Name of Activity: Calm Down Sandwich

Type of modality / Anger Management
Type of play / Solitaryif alone and Parallel if in company of others.
Interaction pattern / Extra Individual
# of participants required / 1
Equipment/supplies / Markers, colored paper, scissors.
Facilities required/environment / Table and a chair or equivalent.
Precautions / Use safety scissors or ones that are not very sharp to avoid injuries.

Task Analysis:

  1. Make sure patient or patients are seated with enough room to cut and write.
  2. Give out colored papers representing different parts of the sandwich.
  3. Give each person a pen/person to write with.
  4. Tell the patients what each color represents or ask them to guess(white = bread, yellow =cheese, green =lettuce, red =tomato, brown to represent meat, or another vegetable).
  5. Ask the patients to draw the shape of each ingredient (for example, a round shape to represent a slice of tomato).
  6. Using the scissors ask them to cut out the shape of the ingredients as drawn.
  7. Ask them to write their name on the white paper (representing the bread).
  8. Ask them to write down a few things on each ingredient that helps them calm down when they are angry, for example- sit down in a quiet room, talk a walk outside, listen to music)
  9. After writing down what helps them to calm down ask them they to put the pieces of paper in the order of a sandwich.
  10. Group facilitator can ask participants to share their stress management techniques if they wish.

Activity Analysis

Category / Skills
Primary body position / Sitting.
Part of the body required / Upper extremity, especially the arms and hands.
Movement / Picking up, putting down, grasping-scissor grasp or palmar grasp, and possibly bending to pick up an item from table. 3-Jaw Chuck grasp to hold pencil/markers, turning or twisting hands/arms while cutting out paper shapes (such as round tomato) bilateral integration (holding paper with one hand, cutting or drawing with the other)
Physical / Visual-motor integration, and balance: Dynamic sitting. Fine muscle coordination to draw, cut a shape,
Cognitive / Focused attention, categorization (of paper, cut outs) ability to read, write, recognition of shape, form, size, decision-making(to choose the sandwich to make), being able to recognize each color and what they represent, thinking about self, and brain storming situations that they needed to do something to calm down and what did they do.
Social / Interaction with one another. (if conducting in a group setting would require: Conversation: starting, sustaining, and ending
Handling criticismInterpersonal interactions Maintaining social space Regulating behaviorSelf-expressionSocial conduct
Social cues Showing respect & warmthShowing tolerance
Perception / Tactile, auditory for communication, visual to be able to recognize different colors, shapes, cutting shapes...
Communication/language / Verbalcommunication to be able to share ideas with others.
Self-care / Be careful with thescissors to avoid being hurt.
Psychological/emotional (possible) / Joy/accomplishment: Thinking of situations where they performed an action to calm them down. Think of behaviors that would help them calm down. Frustration if art project does not turn out the way you wanted, or you are unable to think of ideas to calm down, feelings of anger/stress may surface when discussing the topic of stress management.

SIMPLIFYIN AND COMPLICATING THIS ACTIVITY:

Ways to SIMPLIFY demands / Ways to make more COMPLEX
Cognitively / Make the sandwich using white paper and pretending each piece represents a different ingredient. / Use more ingredients than usual and make sure each ingredient is a different color.
Physically / Give out the pieces of paper already cut into the ingredients shape. / Set a time to complete the sandwich which will challenge participants to move faster.
Socially / Talk to participants and try and help them figure out ways they would enjoy. / Ask each participant to pass around their sandwich. Form groups and ask participants to share their calm down methods.Person completes project alone, can share with others if willing to.