Banyule Bulletin

Student Wellbeing

Big Emotions Snow Globe

If your child is having an emotional storm, teach them to let the big feelings settle – like snowflakes falling to the ground.

Key Outcome

Your child will learn how to calm themselves down during those emotional storms by sitting with big feelings until they settle

Objective

Can your child calm themselves down when they’re feeling big emotions inside?

 

When children feel threated or unsafe or overwhelmed, the amygdala in the brain is activated, which often results in the FIGHT, FLIGHT, FREEZE, OR FAWN reaction. 

 

These ‘default settings’ are unhealthy responses, especially when kids are experiencing Friendship Fires (conflict) with their friends. Children can learn to rewire their brain to have a more healthy, appropriate response to negative emotions and conflict.

 

“Emotional regulation” is a term often used in schools when discussing kids’ behavior. It’s the ability to feel big emotions and take steps to de-escalate them. As Dr Marc Brackett, author of Permission to Feel explains, “The goal isn’t to get rid of emotions. It’s to embrace and experience them as they are and learn strategies for how to manage them so they don’t have power over you.”

 

This activity is a fun way to empower your child to regulate their emotions!

Materials

  • Print out: Big Emotions Snow Globe
  • A plastic jar or plastic bottle
  • A jug of warm water
  • 60ml of glitter glue
  • 3 drops of food coloring
  • 60g-80g of glitter
  • A stir stick or spoon

Instructions

  1. To introduce this activity, here’s a script that teachers would use in the classroom. Pull out what feels right for you to have a conversation with your child:Today we’re going to make a Big Emotions Snowglobe! Snowglobes are those pretty little ornaments that have water and glitter inside them and when you shake them up, the glitter falls to the bottom of the dome like snow. They are often momentos or souvenirs collected by people when they’ve been on a holiday. Have you ever noticed how our brains can feel a bit like a snowglobe too? Sometimes we get all shook up and overwhelmed by big feelings like anger, sadness, worry, and confusion. This can often happen when we are having a Friendship Fire® or when we are dealing with Mean-on-Purpose behaviour. We can get swamped by those messy, tricky feelings and our thoughts and feelings just swirl around in our head, making us feel fuzzy…like being in a snow storm! When we’re in this storm, things feel so crazy that we sometimes stop making good decisions and choices. When our head is spinning, it helps to take a few deep breaths and let our swirling thoughts and feelings settle down. Think of your thoughts and feelings like the snow in a snow globe. When your thoughts and feelings are calm and settled, you can see clearly and solve problems easily. What do you think would happen if you just sat quietly and waited for the snow storm of thoughts and feelings in your brain to settle down? This activity might help. 
  2. Describe what it feels like in your brain when you feel angry, sad or worried. What helps you to calm down all your big, messy, tricky feelings and thoughts? Share that with your child.
  3. Print out the Big Emotions Snow Globe handout (in the Materials section) and review the instructions with your child. Help them gather what they need to make their snow globes!
  4. Say to your child, “When you’re feeling overwhelmed or emotional and it feels like your head is spinning, you need to stop and let things settle down. Use your ‘Big Emotions Snow Globe’ to help you to focus and calm your thoughts and feelings. Find a quiet spot to sit alone and shake up your snow globe. Watch the glitter settle to the bottom of the jar. Try to imagine that your feelings are just like the swirling glitter, slowly settling to the bottom. Shake it up and watch it settle as many times as you need to until you start to feel calmer. Take as much time as you need.”

Next Steps

Encourage your child to create a Calm Down Corner in your house somewhere! Kids love to build forts and feel safe inside these cozy, small spaces – the perfect home for their new snow globe!