Lesson Plan

Building Your Toolbox

Students will identify personal anxiety coping strategies and create a personalized toolbox to manage anxious feelings.

Personalizing coping strategies empowers students with effective, accessible tools to manage anxiety and builds self-regulation confidence.

Audience

Time

Approach

Materials

Prep

Prepare Session Materials

5 minutes

Step 1

Introduction and Discussion

2 minutes

Step 2

Personalization Activity

5 minutes

Step 3

Toolbox Creation and Reflection

3 minutes

Slide Deck

Tools for Calm

Introduce the slide deck. Emphasize that these are simple strategies to help calm our minds when we feel anxious.

Deep Breathing

Talk about the idea of deep breathing. Explain it slowly and demonstrate a simple breathing exercise.

Counting to Ten

Introduce counting. Explain that counting helps distract our minds from anxious thoughts.

Imagine Your Happy Place

Explain the benefits of visualizing a calm place. Provide an example such as imagining a beach or a quiet forest.

Your Personal Toolbox

Summarize the slide deck. Encourage students to use these tools whenever they feel anxious and empower them to choose the ones that work best for them.