The Calm Ladder: Practice in Small Steps

Settle, breathe, hold steady — a three-stage practice set that gives big feelings a calm, hands-on routine, one small step at a time. 🪜 3 Tools, 3 Stages 🧘 Emotion Regulation 💨 Breath-Led Routine ⏱️ 10 Minutes a Day Perfect for 🏠 Parents who want a daily calm-down routine that isn't a lecture 🏫 Preschools & classrooms building a calm corner or transition-time activity ⚕️ OT & child development centres structuring regulation practice in stages 🎯 What this builds 🧠 Attention & focus 💨 Breath control 🧘 Patience & frustration tolerance 🎯 Self-control Why these skills matter 🎮 How to play (3 stages!) 🧠 Stage 1: Trace both boards, one breath per loop 💨 Stage 2: Blow the pompom in one smooth breath ⚖️ Stage 3: Guide the ball; if it drops, breathe & restart 💬 Daily: Open with a breath, close by naming the feeling 👨👩👧 Parent guide 💬 Talk feelings when calm — after a session, not during a meltdown 🌬️ Breathe first, yourself — kids copy what you do, not what you say 👏 Praise the try — celebrate the restart after a drop more than the finish 🌱 Expect wobbles — a tired or scared child may not use the skill yet; that's a stage, not a setback Adapted from American Psychological Association guidance, "How to help kids understand and manage their emotions" (2023). 📦 What's included & specs 3 tools in ladder order — Stage 1: Interhemispheric Boards (1 base tablet, 2 sticks, 6 pairs of insert boards); Stage 2: Breathing Simulator (1 wooden track, 3 pompoms); Stage 3: Motoric Maze (6 labyrinth plates, 2 handles, 2 pairs of stands, 2 marble balls). Age range 4+ years (Stages 1–2 suit 3-year-olds) Stages 3 (Settle → Steady the breath → Hold steady) Routine 10 min a day, about 2–3 weeks per stage Material Engineered wood, reusable Best for Daily calm-down practice