In our Calm Corner at home, we have a small basket of toys that our kids can play with whenever they are in that area. They promote being in the present moment, emotional naming, regulation, and reflection, and provide strategies to help during a mad or sad mood.
So what do we have in our toy basket?
- Lovevery emotion figures - These are part of a Love very kit, but there are a bunch of options on Amazon. Here's one that I found was incredibly similar to what Lovevery offers. They give kids a chance to identify emotions, and pick the one they feel based on facial expressions.
- Pop Fidget Toys - There are so many options out there! We got this set, and when our kids were babies, we got this one. Pop toys give kids something to do with their hands, and helps keep them in the present moment.
- Fidget Giraffe - This comes as a set of four, and provides a ribbed feeling that might be soothing to some kids. It also gives them something to do in the present moment, concentrating on pushing the arms and legs back in and then pulling them out again.
- Sensory Bottle - Unfortunately, the one we have is no longer available on Amazon, but there are so many different kinds. We also have this set in our house in each of the kid's rooms. Sensory bottles help kids stay in the present moment as they watch whatever is in the bottles, and a lot of them now are find-it bottles, having kids concentrate and look for certain items. Our ocean bottle has seashells in it, and our kids need to count how many shells they can find as they twist the bottle and more appear in the sand.
- Rainmaker - This was given to us when our oldest was a baby, and we've repurposed it to be in our calm corner basket. The soothing sound is calming, and you can watch the beads fall as you turn the rainmaker up and down.
- Inside Out Figures - This exact set isn't always available, but here's another! I use these to help the kids identify how they're feeling. If they can't label it, we use Bingbong.
- Squishy Stress Toys - You can pick any, but here's a set I found on Amazon. These help give your kid something to do when they're angry or frustrated, putting their energy towards something else. This is especially helpful if they like to use their hands when they're upset.
- Pinwheel - This helps kids practice their long, deep breathing.
- Small Stuffed Animals - These have been very good for fidgeting with and for small cuddles.
- Reversible Octopus Stuffy - This was from my brother, and the kids love it! They flip it repeatedly and label how the octopus feels. We also role play with it.
- Calming Strategies Cards - You can find so many (or make your own), but I love these ones on Etsy by PrintberryKids. The kids use these to help themselves feel calm after having a big emotion, and they pick one they like, or they select a random one as a surprise!
- The Basket - This is the basket we use to store our toys in the Calm Corner. It's durable, and looks very nice in the space.
There are so many more items you can add to your calm corner toy basket; you just need to find what works for you and your little ones. This was a lot of trial and error, but we eventually found what the kids love and gravitate towards.
If you would like to see what else is in our calm corner, here's the blog post about our calm corner in general, and the one about the specific books we have is coming soon.
Let's build a generation of mindful children together!
If you're interested in developing a daily journal habit with your child, we have one for 4-7 years olds and one for 8-10 year olds!
