Behavior Management
Area: Behavior Management
Strategy: Cool Card
Appropriate Grade Level: 1st-5th grades
Procedures/Steps:
1.) Teach students to use the cool card
 Take a deep breath
 Count backwards from 10
 Think of something relaxing
Take a deep breath
Count backwards from 10
Think of something
relaxing
2.) Make cards for students to carry in their pocket as reminder of what to
do when they get angry. Make them look like credit cards, kids love to
pretend and it won’t be something they are so embarrassed by.
3.) Practice using the cards with students. Set up opportunities for role play
so students get the chance to put the cards into action.
4.) Remind students to get their cards when they are starting to escalate.
Comments and/or tips: This strategy works great with other selfmanagement strategies, such as having students record their behavior on
check sheets, give them a sheet to fill in each hour, if they don’t have any
angry outburst they get a smiley face, if they have an outburst they get a
frown face. At the end of the day if they have less then two frowns they get a
small reward or extra time to do what they would like to do.
Source:
Anderson, D., Fisher, A., Marchant, M., Young, K., & Smith, J. (2006). The
cool card intervention: A positive support strategy for managing anger.
Beyond Behavior, 15, 3-13.