Comfort Container 

Watch the video together. Explain that when we’ve having a big feeling, there are a lot of ways we can take care of ourselves. Big Bird uses his comfort container; talk about some of the things he has in it.   

To make your own comfort container, invite children to decorate a box or bag (the size and material will depend on what you put in it; a bag like a backpack allows children to carry it from place to place). You might add:  

• squeezy ball 
• crayons and paper 
• fidget spinner 
• storybooks 
• blanket 
• photos of loved ones 
• stuffed animal or doll 
• fabrics of differing textures  
• a small instrument like a kazoo 
• bubble wrap to pop  
• pinwheel for breathing exercise (breathe in deeply through the nose then exhale slowly out the mouth to make the pinwheel move) 

When children are having a big feeling or a hard time, offer or suggest their comfort container and ask whether they’d like to spend a few minutes alone or whether they’d like you to stay with them, like Big Bird’s Granny stayed with him.