Intentional Breathing Exercises – FOR KIDS!

Intentional Breathing – For Kids!

Chances are that you have told your child during a meltdown or tantrum to take a deep breath, but when they try, they start hyperventilating. Or they breathe in, but can’t gather enough air to breathe back out. Sometimes, kids need our help to figure out how to properly take deep breaths.

It may seem like a daunting task, but luckily there are dozens of easy breathing exercises that you can teach and practice with your child. They will be able to use this tool in everyday life to calm down and reduce any overwhelming feelings or anxiety. Practicing breathing techniques with your little one can also help you when you’re feeling stressed too.

Let’s talk about why it’s important to recenter ourselves and to take a step back when we need to. Stressful events and emotions put our bodies into “fight, flight, or freeze” mode automatically. Our heart rates increase, our stomachs stop digesting, and our breathing becomes shallow. Breathing exercises help get our bodies back to “rest and digest” mode. It helps get more oxygen into your bloodstream and physically calms you down. 

Exercises to Try

1. Use Bubbles/ a Pinwheel

Blowing bubbles or a pinwheel requires you to control your breath. To make bubbles, you have to blow carefully and slowly. With a pinwheel, kids can practice the effects of breathing out slowly vs. more quickly. Both exercises are playful and a good way to practice deep breathing.

2. Use a Stuffed Animal

While your child is laying on their back, put a stuff animal on their belly. Have them breathe in deep to move the animal up, and then breathe out to move the animal back down. This exercise focuses on deep belly breathing.

3. Use a Feather

While sitting down, have your child hold a feather or leaf in their hand. Have them take a deep breath in and blow out as hard as they can. Tell your child to imagine that they are blowing out 100 birthday candles. Also, have them practice slow, soft breaths to see the feather hover right above their hands.

You’ve got this, and so does your little one. Overwhelming emotions can feel out of our control at times, but breathing techniques will help your child learn from an early age that there is something they can do to soothe themselves!