Lesson Plan
Habit-Building Roadmap
Guide a 2nd grade student to select, practice, and track a new calm habit through visual supports and one-on-one coaching within a 25-minute session.
Building consistent self-management routines helps students regulate emotions, boosts independence, and lays the foundation for lifelong organizational skills.
Audience
2nd Grade Student
Time
25 minutes
Approach
Guided habit-building with visual aids and reflection.
Materials
Prep
Prepare Materials
5 minutes
- Print or open Daily Routine Visuals
- Review the flow in the One-on-One Coaching Script
- Make copies of My Calm Habits Tracker for the student
- Familiarize yourself with the criteria in the Self-Management Progress Rubric
Step 1
Introduction & Goal Setting
5 minutes
- Greet the student and explain today’s focus: choosing one calm habit (e.g., deep breathing).
- Ask the student to name a calm habit they’d like to practice.
- Write the habit as a clear goal at the top of their My Calm Habits Tracker.
Step 2
Review Visual Cues
5 minutes
- Open Daily Routine Visuals and locate the chosen habit slide.
- Guide the student through each visual step, asking them to describe what they see.
- Confirm understanding by having the student explain the routine back to you.
Step 3
Guided Habit Practice
10 minutes
- Follow the prompts in the One-on-One Coaching Script to lead the student through 3–5 repetitions of the habit.
- Encourage the student to mark each successful practice on their My Calm Habits Tracker.
- Provide positive reinforcement and correct gently as needed.
Step 4
Reflection & Next Steps
5 minutes
- Use the Self-Management Progress Rubric to review how well the student followed the habit steps.
- Ask the student what felt easy or challenging.
- Set a simple home or classroom practice plan (e.g., practice 3 times tomorrow) and record it on their tracker.
Slide Deck
Daily Routine Visuals
Choose a calming habit to practice:
• Deep Breathing
• Finger Taps
• Quiet Corner Routine
Introduce the purpose of this deck: to show simple, colorful steps for calm habits. Encourage the student to pick one habit to practice.
Deep Breathing
- Sit up tall with hands on belly.
- Breathe in slowly through your nose—feel your belly rise.
- Breathe out slowly through your mouth—feel your belly lower.
- Repeat 5 times.
Guide the student through each step of deep breathing. Model slow inhalation and exhalation, using hand on belly to feel breaths.
Finger Taps
- Hold one hand up.
- Tap each finger to your thumb, one at a time.
- Count taps: 1, 2, 3, 4.
- Switch to the other hand.
- Repeat once more for each hand.
Demonstrate tapping each fingertip to the thumb, left hand then right hand. Prompt the student to count aloud as they tap.
Quiet Corner Routine
- Find a cozy spot or cushion.
- Sit quietly and relax your shoulders.
- Look at or hold a calming object (book, toy).
- Take 3 slow, deep breaths.
Show the student how to set up their quiet corner with a cozy cushion and calm object. Encourage them to sit and breathe quietly.
Script
One-on-One Coaching Script
Teacher: "Hi there! Today we’re going to practice the calm habit you picked—Deep Breathing (or Finger Taps / Quiet Corner Routine). We’ll do it three times together. Are you ready?"
(Wait for student to give nonverbal or verbal “Yes!”)
Teacher: "Great! First, let’s get our tracker out. You’ll put a ✔️ each time we finish one round. Ready for round one?"
Round One
Teacher: "Step 1: Sit up tall and place your hands on your belly."
Teacher (model): Places hands on belly and sits tall.
Teacher: "Step 2: Breathe in slowly through your nose as I count to three. One… two… three… (pause)"
Teacher: "Step 3: Breathe out slowly through your mouth as I count: one… two… three… (pause)"
Teacher: "Awesome job! That was one. Can you mark one ✔️ on your My Calm Habits Tracker?"
(Wait as student marks tracker.)
Teacher: "How did that first time feel?"
Possible follow-up: “Did you feel your belly move?” “Was that easy or a bit tricky?”
Round Two
Teacher: "Okay, let’s do it again. Ready?"
Teacher: "Breathe in… one… two… three… (pause). Breathe out… one… two… three… (pause)."
Teacher: "Nice work—two ✔️ on your tracker!"
Teacher: "What did you notice this time? Anything feel different?"
Round Three
Teacher: "Here we go, one more time! Breathe in… one… two… three… (pause). Breathe out… one… two… three… (pause)."
Teacher: "You did it three times—amazing! Let’s add your third ✔️."
Teacher: "How do you feel now?"
Possible follow-up: “Did your shoulders relax?” “Is your heart beating a bit slower?”
Wrap-Up and Encouragement
Teacher: "You did fantastic today practicing Deep Breathing (or your chosen habit). I saw you keep your hands on your belly and breathe slowly—that was perfect!"
Teacher: "Tomorrow let’s practice three more times. Which part do you want to remember?"
Teacher: "I’m really proud of you for practicing your calm habit. Great job!"
Journal
My Calm Habits Tracker
Habit of the Week: ________________________________
Practice Check-Offs (Put a ✔️ each time you practice):
Monday: ☐ ☐ ☐
Tuesday: ☐ ☐ ☐
Wednesday: ☐ ☐ ☐
Thursday: ☐ ☐ ☐
Friday: ☐ ☐ ☐
Reflection Time
- What was the easy part of practicing my calm habit?
- What was the tricky part?
- How did I feel after practicing?
- My goal for next week: ________________________________
Rubric
Self-Management Progress Rubric
Use this rubric to see how you did practicing your calm habit. Circle the face that shows how you did.
| Criteria | 😃 3 - Great Job! | 🙂 2 - Almost There | 😐 1 - Needs Support |
|---|---|---|---|
| Focus | Paid attention and followed each step all the way | Sometimes distracted but came back with a reminder | Often distracted and needed lots of refocusing |
| Effort | Tried each part carefully and asked questions when stuck | Did the steps but sometimes rushed | Did only a little practice and needed extra encouragement |
| Independence | Started the habit and marked the tracker on my own | Practiced after a small reminder | Waited for help every time |
After you circle each face, talk with your teacher about:
- What you did well.
- What you want to work on next time.