Cushion Shelter Until the Storm Passes

Each child curls up on the rug with a cushion on top as a roof while the teacher uses a hand drum to tell how a storm moves away. Through breathing and posture they move from fright to calm and learn that storms, including the ones inside us, always pass.

How to play

1. Each child takes a cushion, finds a spot on the rug and curls into a little ball with the cushion on their back as a roof (1 min).
2. The teacher makes loud thunder on the drum while we breathe deeply inside our shelter, feeling the cushion rise and fall (1 min).
3. The thunder moves away and gets softer; we keep breathing slowly and let our shoulders relax (1 min).
4. Only soft rain is left (fingers on the drum): peek one hand out of the shelter, then the other, to see if it's still raining (1 min).
5. The sun comes out: take off the cushion, lie on your back with it on your tummy and watch it rise and fall as you breathe (1 min).
6. Sit up slowly, hug the cushion and calmly carry it back to its place (1 min).

Rules

• Inside the shelter we are safe and calm.
• We breathe slowly even when there's thunder.
• We come out when the teacher says the sun is out.

Variations

Adaptations

• Sound sensitivity or autism: make thunder by rubbing the drum instead of hitting it, or give a hand signal before each boom.
• Limited mobility: make the shelter seated, hugging the cushion to the chest.
• Visual impairment: the teacher softly announces each change in the storm and touches the child's cushion when the sun comes out.

Learning goals

• Calm down with slow breathing.
• Recognize fear and calm in one's own body.
• Move from a curled-up position to a relaxed one.

Equipment for a class of 25

• Cushions: 25
• Hand drum: 1

Teacher tip

During a real thunderstorm this really helps kids who are scared of thunder. Leave room for one more cushion between each child so nobody feels crowded.

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