Lesson Plan
Stress SOS Guide
In this 35-minute one-on-one session, the student will learn and practice immediate stress-relief techniques and collaboratively develop a personalized coping plan to manage anxiety in real time.
Teaching proactive, hands-on stress management skills helps a 6th grade student regulate emotions, reduce anxiety, and build confidence in handling challenging moments at school and home.
Audience
6th Grade Student
Time
35 minutes
Approach
Guided practice and personalized planning with step-by-step support.
Materials
Prep
Teacher Preparation
10 minutes
- Review Relief in Real Time slide-deck to select 2–3 key techniques
- Familiarize yourself with the questions and prompts in SOS Prompt Script
- Print or digital-ready the My Emergency Plan
- Gather any additional calming tools (e.g., stress ball, fidget spinner) if desired
Step 1
Welcome & Rapport Building
5 minutes
- Greet the student warmly and invite them to sit comfortably
- Use SOS Prompt Script to ask how they’re feeling today
- Validate their feelings and explain the session’s goal: learning quick stress-relief strategies
Step 2
Introduce Breathing Technique
5 minutes
- Show Five-Finger Breathing steps and explain why breathing helps calm the mind
- Demonstrate on your hand, then guide the student through two full cycles
- Ask how they felt and note any changes in tension or calmness
Step 3
Immediate Stress Relief Practice
10 minutes
- Present selected slides from Relief in Real Time: grounding, muscle relaxation, visualization
- Practice one grounding exercise together (e.g., 5-4-3-2-1 grounding)
- Discuss which technique felt most effective and comfortable for the student
Step 4
Personalized Coping Plan Development
10 minutes
- Introduce Quick-Calm Toolkit and brainstorm 3–5 personalized techniques
- Complete My Emergency Plan with sections: triggers, coping steps, support contacts
- Review the plan aloud and confirm the student feels ready to use it in real situations
Step 5
Reflection & Next Steps
5 minutes
- Ask the student to reflect: which single technique will they try first?
- Set a small practice goal (e.g., practice breathing once a day)
- Schedule a brief follow-up check-in to review progress and adjust the plan if needed

Slide Deck
Relief in Real Time
Welcome! Today we'll learn simple, quick ways to calm our minds and bodies when stress strikes.
Introduce the slide deck and set a calm, supportive tone. Explain that these techniques are tools they can use anytime they feel stressed.
What Is Stress?
Stress is your body's reaction to anything that feels challenging or overwhelming. It can make your heart beat faster, your muscles tense, or your thoughts race.
Define stress in kid-friendly terms. Relate it to things they might feel—tests, disagreements with friends, or big changes.
How Stress Affects Us
• Physical: tight muscles, fast heartbeat, shallow breathing
• Mental: worry, trouble focusing, feeling “on edge”
• Emotional: irritability, sadness, or feeling overwhelmed
Briefly explain how stress shows up physically and mentally. Use examples like sweaty palms, butterflies in the stomach, or racing thoughts.
Why Quick Techniques?
• Fast: You can use them anytime, anywhere
• Effective: Help your body and mind calm down
• Empowering: You learn to manage stress on your own
Highlight why quick techniques are useful. Emphasize that practicing them can help the student feel more in control.
Technique 1: 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding
- Look around and name 5 things you see
- Listen and name 4 things you hear
- Notice 3 things you can touch
- Identify 2 things you can smell
- Acknowledge 1 thing you can taste
Guide the student step-by-step in the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding exercise. Encourage them to look around and name things.
Technique 2: Muscle Relaxation
- Tense a muscle group (e.g., shoulders) for 5 seconds
- Let go and notice the release of tension
- Move to the next group (arms, legs, face)
- Continue until your whole body feels relaxed
Explain how muscles hold tension and how releasing them helps you feel calm. Lead them through the sequence.
Technique 3: Guided Visualization
- Close your eyes and take three deep breaths
- Picture a calm place (beach, forest, favorite spot)
- Notice details: colors, sounds, scents
- Stay in your calm place for 1–2 minutes, then open your eyes
Describe the power of imagination for stress relief. Invite the student to close their eyes if comfortable.
Practice Together
Which technique would you like to try first? Let’s do it now for 1–2 minutes and notice how you feel.
Encourage the student to pick one technique to try now. Offer to guide them through it together.
Your Quick-Calm Toolkit
Remember: • Practice once a day • Choose your favorite technique • Use it anytime stress arises
Wrap up by reinforcing practice. Encourage using the technique at home or school whenever needed.

Activity
Quick-Calm Toolkit Activity
Objective: Help the student identify and personalize a set of 3–5 stress-relief techniques to keep as their own “Quick-Calm Toolkit.”
Time: 10 minutes
Materials:
- Index cards or small pieces of paper (5–7 cards)
- Writing utensils (pen, pencil)
- Optional: coloring materials (markers, crayons, stickers)
Instructions
-
Brainstorm Techniques (2–3 minutes)
• Ask: “What kinds of things help you feel calm when you’re stressed?”
• Offer categories to spark ideas: breathing exercises, movement breaks, sensory tools (e.g., listening to music), imagination (visualization), talking with someone.
• Have the student name as many ideas as they can; write or draw one idea per index card. -
Review & Discuss (2 minutes)
• Lay all cards out.
• For each technique, ask: “How do you think this would help you? Would you feel comfortable trying it anywhere (school, home)?” -
Select Your Top Techniques (2 minutes)
• Invite the student to choose their favorite 3–5 cards—the techniques they think will help most.
• Remove or set aside any cards they aren’t ready to try. -
Decorate & Finalize (3 minutes)
• Have the student decorate each selected card: add colors, drawings, or notes (e.g., “Try this before a test”).
• Encourage them to add a short reminder phrase on each card (e.g., “Breathe 5 deep breaths”).
Student Product: A personalized set of 3–5 decorated Quick-Calm cards they can carry with them or keep in a visible spot.
Follow-Up: Review these cards in your next check-in. Ask which technique they tried, how it felt, and if any adjustments are needed.


