There are many tools you already likely have in your classroom or can easily incorporate that can support a student feeling calm, safe and comfortable in the classroom.  Here are 3 easy tips and ideas on how to support student regulation during natural classroom routines and activities.

Use a Whiteboard

I find that one of the easiest ways to help my students who are becoming overwhelmed, anxious or dysregulated in class is to pull out my whiteboard.  I can use this tool as a way to provide a schedule, which is often calming and regulating for students.  Written directions are often easier for students to process.  Students can use the whiteboard to write down their feelings if they are not able to verbalize them.  Whiteboards can also be used for drawing or doodling, which can be calming for many students as well.  

 

Allow Snacks and Water Bottles

Have you ever been hangry before?  I sure have!  It is hard to think and learn when you are hungry.  Many students struggle with noticing hunger cues and may not eat enough to be full.  Allowing multiple opportunities for snack throughout the day can help students avoid becoming ‘hangry’.  Crunchy and chewy snacks can also provide regulating oral motor input.  Some water bottles (such as Camelbak) incorporate a bite valve that requires more oral motor force in order to activate it.  This is another great way to incorporate oral motor sensory input into a daily routine.

Incorporate Heavy Work into Transitions

This is a super easy way to incorporate proprioceptive input into a student’s day.  This type of sensory input tends to be very calming.  One way to encourage more opportunities for heavy work would be to incorporate it into the natural transitions you have throughout your day.  You may fill up a milk jug with water, fill a backpack with items or a bin with books to create something heavy to carry.  That student can carry the heavy item from class to class, or can deliver it around the school. 

You have so many great tools in your toolbox when working with students to support regulation.  When these tools are simple and accessible, it is much easier to utilize them throughout the school day.  What are some of your favorite go-to, easy strategies to use?