Emotional Self-Regulation: A Lifelong Skill

As teachers (who always have a lot going on!), we sometimes forget that our little learners have a lot going on in their own lives, too. This can affect their mood, as well as their readiness to learn. It is not always possible to leave these emotions behind when they walk through the classroom door!

This handy half letter-sized desk mat has been designed to help learners of all ages identify how they are feeling. This is an essential emotional awareness skill that, once learned, will stand our students in good stead throughout their lives. The diverse range of emotions that humans can feel on any one day have been grouped into four categories to help them become more recognizable by the students:

• Tuckered Out Team – Uninterested, unwell, unmotivated, sleepy, confused.
• Cool Crew – Motivated, optimistic, positive, happy, collaborative, cooperative.
• Silly Squad – Overexcited, anxious, fidgety, impatient, unfocused, skilly.
• Grumpy Gang – Hurtful, agitated, mean, boisterous, terrified, aggressive.

Next to each group, the desk plate has room to list strategies that could be applied when attempting to overcome more troublesome emotions in a safe and productive way. It is recommended that this section of the desk plate be completed in collaboration with each individual student. Strategies could include:

• Getting a drink of water
• Going for a walk or running an errand
• Putting on noise-canceling headphones
• Doing some mindful breathing
• Doing a calming activity, like doing a puzzle or reading a book

This resource is intended to be used in conjunction with our Emotional Self-Regulation Poster.

Easily Download and Print These Desk Plates

These desk plates download as a full-color PDF. Access the resource using the Download button above. Note that there are two desk plates per letter-sized page.

Looking for more great emotional self-regulation resources to use with your students? We have you covered!

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