singing lessons and who knows what else!!

Although "our world" was not as "techie" as today, we did have Pac-Man, Froggy and some other types of "computer"games to beg our kids to STOP playing them!

So where am I going with this?  Well, as teachers, we must realize what our families and little ones are up against in this fast-paced world so that when they come to school, they feel safe, calm and can feel like they are in a world that is nurturing and relaxed. A world were they do not have to feel stressed or overwhelmed, but can be their best selves.

So here are a few tips that you can put into place immediately that will give your kiddos a relaxed haven.

As teachers teaching during holiday seasons, you might want to incorporate some of these ideas on Monday or right after Winter Break when the students have been away from school for a week plus and now...well...let's just say many of your students may have forgotten many or ALL of the classroom routines and have been away from the classroom structure.

So, try some of these tips...oh and did I mention that these are tried and true...I have used these for over 20+ years in my classroom and now that I am retired and volunteer in my daughter's SpEd Kindergarten classroom, we use these ideas in her classroom, too!

1.  As Students come into the classroom, greet them at the door to make them feel special and 
     relaxed. If children feel good about themselves, they will be calmer and ready to learn.

2.  Play soft classical music.  You will be surprised at the calmness it brings and how parents
     notice this calming music, which they always had a positive comment to share about the music
     playing as the children entered the classroom. I always enjoyed hearing children humming the
     music as they unpacked and got ready for the day! They were relaxed and learning about music
     and what feelings it evoked.Some classical musicians who have calming genres are:
     Brahms, Wagner, Pachelbel, Handel, Chopin and Bach to name a few, but I would suggest
     listening to the works before just hitting "play." Here is a site that has some calming classical
     pieces you can check out!  Relaxing Music for your Classroom This is a sample of music that
     promotes calm. It plays a medley of different classical composers and can be set on your
     computer.
 

3.  Many teachers give their students morning work to complete, which is fine.  However what I have
     done over the years is given students a "soft landing" time. During this time, the kiddos can chat
     calmly, buddy read, read to self, work on an activity that needs to be finished, pick a morning
     work sheet to complete, buddy write or complete their classroom job, which are jobs that helped
     our classroom be organized (attendance, calendar, lunch count etc.).

4.  Our schedule was not very conducive to calmness as within 15 minutes of arrival time,
     our special teachers were in our classrooms ready to start their lesson.
     As a result, we had to have our Morning Meeting after special time. In order to address this issue      and create a calmness before the kiddos jumped into working with the special teachers, we would        gather on the rug and "Pass a Smile." This only took a few minutes and supported a calm feeling
     before the children got to work.

5.  Add a daily "Quiet Time" to your schedule. Schedule 5-10 minutes after your recess or at a time
     you notice your class seems to need a break. During this time the children listen to calm music
     and can do any activity within your rule expectations independently and alone.  Some ideas are:          Relax and listen to the music, read, color, draw, write, catch up on work, anything that is quiet
      and can be completed alone.  This time is a time to relax and refocus for the rest of the day

6.  Add brain breaks into your day to support children to refocus and be relaxed and ready to move        on with their day. Some ideas for Brain Breaks can be found at:
     Brain Breaks TpT .  The ideas in this resource are ones I        have used through the years before the buzzword Brain
     Breaks was popular!

















Just had to add one more... Kids Yoga: ABC's of Yoga with Theresa Power:  This video is great because Theresa introduces yoga through easy standing poses which can easily be completed at home or school. She has a soothing voice and it is only a 5 minute video!

I hope you find these ideas helpful They are ALL tried and true and have helped hundreds of children stay calm in our hectic world.

I will leave you with this one thought: During those calm and quiet moments we give ourselves time to think and understand; come up with ideas to inspire others; become our best selves and are ready to learn what the world has to offer.

Enjoy the rest of your year!