Using your Ouchie Pouchie's™ in your Calm Corner
As we all know, it can be so difficult to be able to calm yourself when emotions are high. It's one of the main reasons we created the Ouchie Pouchie™.
Its also one of the main reasons we have decided to bring the DIY Jellystone Calm Down Bottles & Little Ducklings Feelings & Emotions cards into our store. They are a fantastic tool to help children while they are learning to self-regulate.
It's hard sometimes, but so important to remember that self regulation is a learned skill and everyone has different coping mechanisms and and ways that work well for them. What is your go to way to help regulate your emotions? Do you take a walk to get fresh air? Practice meditation? Take deep breaths?
One of the biggest reasons kids have meltdowns is because they don't understand what to do with all their big feelings A calm corner is a great way to help kids learn how to self-regulate by providing them with a space in your home, which is a safe space to go to when they feel their emotions are running too high and they need to regain their emotional and physical control. They should include comforting objects and that can promote mindfulness, breathing and reflection.
The calm down corner can be used at any point, but is great to guide children when you can see things are escalating, but before they go into a full meltdown.
If you notice their shouting, becoming frustrated, crossing arms etc, you can encourage them to go and read their favourite book in the calm area or play with some fidgets or items they love. Making your calm corner somewhere close to where you can be near them and if the child is open to it, stay there alongside them. This will allow you to co-regulate and co-regulation helps the nervous system find balance and is shown to increase connection between parents and kids. It should help to calm their bodies before they get into that overwhelm, because they have given their minds and bodies the time to relax and process their different feelings.
The calm corner should not be used as a time out. It is not a place of punishment – Although you may encourage a child to spend some time in the space when you feel they’re starting to become distressed, the goal is that eventually your child will recognise when they want to be there, it allows them to feel in control so that they will go there on their own in order to self-regulate and calm down.
What we have in our calm area
Ours is located just next to our kitchen and main living area so its close to where all of our family is most of the time. We have lots of loved items including
- A soft cushion
- Kids favourite artwork on the wall
- Calm Bottle
- Feelings & Emotions Cards
- Fidgets
- Ouchie Pouchie's™
- Picture Books
We use our calm area daily as a co-regulation tool. Myself and my husband will also go and sit there when we feel our emotions are getting the better of us. It's been a fantastic way to help us and our kids manage stress, self-regulate and discuss our feelings.
Hope this helps
xx