No preschool classroom is immune to it… little learners with BIG emotions. Some years are different from others, but every school year we will have children in our class that need help processing big emotions. And this year was the year I finally created something that I feel like really helps…. It’s called The Chill Spot and I want to share it because I’m so excited about the progress I am seeing!
What is the Chill Spot?
I was finding a need (and to be completely honest, had been seeing the need but wasn’t sure how to tackle it… so I procrastinated) for a specially curated space to help some of my students who had some big emotions. And… well I finally laid it all out, implemented it into my classroom and now I’m mad at myself that I didn’t do it earlier.
The goal of the Chill Spot is simple: if a child is having big feelings (be it anger, sadness, frustration, separation issues at drop off or just feeling tired and out of sorts) they have a place to go that is set up in a way to help them work through whatever that feeling is. And they leave the Chill Spot when they feel ready.
The Chill Spot is different than a time-out, in that it’s not a place we send children to when they are out of control. It’s a place we teach about, invite children to and even go with them if they need it – all BEFORE the out of control behavior starts. And you may be thinking… well that sounds great in an ideal world… and I get you. But, I have to tell you- I’ve been SO happily surprised at how this Chill Spot is working in my classroom.
Inside the Chill Spot there is 3 things to do to start with. Step 1: Take 3 breaths. We all know the benefits of deep breathing, but I find it very hard to get children to implement it themselves. So, I decided to add velcro and now they take a breathing icon off and place it on a breathing icon when they take the breaths. Step 2: Choose your emotion. This helps children identify which feeling they are feeling. I kept this as a poster for them to point to or even just look at the different feeling faces. Then, step 3 is to ‘Choose’ something to help. I didn’t want a ton of choices here, because overwhelm isn’t the point when trying to get children to chill. They have 5 choices: 1. Sensory Bottles. 2. To draw. 3. To read. 4. Fidget Toys 5. Exercise.
Let’s talk more about the choices. Each choice has an icon. Then the tool is labeled with that same icon. For example, a tub of sensory bottles has the same icon on the basket as it does on the ‘Choose’ board. This way children can easier find what they need. The Sensory Bottles, Drawing Supplies (just glitter crayons and paper) and Fidget Toys all are organized in different tubs. The books are in the book shelf.
Now, let’s look at the ‘Exercise’ choice. I was finding a need for a child to get some anger out. I didn’t want this spot to take up a ton of room, nor did I want it to be led by me, nor did I want to include any ‘equipment’ that might get thrown. So, in the exercise station children can do 3 things: stomp, push the wall and jumping jacks (preschoolers doing jumping jacks will bring down your own stress level because it’s just that cute to watch). The goal is to get the mad feelings out in a way that doesn’t hurt the child or other around the child.
Teaching the Chill Spot
Now, this is the part that is just as important as the Chill Spot materials themselves…. TEACH IT.
I did this as a whole group, but if you have a very large group, you could break children up into smaller groups. I gathered them around the Chill Spot and acted out how to use it. I pretend to be upset and said “I’m getting so mad! I’m going to go chill out.” Then I model how I take three breaths and move the breath markers. Next I model how to choose my emotion. Then, I model how to choose a way to calm down. After I act this out, I explain the other choices and how to use them. I also talk about times that they might find the Chill Spot helpful (if they miss their moms and dads, if they are frustrated, if they are angry at a friend, if they feel sick or tired).
But, the most important thing at this stage of teaching is laying ground rules. I make it VERY CLEAR that the things in the Chill Spot are not for normal play like the other toys in our room. The things in the Chill Spot are to help us calm down. Then, I take some time to let the students explore the Chill Spot. With a couple children at a time, I allowed them to touch and try everything, with me right there to guide. This right here helped deter those who didn’t need the Chill Spot (right after I introduced it). But, I did still have some who suddenly had some big feelings and needed the Chill Spot right away.
How is it going with the Chill Spot?
The ‘newness’ of the Chill Spot calmed down really quick and now I only see children who actually need it, enter it. There is one child in my class that has benefited the most from the spot. We had been seeing lots of angry outbursts when things didn’t go the way the child wanted. The outbursts sometimes escalated to hurting others and were certainly disruptive.
Here is the crazy thing… after teaching the Chill Spot, I watch the child go directly to it when the start of frustration and anger creeps in. The time spent in the Chill Spot for this child varies. Sometimes it’s real quick and it’s back to play. Sometimes it’s a longer time. Which means this child is self-regulating (AHHH-MAZING) and I am SOOOO happy! We haven’t had a melt down and I’ve seen other children more willing to play with this child than every before. It really is crazy to think how implementing something so simple could have such a big impact.
