Whether it’s the excitement of a holiday, the chaos of a substitute teacher, or the pressure of testing season, students experience emotional triggers throughout the school year. While the end of the year can feel especially intense, big emotions can bubble up anytime—and helping students learn to recognize and regulate those feelings is essential for success both in and out of the classroom.
One of my favorite ways to spark conversation around self-regulation and emotional triggers is with a simple and powerful social emotional learning activity: The Soda Can Lesson. It’s hands-on, memorable, and all you need to get started is a can of soda and a group of students.
Why This Activity Works
This quick lesson visually and physically demonstrates what happens when we bottle up our emotions without using tools to calm ourselves down. It helps students connect their feelings to real-life strategies they can use before things “explode.”
You can use this activity to support your Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) lessons, Zones of Regulation™ work, PBIS initiatives, or any time you’re noticing your students need a little extra help naming and managing big feelings.
What You’ll Need:
- 1 can of soda or seltzer (unopened)
- A group of students (recommended for 3rd grade and up)
- You will find one worksheet in my free resource library you might find helpful to support this lesson. I also have a full resource in my TpT store with differentiated worksheets and the full lesson write up.
How It Works:
Start by naming something that personally annoys you—something small but relatable. Then give the soda can one small shake. Pass the can around the room, having each student say something that annoys or triggers them while they shake the can once. You can physically see the pressure building—and so can they.
When the can comes back to you, hold it up and pretend to open it near a student. Ask what they think will happen. Of course, most will expect a fizzy, sticky explosion! That’s the perfect time to pause and introduce calming strategies.
Now, go back around the room. This time, have each student share a strategy they can use to feel better during the day—things like taking a break, deep breathing, talking to a friend, using a fidget tool, or asking for help. For each strategy, tap the top of the soda can once. Knocking on it is another option.
After everyone has had a turn, I usually talk about what they think might happen and I tap the can a few more times for good measure, before I open the can. Instead of exploding, it opens calmly. That’s the magic moment—students can see for themselves how tools and coping strategies can help manage their emotions before things get out of control.
**Depending on the age and level of my groups I will keep the can and do the shaking and the tapping. You will need to judge whether you can trust your students to only shake one gentle time each.
Bring the Learning to Life All Year Long
This lesson isn’t just for the end of the school year—it’s perfect for anytime students need a reset or a reminder. I’ve used it during the first week of school, before holiday breaks, and even as a mid-year check-in when classroom dynamics start to shift.
You can also extend the learning with the included worksheets in my resource, where students reflect on their own personal triggers and create a list of calming tools that work best for them.
This activity takes less than 20 minutes, but it’s one your students will remember all year long.
✨ Want all the visuals, prompts, and printable tools that go along with this lesson?
Check out SEL Worksheets Calming Corner Reflection Sheets Triggers & Coping Skills. It includes a simple lesson guide, student worksheets, and helpful discussion prompts, trigger and calming strategy lists to support your lessons.
About the Author
I am a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA) and have been working in a public school system for more than 25 years. My resources can be found on TPT, BOOM Learning, Made by Teachers, Classful, and Your Therapy Source. I appreciate your interest wherever you wish to shop.
My mission is to help you find creative ideas to incorporate fine motor, visual perception, gross motor, and social-emotional learning into your lessons.
I hope you consider signing up for my Free Resource Library with your Email. I send out emails about once a week and share resources, tips, and planning ideas for your classroom or occupational therapy needs. Hopefully, these help your students work on building their skills in a fun and engaging way.
Thank you for your interest in my resources and ideas. I hope you will consider following my journey on TPT or wherever you wish to shop.
