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“Calm Down Kit” for Kids

July 2, 2015 by jlpenner 4 Comments

 This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #InsideOutEmotions #CollectiveBias

CALM-(3)Our family had the privilege last Sunday to go a see Inside Out. I had heard nothing but great things about it. And to be honest, I had been looking forward to seeing it when the very fist trailer came out many months ago. In fact, I even sent the trailer to my hubby by email and told him how great I thought the movie would be for our girls.

You see, in our family we talk about emotions all the time. No really… all the time.

walmart

I found the Inside Out Fruit Snacks along with the other character type fruit snacks and the Inside Out Plush Toys in the toy department.

You may or may not know but my girls are adopted from foster care. Over 6 years ago when they were 4 and 3 we picked them up, sight unseen, from the airport. Then proceeded to take them home and go from being married 14 years with no kids to overnight parents of toddlers. And these weren’t ordinary toddlers, but toddlers with trauma.

It quickly became obvious my oldest basically had PTSD and our family was in for a long road of healing. Anger, sadness and fear were “driving” all the time so the road was rough.

CALM-(4)

Thankfully, as time has past we have been able to incorporate many strategies, including helping them understand emotions are a part of that healing process and have come a long way.

One of the techniques we have used is learning how to calm down and would love to share a “Calm Down Kit” the girls and I created (and why the tools in it are so great!).

To put together our “Calm Down Kit” I headed to my local Walmart and picked up a few Inside Out Plushies and Inside Out Fruit snacks.

  • Stress Ball (or semi squishy ball)- Both molding dough and a stress ball help release anger and relax the body and mind (source)
  • Molding Dough
  • Gum- Chewing gum can possibly help relief stress and calm nerves (source)
  • Something chewy like Inside Out Fruit snacks (similar to gum)
  • Bubble wrap- Popping bubble wrap is calming and therapeutic (source)
  • Bubbles- (Might want to do this one outside) Blowing bubbles does the same thing deep breathing does for your body. It calms it down. (source)
  • A huggable friend like a Walmart exclusive Inside out plush product- A favorite comfort object like a stuffed toy to hug can help kids feel safe and calm. (source)
  • A Journal (not shown)– keep a blank journal and pencils or crayons in your kids Calm Down Kit so they can write or draw their thoughts and feelings. (source)

Grab an small box or basket and place all your “tools” inside.  Make sure you store your “calm down kit” in a place where your kiddo can get it when they need it.

CALM

Depending on your child the above box might be a safe way for them to calm down on their own or it might be something you share together to aid them in self-regulation. After my girls calm down from anger or fear we often talk about feelings, what happened and how things could have gone differently.

What kinds of things help your kiddos calm down from a hard day, sadness, fear, anger or disappointment? What would you put in your “Calm Down Kit”? Please share your thoughts in the comments.

CALM-(1)

Filed Under: Reviews and Shopping Trips, Series on Frugal Living

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Comments

  1. Summer Davis says

    July 7, 2015 at 12:08 pm

    I love the idea of a calm down kit! My youngest son was severely speech delayed, so Anger was at the helm for so long that it is just a habit for him to be angry now. We really have to talk through things now that he is verbal, but he still falls into old habits sometimes, and this would be a great thing for him to have during those difficult times. #client
    Reply
    • jlpenner says

      July 7, 2015 at 12:37 pm

      I definitely agree that habit becomes a HUGE part of it.
      Reply
  2. Lorena says

    September 25, 2015 at 9:14 am

    what an absolutely simple but incredible concept. My 6 year old twins have anger issues. They are not reflective of parental behavior so we think it might be their learned behavior for fighting for attention. Its tough as a parent with twins and a toddler, yah homework time is a blast. When I first saw the kit I thought "yeah sure, my kids will just want the goodies" but as I read the uses I see how it can absolutely work. I'm going to try it using the very small bubbles used for favors, and a single piece of gum, the rest as you have posted and see if his might be something that we can try. Thank you.
    Reply
    • jlpenner says

      September 25, 2015 at 6:53 pm

      I agree.. it's a balance of "wanting the goodies" and the science behind it. I might recommend using it together and see what works and what doesn't... then maybe let them use it on their own.
      Reply

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