Calm-Down Cards
Cut out the cards. When you feel upset, pick a card and try it. Keep them in a calm-down spot.
Fresh sheet anytime. Tap New sheet or reload for a different one. Tap + for up to 10.
This is sheet #134124601.
How to do it
- Cut out the cards.
- Keep them in a calm-down spot.
- When upset, pick a card and try it.
Teaching tip
Practice the cards together on a good day first.
About this worksheet
Eight picture cards with calm-down choices like smell the flower, squeeze a pillow and count to 5.
What kids practice
These are picture-based tools for young kids who find it hard to sit still, start a job or stay with it. They show what comes next, keep work tiny, and build in movement, calm-down choices and rewards. They help many children, with or without ADHD. They are not a test and not a diagnosis. Short attention is normal at five. If focus worries you at home and at school, talk with your child's doctor or teacher.
Watch for
- Taking a star away for a bad moment. Once a star is earned, it stays earned.
- Using a reward that takes too long to earn. At this age, 3 to 5 stars is plenty.
- Offering calm-down cards only as a punishment. They are tools, not time-outs.
- Waiting a long time to ask for help. If focus problems last for months and show up in many places, ask your child's doctor.
It's free to print, as many copies as you need. See the full focus helpers (adhd-friendly) guide for kindergarten.
More sheets in this set
- See it all
1. Focus Tools ChartSix picture tools for when it's hard to focus: wiggle, breathe, squeeze, get a drink, ask for help and take a break, plus tips for grown-ups. 
2. First-Then BoardA big First and Then board with eight all-picture cards for jobs and fun things.
3. Picture RoutineSix big picture steps for a morning, bedtime or after-school routine, with a box to check after each. Reload for a different routine.
4. Token BoardA big box to draw a prize, stars to color (3, 5 or 10 with Fewer, Standard or More) and picture prize ideas.
5. Sticker Reward BoardThree boxes to draw the jobs that earn a sticker, numbered sticker spots, a reward box halfway and a big reward box at the end. Fewer, Standard or More give 6, 10 or 20 sticker spots, with the first reward halfway.
6. Me vs. the ChallengeA box to draw the challenge, a Me side and a Challenge side to color, and boxes to draw what happens when one side gets to the end first. Fewer, Standard or More give 5, 10 or 15 spots on each side.
7. Just 3Three tiny jobs on one page, like count, trace a letter, match or find the biggest, with a star to color after each one.
9. Animal Move CardsEight movement break cards like hop like a frog, stomp like an elephant and waddle like a penguin.