Here are some simple self-regulation supports you can utilize with your students (pre-K through grade 5) to address emotional dysregulation, an inability to manage emotional responses well.
SIMPLE BUT EFFECTIVE EXERCISES
1. Hand hold: This small-movement physical exercise provides crossing midline (i.e., where one arm or leg crosses to the other side of the body) and proprioceptive (deep pressure) inputs, so it’s a good choice to use when your students are feeling low physical energy, high physical energy, or high levels of emotionality.
Directions for students:
- Place your palms together.
- Cross your thumbs.
- Hold your own hands together tightly and squeeze, keeping your elbows close to your body.
- Repeat as needed.
2. Folded coat or sweatshirt: Sitting on a raised surface provides your students with vestibular input (any change in position, direction, or movement of the head), which helps get the nervous system out of fight-or-flight mode—so this can be a useful tool if your students are feeling high levels of emotionality. It also can help wake them up if they are low energy.
Directions for students:
- Alternative 1: Place your folded coat or sweatshirt on the seat of your chair; sit on the folded clothing and firmly plant your feet on the floor.
- Alternative 2: With a controlled body, try lying on your belly lengthwise across a single row of heavy books placed end to end, balancing carefully, for as long as you can hold yourself steady with flat palms, while also supporting yourself with your legs stretched out, feet reaching the floor. Put the books on a carpeted area to keep them in place.