I don’t know about you, but some days it feels like big emotions rule my classroom. My students struggle greatly with emotional regulation, and one seemingly small scenario can create a day of mayhem in a moment’s notice.
While some students can regulate quickly, other students can take hours to get back to their baseline. Researching and studying Cognitive Behavioral Therapy has been such a wealth of knowledge for me as a teacher of students with significant emotional disabilities. Their strategies range in complexity, and I have found that some of their smaller, more simple exercises are not only easy to implement but incredibly effective.
Three strategies I use on the daily in my classroom include one material only: ice cubes! Find a way to get access to ice cubes because these strategies WORK.
1.) Chewing ice
Simple as that. I give my students full ice cubes, 2-3, in a cup. I have them sit in the calm corner and just chew on ice. This releases some anger (the crunching), plus the cold sensation allows their mind to focus on that feeling rather than perseverating on the emotion that caused them to escalate.
2.) Ice cube in your hand
Again, simple. I place one ice cube in the child’s hand and tell them to hold it as long as they can tolerate it. I have some students that do NOT like this exercise, while others understand it and are more willing to participate. This exercise promotes mindfulness, as it pulls the child into the present moment as they focus (intentionally or unintentionally, your mind just does this!) on the very cold sensation and the melting process.
3.) Ice cube in between your eyes
Equally simple but a little more “strange” compared to the other two. I really only use this strategy if a child is in crisis (we’re talking extreme behaviors) and is willing to let me do it. I just take an ice cube and place it in between their eyes. Brain chemistry, body reactions, temperature response… all of those change during this very simple process. I have seen kids calm HUGELY in SECONDS after this strategy! Seriously amazing. But… really make sure your student is okay with this before attempting!
A few extra ideas? Baby wipes that are kept in the fridge for a child to wipe their face off & an ice pack wrapped in paper towel on the back of their neck.
What do you think? Are you headed to buy ice trays now?! I hope so 🙂
Did you try some of these? Let me know in the comments how they worked for your students!
Love,
Allie
We do a lot of cold water! A student overheats when he melts down, so we usually get him a cold cup of water to drink. If he is calm enough, we will have him go because then he can take a built in break.