Breathing Strategies for Children
Smelling pizza: Imagine smelling fresh hot pizza that you are waiting to eat. Take a deep breath to smell the pizza and exhale by bringing your lips together to blow on the pizza to cool it off so that you may eat the pizza.
Flower Breath: Imagine smelling a beautiful flower; breathe in through the nose and out the mouth, releasing any tension. Stop and smell the roses, daffodils, daisies or any other flower they like. This is a simple way to connect kids to their breath and how it helps them to feel.
Hissing Breath: Breathe in the nose, long deep inhale, and out the mouth on a hissing sound, slow and long. Extending the exhale will allow kids to slow down their inner speed. It’s wonderful to connect kids to their exhale to help them learn to slow themselves down, mentally and physically.
Bear Breath:Imagine a bear hibernating. Inhale through the nose, pause; exhale out the nose, pause. Breathe in to a count of 3 or 4, pause for a count of 1 or 2; breath out for a count of 3 or 4, pause for a count of 1 or 2. Repeat a few times. This will help ground and settle kids. Wonderful strategies for restful,or reflective time. This is also helpful before nap time, story time or any creative activity.
Bunny Breath: Just 3 quick sniffs in the nose and one long exhale out the nose. Invite kids to pretend to be bunnies, sniffing the air for other bunnies, carrots to eat, or safety. It can be a lovely cleansing breath when you use it in this way. You can also use it when kids are very upset and can’t find their breath, because it will help them connect to their exhale, so that they breathe instead of spin out.
Candle and Flower
The KidsRelaxation website recommends the "Flower and Candle" activity to encourage deep breathing. This exercise allows a child to relax with deep breaths as he uses his imagination. Have your child start by making a fist out of his left hand, imagining he is holding a flower. Have him form a fist with his right hand as well, pretending that he is clutching a candle. Tell him to inhale deeply as he sniffs the flower. Then, instruct him to blow out the candle. Encourage him to really inhale the scent of the flower and make sure the candle is completely blown out.
Visualize Breaths
Help your child imagine what each breath looks like as she inhales it. The FamilyEducation website says that she should visualize what color it is, the scent, the warmth or coolness of it and the sound. Have her imagine the breath going down her throat, into the lungs and stomach.
Birthday Candles
Pretend to hold a cake and help the child image that they are blowing out the candles on their cake. They should take a deep breath so that they can blow out all of the candles.
Bubbles
This activity encourages deep breathing, allowing a child's body to relax. Have your child imagine all of his worries. Explain to him that this exercise will help him blow out those worry bubbles so he can feel more relaxed. Using a bottle of bubbles, tell your child to think about anything that upsets him. Have him imagine blowing that concern into the bubble as he blows into the bubble wand. Tell him to picture the worry in the bubble as it drifts away. When it pops, explain to him that his worry has popped outside of him and can't bother him anymore. Have him continue blowing bubbles until he is relaxed and calm.
Take 5
Sit comfortably. Lift one finger at a time as you breathe in through your nose and count in your mind: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Pause for a second. As you exhale, count backward (5, 4, 3, 2, 1) putting down a finger for each number. Repeat 2 or 3 times.
At first younger children may find it very difficult to count all the way to five, so start with counting to three and build from there. Kids may also find it hard to control the exhale, wanting it to explode out, instead of gradually releasing the breath. Keep trying and Take 5 will get easier with practice.
Sometimes when you feel mad or sad, you don't know how to feel better. That feeling is called stress. Stress can make your body feel tight, too. Your body feels like your muscles are squeezing together. Feeling stress a lot of the time is not good for your body.
Why is it good to know what stress feels like? Because if you know how stress feels, then you can make it go away. When stress goes away, your body feels better and you feel happy.
How do you make stress go away? Here is one thing you can do when you feel stress. You can try belly breathing. Belly breathing is when you take deep breaths. You breathe so deep that you feel it in your belly.
Belly breathing can help you relax. Belly breathing can make your body stop feeling squeezed. Belly breathing can help you feel better. Try it!
How to Do Belly Breathing
Try belly breathing the next time you feel sad or mad. Deep breaths like this can help make stress go away.
1) Lie on your back. Close your eyes. Put your hands on your belly.
2) Keep your mouth closed. Breathe slowly through your nose. Count to 8 in your head while you breathe in.
3) Hold that air in your body while you count to 2 in your head.
4) Slowly let the air out through your mouth or nose.
Try it now. Breathe in through your nose. Hold the air in your body. Slowly let the air out.
What did you feel your belly do? Your belly should go up and down when you take deep breaths. That is why it is called belly breathing!
Taking deep breaths can help make stress go away. Taking deep breaths may help you feel happy. Taking deep breaths is good for your body, too.
For Parents
This activity is appropriate for kids ages 3 to 7.
When doing this deep-breathing exercise, make sure your child feels comfortable. Have him lie down on a bed or the couch. Count softly for him while he slowly inhales, holds, and exhales. Remind him to feel his belly moving. Have him keep taking deep breaths until his body relaxes.