5-4-3-2-1 grounding: a 5-minute 4th grade calm-down routine
What it is: a 5-minute calm-down routine for 4th grade that uses the senses to bring attention back to the present moment: 5 things you see, 4 you can feel, 3 you hear, 2 you smell and 1 you taste. Students can use it before a test or after a hard recess.
Time: about 5 minutes. Grade: 4th grade.
Materials: a small poster of the 5 steps, and an optional journal page to record what students noticed.
- Explain when to use it: when worries feel big or your body feels jittery.
- Lead the routine slowly, giving about 30 seconds per step. Students notice silently or whisper.
- Ask a few volunteers to share one thing they noticed for any number.
- Talk about how their body feels now compared with before.
- Post the steps in a calm corner so students can use the routine on their own.
Differentiation: students who need support use a version with 3 steps (see, hear, feel). Students who are ready write their own calm-down plan with this tool and one other. Students with sensory sensitivities can skip any sense and double another.
Quick check: a few days later, ask a student to explain the steps and one time they could use them.
For more ideas at this grade, browse the other free activities on the Hub.
Found this helpful? Get the week's best posts like it.
About this resource
- Shared by
- @UpOnlyLearning · Curriculum team
- Posted
- Oct 30, 2026
- Type
- Lesson plan
- Grade
- Grades 3–5
- Subject
- Life skills & money
- Language
- English
- License
- Free for classroom, co-op and tutoring use. Please don't resell.