This month we’re giving away a book bundle that helps both teachers and students deal with stressful situations: This giveaway is now closed.
Stress Can Really Get on Your Nerves
RX for Stress In a Jar®
What to Do When You’re Scared & Worried
Fighting Invisible Tigers
Pressure
Tips to Avoid Teacher Burnout In a Jar®
To Enter: This giveaway is now closed.
Leave a comment below telling us what you do to help kids cope with stress.
For additional entries, share the giveaway with your friends and colleagues and leave a separate comment below for each of the following tasks that you complete:
Each comment counts as a separate entry—that’s four chances to win! Entries must be received by midnight, April 24, 2015.
The winner will be contacted via email on or around April 30, 2015, and will need to respond within 72 hours to claim his or her prize or another winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way affiliated with, administered, or endorsed by Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest. Winner must be a U.S. resident, 18 years of age or older.
We welcome your comments and suggestions. Share your comments, stories, and ideas below, or contact us. All comments will be approved before posting, and are subject to our comment and privacy policies.
© 2015 by Free Spirit Publishing. All rights reserved.
I stay in the moment with the child and let her know that her feelings are important. Sometimes the child just needs a witness, a hug, to draw a picture, stomp her feet, etc …
Progressive muscle relaxation, cognitive behavioral therapy, and drawing.
Mindfulness meditation, even briefly, can work wonders.
Looks like an awesome package.
I teach students calm down strategies.
I teach them to focus on their breathing when they are stressed out. Of course I have stress balls available and sometimes to progressive muscle relaxation with guided imagery. Also the use of humor helps kids refocus on the positive. Teaching kids to reframe their situationss to focus on the good rather than the bad can help maintain a healthy attitude. I sometimes tell them to limit their worry time. For example, worries and stress grow if you pay to much attention to it. Set aside a worry time that’s only 5 minutes max, write the worries, use a timer, write them down and then throw them away. Worry dolls are great as well””give them to the dolls and let go of the stress, Listening to music will also decrease stress levels as well as exercise and play.
I like to use mindfulness In my classroom.
lots of breathing exercises (sun breath, balloon breath, volcano breath, butterfly breath, etc), stretching, relaxation in my kindergarten. Also working on my mindfulness certification.
I stay present with the child when they are experiencing stress, anger and/or anxiety. I ask them to consider that their emotion is okay to recognize. Consider this feeling an alarm bell saying ” I disagree” or “this doesn’t match up with who I am”. Now consider, “is this something I have to act on? Is this more about giving ME the love/care/recognition I need?” And then, consider “do I need to report my feeling and observation with another adult?”
As a high school teacher and advisor of a leadership organization, students will often select stress as their topic for competition. I also would use the resources in my Family and Consumer Science classes. A great mix of useful resources.
Be a STAR. STOP TAKE a deep breath AND RELAX
Love STAR!
Would love these resources
I teach about Mindfulness as a way to cope with stress. We also do some fun activities for staff during stressful parts of the school year.
I make schedules and put them in charge of something during a stressful time. I try to keep their mind occupied on something else. We take a moment and talk about it when they feel they need it.
We use music to relieve ourselves of stress! We can listen to upbeat songs that get us pumped up and confident. We can listen to soothing classical music to relax our nerves. Testing has pushed us to a near breaking point! Our class could use a stress relief kit!
We distress by stretching, watching a brief video, listening to an upbeat song and have a “sharing” session where students can express their thoughts and ideas
Shared on Pinterest. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/237353842837971730/
Shared on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/marla.king.12/posts/943144749049794?pnref=story
Shared on Twitter. https://twitter.com/mk6228/status/590325726005563392
We take time just to have some quiet reading to relax.
Yoga and clear expectations
I focus on goal setting with my students – what can they control and what do they not have control of. For the things that they can’t control, they leave it in my office on the “dark cloud.” If a solution is found, they come back and share their silver lining.
Before testing we do breathing exercises. It really helps the kids relax before testing.
We talk about focusing on the things we can control and letting the rest go. Then we belt out (as you may have guessed) “Let It Go” or “Shake It Off”, followed by three minutes of salsa dancing! The combination of music, movement, and pure silliness is a surefire winner.
i take three deep breathes and if that does not work I like to garden.
It’s not possible to list the variety of items used to help relieve stress. I just know that I’m always looking for something new.
I use movement in the classroom to alleviate stress. We also do deep breathing exercises.
I am a social worker and I use blowing bubbles as a way to teach kids deep breathing skills. I also use lots of guided imagery for relaxation.