Worksheet
My Emergency Plan
Use this plan when you start to feel stressed or overwhelmed. Fill in each section to create your personalized steps for staying calm and getting support.
1. My Triggers
List 3 things (people, situations, thoughts) that usually make you feel stressed:
- _______________________________________________
- _______________________________________________
- _______________________________________________
2. My Coping Steps
Write 3 steps you can do right away to help yourself calm down when you notice a trigger above (for example, breathing, grounding, muscle relaxation):
Step 1: ____________________________________________
Step 2: ____________________________________________
Step 3: ____________________________________________
3. My Support Team
Who can you turn to when you need help or someone to talk to? List at least two people and how to reach them.
- Name: ______________________ Role: ______________
Contact (where to find or how to reach): ________________ - Name: ______________________ Role: ______________
Contact (where to find or how to reach): ________________
4. My Quick-Calm Techniques
Pick 2–3 favorite techniques from your Quick-Calm Toolkit. Write each technique and when you will use it.
Technique 1: ___________________________
When I will use it: ____________________________________
Technique 2: ___________________________
When I will use it: ____________________________________
Technique 3 (optional): __________________
When I will use it: ____________________________________
5. Practice Goal
Choose one small goal to practice this plan each day or week. For example: “I will practice my breathing exercise once after school.”
My goal: _______________________________________________________
6. After I Use My Plan
Later, reflect on how things went. Answer these questions:
• Which part of my plan helped me the most?
____________________________________________________________
• What could I change or add to make my plan work even better next time?
____________________________________________________________


Script
SOS Prompt Script
Use this script throughout the session to guide rapport, check in on feelings, support practice, and prompt reflection. Feel free to pause and adjust based on the student’s responses.
1. Welcome & Rapport Building (First 2–3 minutes)
Teacher: "Hi [Student Name], it’s so good to see you. How are you feeling today?"
Possible Follow-Ups:
- "Can you tell me more about what’s on your mind right now?"
- "What’s been a positive moment in your day so far?"
- "Is there anything you’re worried about today?"
Teacher: "Thank you for sharing. Today, we’ll learn some quick ways to calm down when stress pops up, and we’ll build a plan just for you. Does that sound okay?"
2. Introducing Activities & Check-Ins
Before Breathing Practice
Teacher: "We’re going to start with a simple breathing exercise called Five-Finger Breathing. Why do you think focusing on your breath might help when you feel stressed?"
Follow-Up:
- "What does it feel like in your body when you’re breathing normally vs. slowly and deeply?"
- "Have you ever tried breathing like this before? What did you notice?"
Transition to Stress-Relief Techniques
Teacher: "Great job. Next, we’ll look at a few quick techniques from Relief in Real Time. Which one sounds the most interesting to you: focusing on your senses, relaxing your muscles, or a calming visualization?"
Follow-Up:
- "What do you think you’ll notice in your body when you try that technique?"
- "Is there a real situation you have in mind where you might use this?"
3. During Practice Prompts (While Student Tries a Technique)
Teacher: "Alright, let’s try that together for one minute. I’ll guide you step by step—ready?"
As you guide:
- "What do you feel in your body right now? Any change in tension or warmth?"
- "How is your breathing? Steady or still a little fast?"
After one minute:
Teacher: "How was that? What did you notice in your mind or body?"
Follow-Up:
- "Did anything surprise you about how you felt?"
- "Which part was easiest or hardest? Why do you think that was?"
4. Reflection & Connection to Plan
Teacher: "Now that you’ve tried it, let’s think about your own plan. We’ll use your Quick-Calm Toolkit activity to pick out your favorite techniques."
Questions:
- "Which of the techniques we tried feels most helpful for you?"
- "Can you think of three situations where you might use that technique?"
Teacher: "Great. Let’s fill out your My Emergency Plan."
- "What are some of your biggest stress triggers?"
- "Which coping steps from today do you want to include?"
5. Planning Next Steps & Check-Out
Teacher: "You’ve done a fantastic job building your plan today. To wrap up:"
- Teacher: "Which single technique will you commit to trying first?"
- Teacher: "What’s a small goal you can set—for example, practicing your breathing once a day after school?"
- Teacher: "When can we check in next to see how it’s going?"
Follow-Up:
- "How confident do you feel about using your plan when you need it?"
- "Is there anything else you’d like to add or change before we finish?"
Teacher: "Thank you for sharing and practicing with me today. I’m proud of the work you did, and I’m here to support you every step of the way."
Use these prompts flexibly—adapt your tone and pacing to the student’s needs. Offer validation ("I hear you," "That makes sense") and encouragement at every turn.


Cool Down
Five-Finger Breathing
Use this simple cool-down to bring your focus back to the present and calm your body with deep, intentional breaths.
Steps to Practice
- Spread one hand in front of you with fingers wide apart.
- Place the index finger of your other hand at the base of your thumb.
- Inhale slowly through your nose as you trace up the side of your thumb toward the tip.
- Exhale slowly through your mouth as you trace down the other side of your thumb back to the base.
- Move to your index finger: inhale up one side, exhale down the other.
- Continue this pattern for each of the five fingers until you’ve traced them all.
- Repeat the entire cycle 2–3 times, keeping your focus on the feeling of your finger under your tracing finger and the rhythm of your breath.
Reflection
After practicing, take a moment to notice how your body and mind feel now. Write your thoughts below:
I felt before breathing: _________________________________________________
I feel after breathing: _________________________________________________
What changed in my body or mind? ________________________________________

