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My Calm Toolbox

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Lesson Plan

Session 1 Lesson Plan

Students will learn to identify and label basic emotions using visual cards and begin creating their personalized Calm Toolbox cover, fostering early self-awareness and regulation skills.

Being able to recognize and name emotions is the first step in building self-regulation. This session lays the groundwork for coping strategies by boosting emotional literacy in a fun, interactive way.

Audience

1st Grade

Time

30 minutes

Approach

Hands-on emotion labeling and toolbox creation.

Materials

Emotion Cards, Feelings Wheel Poster, Modeling Clay, Calm Toolbox Cover Template, Markers and Stickers, Timer, and Calm-Down Jar

Prep

Gather Materials and Review Plan

10 minutes

Step 1

Warm-Up Check-In

5 minutes

  • Greet the student and invite them to a comfortable seat in your calm corner.
  • Ask, “How are you feeling today?” and listen actively.
  • Briefly introduce today’s goal: learning about feelings and starting a special Calm Toolbox.

Step 2

Emotion Identification Activity

10 minutes

  • Display the Feelings Wheel Poster and review 4–6 basic emotions.
  • Shuffle the Emotion Cards and have the student draw one card at a time.
  • Ask the student to name the emotion, describe how their body feels when they have it, and share a time they felt it.
  • Provide modeling clay and invite the student to sculpt a face expressing that emotion.

Step 3

Calm Toolbox Cover Creation

10 minutes

  • Hand the student the Calm Toolbox Cover Template.
  • Let them decorate it using markers and stickers to make it uniquely theirs.
  • Explain that this cover will go on their Calm Toolbox where they’ll keep tools to help them stay calm.

Step 4

Reflection & Wrap-Up

5 minutes

  • Ask the student to share one emotion they learned today and one thing they enjoyed.
  • Lead a simple guided breathing exercise using the timer: inhale for 3 seconds, exhale for 3 seconds, repeat twice.
  • Show the calm-down jar and explain it’s one tool they can add to their toolbox next time.
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Slide Deck

Session 1: Identifying Emotions & Starting Your Calm Toolbox

• Objective: Learn to name basic emotions
• Create your personalized toolbox cover

Let’s begin our calm journey together!

Welcome the student to Session 1. Introduce yourself and explain that over the next few weeks they’ll build a special 'Calm Toolbox' to help them feel good when big feelings come. Mention that today’s focus is learning about feelings and decorating their toolbox cover.

Warm-Up Check-In

• Greet and settle in your calm spot
• Question: “How are you feeling today?”
• Introduce today’s goal

Use a friendly tone. Ask the student, “How are you feeling today?” Listen carefully and validate their response. Then say: “Today we’ll practice noticing our feelings and start making a toolbox to help us stay calm.”

Emotion Identification Activity

  1. Review 4–6 basic emotions on our Feelings Wheel
  2. Draw an Emotion Card
  3. Name the emotion & share when you’ve felt it
  4. Sculpt a face showing that emotion with clay

Display or refer to the Feelings Wheel Poster and the Emotion Cards. Guide the student through naming 4–6 core emotions: happy, sad, angry, scared, surprised, calm. Use modeling clay as a tactile prompt.

Let’s Sculpt Emotions

• Use modeling clay to create a face for each emotion
• Notice how your face and body feel when you make each one

Encourage creativity and let the student handle the clay independently. Praise attempts at sculpting even if it’s simple. Reinforce that making the feeling with clay helps us understand how our body shows emotion.

Calm Toolbox Cover Creation

• Decorate your toolbox cover
• Use markers, stickers, whatever you like
• Make it special—this is your calm space

Hand over the Calm Toolbox Cover Template. Provide markers and stickers and encourage personalization. Explain that this cover will hold all their calm-down tools in upcoming sessions.

Reflection & Wrap-Up

• Share one new emotion you learned
• What was your favorite part?
• Breathing exercise:

  • Inhale for 3 seconds
  • Exhale for 3 seconds
  • Repeat twice

Next time: we’ll explore our calm-down jar!

Guide the student to reflect and practice a simple breathing technique. Use a timer or count aloud. Then preview next session’s tool (calm-down jar).

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Activity

Emotion Cards

These Emotion Cards are designed to help your student identify and name core feelings. Print the sheet, cut along the lines, and laminate if desired for durability. Use them during the Emotion Identification Activity in Session 1.

EmotionIllustration (Cut-Out Card)
Happy😊
Sad😢
Angry😠
Scared😱
Surprised😮
Calm😌

How to Use:

  1. Shuffle the cards face down.
  2. Have the student draw one card at a time.
  3. Ask them to:
    • Name the emotion.
    • Describe how their body feels when they have that emotion.
    • Share a time they’ve felt it.
  4. Optionally, invite the student to sculpt the face with clay to match the emotion.



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Activity

Feelings Wheel Poster

This colorful poster helps students quickly see and name six key emotions. Display it in your calm corner so it’s easy to reference during sessions.

Poster Layout

• Center Title: My Feelings Wheel
• Six Equally Sized Segments Around the Circle:

  1. Happy 😊
  2. Sad 😢
  3. Angry 😠
  4. Scared 😱
  5. Surprised 😮
  6. Calm 😌

(Imagine a wheel with each emotion in its own colored slice.)

How to Use

  1. Introduce the Wheel: Point to each emotion and say its name with the student.
  2. Daily Check-In: Ask the student to point to how they feel at the start of each session.
  3. Emotion Talks: When discussing feelings, refer to the wheel to reinforce vocabulary.
  4. Clay Sculpting: After drawing an Emotion Card, find that feeling on the wheel and then sculpt it with clay.

Printing Tips:

  • Print at poster size (11" × 17" or larger).
  • Laminate for durability.
  • Hang at eye level in your calm corner.



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Worksheet

Calm Toolbox Cover Template

My Name: ___________________________


Draw and Decorate Your Calm Toolbox

Use this space to design the cover of your special Calm Toolbox. Add drawings, colors, stickers, or patterns that make you feel calm and happy!

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What colors or pictures did you choose? Why do they help you feel calm?

______________________________________________


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