I am a behavior teacher and I have taught them many different things over the years: breathing, the method from Don’t Pop Your Cork on Monday, turtle, use stress ball, cool off time, play doh,…
I chill in front of my TV when I arrive home. I also try to streamline my work so it is less stressful, it doesn’t always work however.
Shared on Facebook as Victoria DeOrnellis
Tweeted as magoosmom75
Pinned on pinterest, user name magoosmom: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/249879479301618386/
Dance breaks, talking it out, deep breaths.
I am a mother of 3 and have worked with kids most of my life. An easy stress reliever for kids of any age is simply a funny face! 🙂 Whenever a child is nervous or anxious about something, just have them look at you while you make funny, crazy faces….works every time.
I am a school counselor to 350 middle and high schoolers. I work with students to reduce stress by practicing mindfulness and deep breathing.
I teach my students to tell themselves and each other jokes. We have laugh marathons and contests on who tells the funniest jokes. Laughter is the best medicine for stress
I like to let them play with kinetic sand. It is really a stress reliever! The teachers and other staff also like to play with it!
I have read stories that deal with a particular issue that might be affecting an individual child or class. I have also taken children outside to go for a walk or play outside.
I have a few books to help students recognize and understand stress, but not enough! We practice deep breathing, talk about things they can control vs things they can’t, and I try challenging a lot of their worries to help them cognitively reflect on their worries, for example, saying something like, “Okay, let’s say you do fail that test. What will happen?” and go along that path.
The way I help students cope with stress is by first asking the students what things stress them out. Then I talk to the students about triggers and how they impact their thinking and behavior. I them go on and talk about the situation and the effects that stress have on the body. I follow up with helping the students come up with strategies to deal with stress.
I’ve shared on pinterest and facebook and I have to say that I LOVE FSP and their tools and tips for children (and I use them too!). I use them in my home as well as with the children I work with, my camps, and my workshops….and even recommending them in mommy groups! Thanks for being a great resource! namaste.
Visualization combined with deep breathing working well with most of my students. We close our eyes and picture where we are. After we form the image, we try to taste the air, smell the environment, touch the things we see around us, and hear the sounds of our chosen environment.
Pined on Pinterest and posted on Facebook
I am a social worker at a charter school, which has a mix of students. Some students are stressed at home. When they come to school, they feel it’s a safe place to release their stress. Our gym is available to us a couple times a week where I can take students for one-on-one sports to play and talk. I also work on Yoga, breathing exercises, counting, and journaling. Other students put pressure on themselves to succeed beyond expectation. We also work on relaxation strategies for these students as well. When our students are stressed they take it out on the teachers. I try to be a support for the teachers by having an ear to listen and giving them ideas for themselves and how to help their students by what I am working on with the student so that the skills continue in the classroom.
As the mother of 2 kids, especially at this time of the year when school seems to pick up the pace with testing and projects before the summer, I make sure there are ways to blow off steam. Going to the beach and letting the kids run and swim for an hour or so after school really helps them feel refreshed.
Grounding technique, psyched re anxiety and worry, bio feedback (heart math), mindfulness an sometimes equine assisted psychotherapy
I shared on facebook.
I love using sensory items with students including a sand tray, play dough and best of all…petting our labradoodle therapy dog.
Pinned on Pintrest
Shared on Facebook
I am a school counselor. Each Wednesday I go into a classroom and teach stress management. I am always looking for resources to add to my toolbox.
Shared on Facebook. : )
I’m at a therapeutic school, we great the students as they get off the bus so if there is a home issue they’d like to talk about it can be addressed so they have a better chance of moving on with their day. We work hard at building relationships with the kids so that they are willing to let us help them. We work with them to understand to handle their responses to their emotions in positive ways.
3 deep breaths!
We do a lot at my school! Make ourselves available for students who want to speak to staff (some prefer certain staff), going for a walk with students, ripping up paper, squeeze play dough, etc. Some of my students feel better after doing something physical such as punching a mat or relay races. I recently made stress balls with my kiddos (rice filled balloons) which was fun, and calming music is always a good option as well!
Stress relief spray from Bath and Body Works!
Hello! Besides doing a unit on Stress Management in the 3rd grades in my district, I have been frequently known to start a class with some visualiztion and breathing, yoga or joke of some sort to start with a laugh. With staff I share mandalas and I have brought in speakers’ from our childrens’ hospital to lecture on stress and trauma at our in-service dates. We will be running a 4-hr training through our central office at the end of the month. Lastly, I share ideas to parents through my weekly newsletters so they can support their kids and themselves through stressful times. I thoroughly believe also that we should be the change that we wish to see and model stress reduction by eating healthfully and exercising.
