Welcome to Miss Farrah's summer series of deep breathing exercises. Every week of summer I will be adding a short video to teach a new breathing exercise. The goal is to teach fun breathing exercises to little ones to help them calm down when their little bodies are moving to fast or they have big emotions like feeling anxious. We can help by adding breathing exercises to their sensory tool box. I have included the first six videos from the series for you to try with your little ones. These deep breathing exercises can be used with all ages. I enjoy using these exercises myself. A couple of my favorites are jellyfish breathing, and bubble breathing.
#1 Jellyfish Breathing
Using a scarf, towel, or bandana as a visual tool is helpful for littles to know when to breath in and out. Plus it's fun to make the jellyfish swim.
#2 Swimming Breathing
Using our arms in a swimming motion to help us know when to breath. You will notice my special guest Scuba Farrah is in this video to help littles to learn this breathing exercise.
#3 Firework Breathing
Children will have fun using their hands to clap together making a big explosion like fireworks in the night sky as they breath out.
#4 Flower Breathing
First you will close your eyes and imagine you are standing in a field of flowers. Pick a flower and bring it to your nose. Breath in through your nose to smell the flower then breath out your mouth to blow the petals.
#5 Bumblebee Breathing
This exercise is a fun way to get little ones into using relaxation breathing. I encourage little ones to focus on listening to their breathing by saying "buzzzzzzzzzzzzz" fir as long as they can. Repeat the bumblebee breathing until body is calm and relaxed.
#6 Bubble Breathing
Children will be instructed to breath in slowly through their nose and then breath out through their mouth. When breathing out their mouth children are encourage to visualize blowing up a bubble. The bubble continues to grow until it floats up into the air taking all the stress with it.
The key point is to have your little one practice the tool often so they are familiar with it when they need to use it. Here is 5 tips to keep in mind when learning deep breathing exercises:
Practice when the body is in a calm state to learn the techniques properly.
Practice everyday. It takes time to master techniques.
Educate the children on the purpose of breathing techniques. They help our bodies to relax, to slow our heart rate and avoid "flight or fight" mode.
Practice in a quiet environment so children can focus on their breathing.
Children will respond differently. Be mindful that some children will respond to breathing techniques quicker than others. Allow the children to repeat each technique until the body is calm and relaxed.
I would love to hear which breathing technique is your favorite? Your child's favorite? Leave your answers in the comments. Remember the more you practice the better you will be!
Make everyday count!
Miss Farrah
Here are items that could be used as visuals when working on deep breathing with children:
Disclaimer: I am currently an Amazon affiliate who will make a small commission on products people purchase through my website. I will only recommend products that I have used personally or believe in the purpose behind the products.