Free Classroom Posters To Help Students Manage Stress

Stress and anxiety have become an all too familiar part of our middle school and high school classrooms. As teachers, we’re struggling to help students manage stress as we try to teach them our curriculum, and often it can feel like an impossible task. That’s why we love sharing tools and resources that help make this overwhelming task feel a bit more manageable.

These colorful, brain-friendly posters bring the science of healing directly into students’ hands, transforming the foundational concepts from Starr Commonwealth’s training and resources into tools kids can actually use in real time.

What makes these posters so great?

Breathe Like a Boss

When students practice box breathing, they engage in a simple but powerful technique that helps retrain the brain’s stress response system. This same principle of regulation is explored in depth through Starr Commonwealth’s 10 Steps To Create a Trauma-Informed Resilient School course and resources, which provide educators with practical strategies to create calmer, more supportive learning environments.

Ground Yourself

The 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique is so much more than simply distracting yourself by thinking about other things. It’s a neuroscience-based practice that helps students manage stress and re-center in the present moment. This core strategy, featured in Starr Commonwealth’s One-Minute Interventions toolkit, equips educators with quick, effective tools to shift classroom energy in just seconds.

Shake It Off

The movement activities recommended in this poster tap into what Starr Commonwealth’s Mind Body Skills resources support about the body’s innate wisdom to heal through play and physical expression. Movement can help students manage stress by literally shaking off the stress chemicals that can keep them stuck in survival mode.

Brain Dump = Chill Boost

This simple but powerful strategy encourages students to externalize their inner world through writing, drawing, or even simple scribbles. It provides a safe outlet for emotions that might otherwise feel overwhelming, allowing students to make sense of their feelings instead of holding them in.

Catch Some Calm

Sometimes a super-simple action can have a major effect when trying to help students manage stress. This poster highlights the power of co-regulation—how one safe person can help stabilize someone else simply by being a safe, calm presence. It’s perfect for reminding our students that they don’t have to face stress alone. It’s a good reminder of the profound truth that connection is one of the most powerful antidotes to stress and trauma.

Get your posters today and give your students a powerful, visual tool to help manage their stress and anxiety.

Just fill out the form on this page to receive your posters.

Find even more great resources for helping students manage stress and anxiety at the We Are Teachers–Starr Commonwealth resource page.