Calm down choices board and cards: free printable

A calm down choices board shows, in pictures, what a person can do when a big feeling comes, so they can choose instead of being told. This free PDF has 16 calm down choices in four groups (breathe, move, hug and squeeze, quiet), a row for naming the feeling, and a check at the end: still upset, a little better or calm and ready. Page 2 has a breathing square to trace, and page 3 has the choices as cards to cut out.

Download the free PDF US Letter, 3 pages, 1,098 KB

Portrait (tall page, 3 pages): US Letter PDF (1,098 KB) · A4 PDF (1,099 KB)

Landscape (wide page, 3 pages): US Letter PDF (1,101 KB) · A4 PDF (1,100 KB)

Printable calm down choices board. When I feel: mad, frustrated, worried, sad, scared and too much. I can, in four colored groups. Breathe: smell the flower, blow out slowly, blow bubbles, count to 10. Move: jump, push, dance, yoga. Hug and squeeze: big hug, hug my teddy, squeeze ball, blanket. Quiet: headphones, music, cold water, color. How do I feel now? Still upset, a little better, calm and ready. — Page 1: the calm down choices board.

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Who it’s for

Children and teens who get overwhelmed, angry or upset and can’t find the words in the moment, at home or at school, and the grown-ups who help them. Big feelings can make talking hard for anyone. A board the person can point to, without having to find the words, gives them a way to choose what helps.

How to use it

Practice when everyone is calm. Try each choice together on a good day: smell the flower, blow out slowly, jump, push against a wall. Cross out the ones the person doesn’t like, and add their own on the blank cards.
Name the feeling first. When something goes wrong, point to the top row and say what you see: “You look frustrated.” Don’t ask a lot of questions.
Offer two choices, not sixteen. Point to two pictures: “Big hug or headphones?” and wait. A person who is very upset may only manage a glance.
Do it with them. Breathe out slowly yourself, or count to 10 out loud. Keep your words few and your voice low.
Check at the end. Point to How do I feel now? If the answer is still upset, try another choice. Calm and ready means back to what you were doing.

How it’s different from a break card

Our break card is for asking to leave an activity for a while, usually at school, before things get too much. This board is for the moment a big feeling has already arrived, wherever it happens: it names the feeling, offers ways to calm the body, and checks how it went. You can use both: the break card in the school bag, and this board on the fridge or in a calm-down spot.

A square to trace with a finger, starting at a green dot: breathe in 1, 2, 3, 4 along the top, hold 1, 2, 3, 4 down the side, breathe out 1, 2, 3, 4 along the bottom, and hold 1, 2, 3, 4 back up. Below, four big cards: smell the flower, breathe in slowly through your nose; blow out the candle, breathe out slowly through your mouth; I need to calm down; and I’m ready, I feel calm, I can go back. — Page 2: a breathing square to trace, and four big cards.

The breathing square

Page 2 has a square to trace with a finger: breathe in along the top, hold down the side, breathe out along the bottom, hold back up, counting to four on each side. A finger moving around the page gives the breath a steady rhythm to follow. Next to it, two picture cards turn the same idea into a story for younger children: Smell the flower (breathe in) and Blow out the candle (breathe out). Practice together often, so it’s easy to remember when it’s needed.

Calm down cards to cut out: smell the flower, blow out slowly, blow bubbles, count to 10, jump, push, dance, yoga, big hug, hug my teddy, squeeze ball, blanket, headphones, music, cold water, color, calm down and I’m ready, and two blank cards. — Page 3: the choices as cards, for a key ring or a calm-down spot.

What it can look like

Ava’s tower falls down, and she throws a block. Her dad kneels down and points to mad. “Your tower fell. You’re mad.” Then he holds up two cards: jump or squeeze ball? Ava grabs the ball and squeezes it hard. Her dad blows out slowly, and she copies him. After a while he points to How do I feel now? Ava points to a little better. A few minutes later, it’s calm and ready, and they build the tower again.

What’s on the board

When I feel

mad
frustrated
worried
sad
scared
too much

I can

smell the flower
blow out slowly
blow bubbles
count to 10
jump
push
dance
yoga
big hug
hug my teddy
squeeze ball
blanket
headphones
music
cold water
color

How do I feel now?

still upset
a little better
calm and ready

Page 2 adds the big cards Smell the flower, Blow out the candle, I need to calm down and I’m ready. The cards on page 3 are 1.6 inches (4 cm) square, the same size as the cards on our other boards.

Printing tips

Laminate page 1 and put it where feelings tend to boil over: the fridge, the car, a calm-down corner, the classroom.
Punch a hole in the cards on page 3 and keep them on a ring in a bag or a pocket, ready to hold up two at a time.
Swap pictures for the real thing: glue a photo of the person’s own teddy, blanket or headphones over ours.
Naming feelings comes first: the feelings board has 16 of them. For waiting, the wait card has a countdown.
More on helping a child communicate with pictures: AAC and autism: answers to common parent questions.

These boards and guides are general information, not therapy or medical advice, and they don’t replace a speech therapist. A speech therapist who knows the person can help choose the right words, pictures and layout. The boards are free to print and share; please don’t sell them (terms of use). Questions about the boards? Email support@lmnoplabs.fun.