lenny

Can You Stay Calm?

user image

Lesson Plan

Calm-Down Strategy Roadmap

In a 25-minute one-on-one session, the student will identify personal emotional triggers and co-create a personalized calm-down strategy plan using guided reflection, drawing, and planning activities.

Building self-awareness and emotional regulation in early grades helps students manage big feelings, reduce outbursts, and develop lifelong coping skills.

Audience

2nd Grade Student

Time

25 minutes

Approach

Guided reflection, multimedia prompts, and personalized planning.

Materials

Prep

Teacher Preparation

5 minutes

Step 1

Introduction

3 minutes

  • Greet the student warmly and set a supportive tone
  • Explain that today’s goal is to learn what upsets them and create a calming plan
  • Show the cover of Identifying My Triggers and outline the steps ahead

Step 2

Trigger Identification

7 minutes

  • Navigate through key slides in Identifying My Triggers
  • Ask the student to think of moments they’ve felt upset at school or home
  • Prompt them to point out or name specific triggers (e.g., loud noises, hard tasks)
  • Record each trigger on the board or paper for reference

Step 3

Guided Reflection

5 minutes

  • Use the Teacher Prompts for Reflection to ask open-ended questions:
    • “What do you feel in your body when that happens?”
    • “What do you think causes you to feel this way?”
  • Validate their feelings and encourage self-awareness

Step 4

Drawing My Triggers

5 minutes

  • Give the student the My Calm-Down Plan
  • Instruct them to draw or list their top 2–3 triggers in the worksheet’s “My Triggers” section
  • Offer support with ideas and positive feedback

Step 5

Creating My Calm-Down Plan

4 minutes

  • Guide the student to the “My Strategies” section of My Calm-Down Plan
  • Brainstorm simple, age-appropriate strategies (e.g., deep breaths, counting to five)
  • Help them write or illustrate each strategy next to the matching trigger

Step 6

Review and Closure

1 minute

  • Ask the student to name one trigger and their chosen strategy aloud
  • Praise their effort and remind them to use this plan when they feel upset
  • Collect the worksheet to keep on hand for future check-ins
lenny
0 educators
use Lenny to create lessons.

No credit card needed

Slide Deck

Identifying My Triggers

Today we will learn what makes us feel upset or frustrated and find ways to calm down.

Welcome! Today we're going to learn what a “trigger” is and how to notice what makes us feel upset. Get ready to share and draw!

What Is a Trigger?

A trigger is something that makes you feel upset, angry, or sad.

Examples: • Loud noises • Hard tasks • Feeling left out

Explain that a trigger is like a button that makes our feelings go from calm to upset. Use simple examples.

Think About Your Upset Moments

Can you remember a time at school or home when you felt upset?

• What happened?
• How did it make you feel inside?

Ask the student to think aloud about a time they felt upset. Prompt them gently if they need help remembering.

Some Common Triggers

Here are things that can make us upset:

• Loud noises (bells, shouting)
• Hard work (math, reading)
• Being left out (games, friends)

What else?

Show these common triggers and ask if any sound like what the student has felt. Encourage them to add their own ideas.

Draw Your Triggers

Draw or write your top 2–3 things that make you feel upset.

Explain that on the next slide they will draw their own triggers. Prepare paper or the worksheet.

lenny

Script

Teacher Prompts for Reflection Script

Use the following questions and language tips during the Guided Reflection step to help the student explore and put words to their feelings. Feel free to pause and give the child extra time to think or draw if needed.

Reflection Questions (Choose 4–5)

  1. “When that happens, what do you notice in your body? (Maybe your heart, tummy, or hands?)”


  2. “Can you tell me what you’re thinking about in that moment? (What’s going through your mind?)”


  3. “How big does your feeling feel right now—small like a pebble, or big like a mountain?”


  4. “What do you do with your hands or your feet when you feel upset?”


  5. “What is the hardest part about that feeling for you?”


Validation Statements

• “I can see that this is really hard for you—thank you for sharing.”
• “It makes sense you’d feel that way.”
• “Lots of people have felt upset by the same thing—your feelings are important.”

Language Tips

  • Use the child’s name often: “I hear you, Jamie.”
  • Mirror their words: If they say “my head hurts,” you might say, “Your head hurts—that sounds uncomfortable.”
  • Keep sentences short and clear.
  • Encourage drawings or gestures if words are hard.

Follow-Up Prompts

  • “Tell me more about that.”
  • “What helped you calm down last time?”
  • “Could you show me how your body moves when you feel that way?”
  • “What do you wish someone knew about how you feel?”
lenny
lenny

Worksheet

My Calm-Down Plan

Name: __________________________ Date: _______________

Part 1: My Triggers

Think of 2–3 things that make you feel upset. Draw or write your top triggers below.


































Part 2: My Strategies

For each trigger, write or draw one thing you can do to help yourself calm down.

  1. Trigger: __________________________
    Strategy:








  2. Trigger: __________________________
    Strategy:








  3. Trigger: __________________________
    Strategy:








When you feel upset, look at your plan and try your strategies. Keep this worksheet where you can find it when you need it!

lenny
lenny
Can You Stay Calm? • Lenny Learning