News from ISBerne

The International School of Berne is taking steps to support its students' mental health by introducing "Calm Boxes" in every homeroom from Kindergarten to Grade 5.

Calm boxes are self-regulation tools that house items to help children regulate their emotions, reduce their heart rate, and center themselves. These boxes focus on sensory exercises that can ground us by feeling, smelling, hearing, or practicing our breathing.

The idea was introduced by the counseling office, which has been using calm boxes as a coping strategy for some time now. However, thanks to the support of Grade 11 students Eleanora and Nikola, who helped to create the tools for the boxes and facilitated sessions for students, the calming strategy is now available outside of the counseling office too.

Eleanora, one of the Grade 11 students involved in the project, shared her experience of creating and presenting the calm boxes to younger students. "I really enjoyed the process of making the calm boxes," she said. "But the highlight was presenting them to the young members of our community. It is essential to learn how to cope with one's feelings from a young age onwards. The active and playful aspects of the calm boxes were welcomed the most. The children were thrilled to test their yoga abilities and practice their breathing cycles to practice coping with strong feelings."

The introduction of the calm boxes is a positive step in supporting students' emotional well-being, particularly during challenging times. By providing children with the tools to regulate their emotions and take care of their mental health, ISBerne Primary School is helping to create a supportive and healthy learning environment.