coping skills toolbox

Seven Coping Skills to Use at an Elementary School

Seven Coping Skills to Use at an Elementary School

A child at Elementary School will be learning and figuring out what emotions are and what’s going on in their bodies when their ‘big feelings’ appear. They’ll be learning to put names to their emotions and trying figuring out why they’re feeling what they are. 

In the moments when they feel upset, overwhelmed and unable to put words to their emotions, there are some straightforward strategies we can have in our toolkit ready to use and support this age group with. 

Here are some some of the strategies discussed in today’s episode:

Create a Coping Skills Toolkit to Use On The Go

Create a Coping Skills Toolkit to Use On The Go

It’s wonderful having a home set up where you have a reset or safe space where your kids can use strategies and process their emotions. But what happens when we go out? Having coping strategies ready is just as important. Whether that’s at school, traveling, out with friends, before a medical appointment or at parties knowing what you can do outside of the comfort of your own home is really helpful. 

The topics I cover in this episode are:

Eight Great Fidgets for the Classroom

Eight Great Fidgets for the Classroom

We all know those kids who can’t quite get settled in the classroom. They may have a hard time sitting down to get their homework done. They may be zoning off in the middle of a lesson in school. Or they may look like they are paying attention, but their mind is constantly wandering off. These kids might benefit from a fidget!

Today's solo episode of the Calm and Connected podcast is all about fidgets, and in particular, the ones I think are great for the classroom.

The topics I cover in this episode are:

Making a Coping Skills Toolkit at Dollar Tree

Making a Coping Skills Toolkit at Dollar Tree

In this episode, I am talking about coping skills tool kits that you can make at the Dollar Tree. I have previous similar episodes based on different stores such as Five Below, Target, Michael’s and Oriental Trading and one more general episode right back when I started this podcast. I talk about different styles of coping skills like relaxation, distraction, movement, sensory and processing.

The topics I cover in this episode are:

Using TV, Movies, and Books to Spark Conversations about Coping Skills

Using TV, Movies, and Books to Spark Conversations about Coping Skills

Starting a conversation with a child about their own struggles and coping skills can be difficult. The best way around that in my opinion is to show through examples in books and TV. We all know how hard direct feedback and critique can be, yet if it is explained in a lighter way using someone else as an example, it can be much easier to digest and a perfect way to teach children. 

The topics I cover in this episode are:

How to Make a Calm Down Kit at Five Below

How to Make a Calm Down Kit at Five Below

Calm down kits are a fantastic way to help kids keep their coping skills accessible for times when they need to calm down. Sometimes it can be referred to as a coping skills toolkit. Whatever name you use, what it means is that there is an actual physical container that houses items kids can use to help calm down and express their emotions in healthy ways.


There are lots of places you can go to get items for a calm down kit. One of my favorites is Five Below. This store has only been in my area for a few years, and while their items change regularly, I can always find some awesome things to go into a calm down spot for home or school. On a recent trip, I took pictures of what I would put in a coping skills toolkit. Listen to what I found!

One of the best coping techniques for anxiety - make a coping skills toolbox!

One of the best coping techniques for anxiety - make a coping skills toolbox!

Inside: A step by step guide for creating a coping skills toolbox for your child. This is an effective way to help kids utilize coping techniques for anxiety.

It’s Friday morning, and your daughter, like clockwork, comes down to breakfast and says “I’m not hungry at all. I can’t take my mind off my math test. I’m worried I’m going to fail and then I’ll fail the whole year and never pass 4th grade!” She puts her head down on the kitchen table and starts to cry.

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