To help my students deal with stress, I teach them to practice deep breathing. It is like meditation but without the spiritual aspect that meditation has. I have had students stop themselves in the middle of a violent episode and start deep breathing. Then, they have calmly sat down and continued with what they were supposed to be doing. With deep breathing, breath in very slowly through your nose to a very slow count of 10. Then, hold your breath for a very slow count of 10. And, then breath out slowly through your mouth to a very slow count of 10. The secret to making it work is the slow breathing and concentrating on your breathing. Eyes can be open or closed. Either way works. I have used this very successfully with all ages of elementary and middle school students.
My gifted and traditional students are stressed as testing season has started. I would love new techniques to help the lower those stress levels.
Shared on Pinterest
Shared on facebook
I enjoy using Dan Siegal’s strategy mentioned in the book, The Whole Brain Child. I have my students make a fist with their thumb tucked inside. Their fist is a model of the shape of their brain. The student’s thumb is tucked inside of their fist this is their “downstairs brain.” The downstairs brain represents the amygdala that gets activated when a person’s body is under stress and goes into fight or flight mode. Our “Upstairs brain” or the where the fingers wraps over the thumb is our prefrontal cortex. When our “Upstairs Brain” is calm it allows a person to problem solve. If a student is stressed and “flips their lid” he/she is operating from their “downstairs brain.” The student can then stop and breath, to get their “upstairs brain” back online.
i teach my students guided imagery and yoga poses they can do at their desks to help them cope with test anxiety.
I still use this info 25 years, first for my son when he was growing up, but I learned as well.
Here I am Miss Jackie trying to think of an answer. Yeah for you
I talk with students in guidance lessons and in groups about stress. I have made a brochure that I had out to students that tells them about stress and gives different types of techniques that can be used. I also share information with parents and teachers to help them out as well.
As a School Psychologist, I have always loved Free Spirit Publications. I had a student who particularly got a kick out of “How to do Homework without Throwing up”. Every time he would stress out about homework, he would ask that I read parts of the book to him and he would just laugh. This was a great stress release for him.
As an elementary school assistant principal, I use Free Spirit books with kids a lot. I order multiple copies of books on coping skills and share them with the student and their parents. These books guide parents’ discussions and help the child understand what they are experiencing. I also offer quiet time in my office where kids can cool down, read a bit, listen to some calm music, and talk when they’re ready. I keep lamps in my office instead of using the overhead lights. This also makes the atmosphere more comforting.
As a school counselor I would use them as a resource during guidance lessons, one on one counseling and group counseling. The students at my schools are not equipped at dealing with stress. Their home lives along with all the school demands puts a lot of strain on our kids.
To help teens cope with stress I listen, offer friendship, and offer a safe environment away from home and school.
I use mindfulness and deep breathing for calm down strategies with students. I also love to use drawing or art expression.
Shared on Twitter!
shared on Facebook
We talk about what stressors he/she has in their life. Then we work together to come up with a “menu” of ideas that help to de-stress the student (deep breathing, counting backwards, relaxing activities).
My coworker and I are creating Calm Down Boxes for each classroom with various items to help students relax/relieve stress.
Coping skills with my students. We’ve done a happiness flow. I really try to encourage physical activity.
Our students have stressful home lives, so the resources would be necessary at my school for our kids and staff. As a counselor, I would have them available in my office for staff and students as well as offering them as part of my guidance curriculum. These resources would be beneficial for reassuring us all that we can talk about stressful situations and help each other through them. Thank you for the opportunity!! 🙂
I start every group with a checkin and with mandalas and crayons on the table. This gives me an opportunity to see where the students are “at” and start there… instead of just jumping into an agenda for the day. After check in, we do belly breathing to help regulate our bodies to prepare the students to learn.
We started having students practice mindfulness to help with calmness and relaxation. Already see an improvement in kids!
I use a 1 minute vacation. They print out a picture of their favorite place ( beach with sand, mountains etc.) and when they need a stress break they can either look at their picture or close their eyes and go on a 1 min vacation in their mind.
Students in my class are able to work where they are comfortable as long as they don’t disturb others in the room; some work under the tables, in the corner library area, in a cardboard box and a few sit in chairs at the tables. I also teach students to doodle notes when they’re listening.
pinned on Pinterest
Shared on Facebook
With 30+ students in a high school cognitively impaired program with 2 teachers, we all deal with the stress of many personalities and varied goals and interests. We would appreciate the help.
