Safe Coping Choices Poster | Healthy Ways to Handle Big Feelings

This safe coping choices poster shows nine healthy ways to handle big feelings, stress, and overwhelming moments. Each choice includes a "why it helps" note, making it a calm, clear coping skills poster for kids and calm down corners.

What's on the Poster

• 1. Take a Break (quiet spot, calm-down corner)
• 2. Breathe Slowly (belly breathing, smell the flower, box breathing 4-4-4-4)
• 3. Move Your Body (stretch, walk, chair or wall push-ups)
• 4. Use a Sensory Tool (fidget, stress ball, weighted item, headphones)
• 5. Talk to Someone You Trust
• 6. Write or Draw Your Feelings
• 7. Use Positive Self-Talk ("This feeling will pass")
• 8. Choose a Comforting Activity
• 9. Problem-Solve When Calm

How It Helps

• Presents only safe options, helping students replace unsafe reactions with healthy ones.
• Mixes body, sensory, social, and thinking strategies so different students find a fit.
• Ends with problem-solving once calm, which teaches the right order: regulate first, then solve.

Ways to Use It

Hang it in a calm down corner, beside the classroom door, or in a resource room or counseling office so it is in view when students need it. It also works as a visual support written into IEP or BIP plans, and as a reference at home.

Who It's For

Special education teachers, general education teachers, school counselors, therapists, and parents supporting children who need help managing emotions, including autistic students and students with ADHD.

Format

High-resolution PDF and PNG, print-ready. 1 poster. Instant download.