I try to give lots of suggestions on stress relievers and help my students to find what technique will work for them.
I love letting kids play to release stress, I find that many kids enjoy talking about their stressors through sand-tray play, sensory play; such as playing with clay and using art an expression tools. I use many of these therapeutic techniques in combination with the stress management resources.
I work in two inner city schools and all of these resources would go so far to help both students and teachers!!! They would be benificial in both individual therapy and during prevention activities like teacher in-services!!
I’ve recently been looking for resources to help kids cope with stress. I look forward to trying these products.
I am a school counselor, and we talk a lot about recognizing body stress. I also do an activity when kids talk about getting rid of stress by “pouring out their drink.”
We here at Lakeview School started YOGA and guided mediation as well as making coping skills boxes!
talk it out, something to fidget with
I hold a seminar for my high school gifted each year on dealing with stress. They take a quick inventory, then we use the book “Fighting Invisible Tigers as a guide for ongoing discussions. We share a variety of stress reduction methods that work for people & since I teach yoga, I teach a few yoga positions & breathing techniques.
I use educational games, mindfulness meditation apps (Smiling Mind is great!), breathing/relaxation exercises, art, music, and talking to help kids cope with stress. I would also love to start up a running club for kids because exercise is great for reducing stress.
In addition to formal lessons, I tend to use a lot of humor when working with students to help them feel more relaxed. I also encourage them to make time for themselves, take breaks when needed, and I share tips with parents via newsletters.
Breathing exercises and positive self-talk!
Teach skills and practice de-escalation and calming techniques before we begin.
I have calming music playing on my computer all day. For myself, I try to do my best and try to remember tomorrow is another day. For the kids, I try to keep the library a safe and comforting place they can go to.
Offer the student an opportunity to go to a drinking fountain for a drink…this gives him an opportunity to calm down and regather himself before returning to discuss the stressful situation.
I do an activity with the students to have them come up with as many ways as possible to calm down when they are feeling stressed both at home and at school (i.e. get a cold drink, ride your bike, run, climb a tree.) It is interesting to see the amount of ideas they actually come up with!
Breathing exercises and being mindful
Reframe thoughts.
Breathing techniques; exercise; visual imagery.
I meet with children during our lunch bunch or counseling sessions. We’ve listened to calm music, watched nature videos, tried relaxation apps- I like to help them find what works best for them.
Sometimes we take the students for a walk. We have a cool nature preserve on our campus where the students can sit and read on benches or explore the surrounding foliage for creatures.
We take opportunities to go work in our garden, feed the birds(hummingbirds and “regular”birds), check on our worm farm – these nature breaks help focus and calm the students.
Help kids to learn the skills so that they can apply them and be more successful coping.
We teach skills to help students manage stress appropriately.
I try to teach my elementary students that there are strategies they can use to reduce stress – I want them to have a “toolbox” of ideas they can draw upon.
We dance and listen to music.
We do yoga for kids silly to calm its fun and a great workout.
teach skills
Tweeted
I will be starting a new position as an EC teacher at a day treatment. Resources such as these will help me, the staff, and the students.
Pinned you on pintrest
I folloe you on facebook
Tweeted
Shared on Facebook
I teach them how to manage that feeling and cope with deep breathing, counting, and social stories
This year, I teach mostly seniors and they seem to have more stress than other grades I’ve taught in the past 14 years. I take time to listen to them and do what I can to help them. We talk about problem solving and time management, which is a huge area they have trouble with.
I shared on Facebook.
Shared on Facebook!
shared on Twitter!! @mcisamat
right now I’m leading an anxiety group- teaching the students calming skills like belly breathing. We are also learning how to turn negative statements into positive statements, how to plan out assignments to break them into easier tasks and we are talking about goal setting. It would be so wonderful to win this set to get more ideas to use with my students!!
Too much stress is no fun for anyone….especially kids, who don’t really understand what it is that they are feeling. It’s times like these that require a “gut feeling” from a responsible adult to help them to understand what stress is and how to cope with it. Giving kids and young adults the tools in which they can learn to handle the stresses of everyday life will help them maintain a healthy mindset and allow for a quick recovery.
For at-risk students, they will typically come to my office and we have dialogue about their situations. I have found students, high school students, who can just talk about their problems while I listen is a great way for them to relieve stress.
Organization and exercise help me cope with stress.
We begin by taking a few minutes to touch base and check on each other’s stress. We talk. We use humor, music, coloring, progressive relaxation exercises, a walk. I teach middle school students who are at-risk. They have a lot of stressors in their lives. We have to do our best to deal with the stress before they can learn.