In today’s fast-paced world, children are often faced with stress and anxiety, whether it’s from school pressures, social dynamics, or extracurricular activities. Teaching kids effective tools for managing their emotions and stress levels is crucial for their overall well-being and development. One of the simplest yet most powerful tools available is mindful breathing!
This week, I have been talking about one of my parenting support resources, Raising Kind, Caring, Good Kids. Today, I am going to share an additional support technique to continue to help our little ones be the best versions of themselves.
Mindful breathing exercises such as box breathing, triangle breathing, and infinity breathing are not only easy to learn, but they can also be fun for children! The techniques can help little ones calm their minds, improve focus, and develop emotional resilience.
Practicing Mindful Breathing with Children
Mindful breathing is a simple yet powerful practice that involves paying focused attention to the act of breathing. It helps to foster a sense of calm and presence in the moment. It can be particularly beneficial for children, helping them to manage stress, anxiety, and emotional turbulence.
Children can use mindful breathing:
- Before stressful events to help calm their nerves, perhaps before a test or a visit to the dentist.
- Throughout the day, during short breaks, to maintain a relaxed and focused state.
- Before bedtime, to help wind down and prepare the body for sleep.
We’ll explore three different mindful breathing exercises in this post:
- Box Breathing,
- Triangle Breathing, and
- Infinity Breathing
Just before we get into the exercises, you’ll want to grab this Free Mindful Breathing Printable for your child! The printables help little ones remember the steps as they move the goldfish with the pattern of their breathing:
Mindful Breathing Exercises for Children
Did you grab your Free Mindful Breathing Printable? Perfect! Now, let’s discover how to use these simple but effective breathing techniques with your child.
Box Breathing
First up is box breathing, sometimes called square breathing. If you are using the printables, your child can place their finger (or the adorable goldfish!) on the starting circle, and trace along the shape as they follow these steps:
- Breathe In: Slowly inhale through your nose as you count to four. Focus on filling your lungs and expanding your belly as you breathe in.
- Hold Your Breath: Hold your breath as you count to four. Try to keep your body relaxed and still.
- Breathe Out: Slowly exhale through your mouth as you count to four. Focus on emptying your lungs completely.
- Hold Your Breath Again: Hold your breath for another count of four before starting the next inhale.
Continue this breathing pattern for a few cycles.
Triangle Breathing
Next, let’s learn how to practice triangle breathing. Triangle breathing is similar to box breathing, but with a slightly different pattern. Here are the steps to follow:
- Breathe In: Slowly inhale through your nose as you count to three. Focus on filling your lungs and expanding your belly as you breathe in.
- Hold Your Breath: Hold your breath for a count of three. Try to keep your body relaxed and still.
- Breathe Out: Slowly exhale through your mouth as you count to three. Focus on emptying your lungs completely.
Continue this breathing pattern for a few cycles.
Infinity Breathing
And last but not least, let’s try infinity breathing! Infinity breathing, or figure eight breathing, is another wonderful breathing technique for calming the mind and body. To practice infinity breathing, start at the center of the figure eight, then:
- Breathe In: Slowly inhale through your nose as you trace the first half of the figure eight. Imagine the air filling your lungs as you follow the curve up and over.
- Transition: As you reach the center point, briefly pause your breath, maintaining a calm and relaxed state.
- Breathe Out: Slowly exhale through your mouth as you trace the second half of the figure eight. Imagine the air leaving your lungs as you follow the curve down and around.
Continue this breathing pattern for a few cycles.
I hope these breathing exercises are helpful for your little ones!
Before you go, I encourage you to give your child the skills to battle worry and build confidence with Raising Kind, Caring, Good Kids. Written using the power of storytelling and sweet, relatable animal characters, this resource empowers you to raise and build resilient, amazing humans.
Written alongside my husband, a child psychologist, you know this resource is more than sweet. It is powerful and empowering!
Give your little one the tools to become the very best version of themselves. Get Raising Kind, Caring, Good Kids right here:
https://shop.howweelearn.com/pages/raisingkindcaringgoodkids
Thank you for reading, my friend,
xo
Sarah
Leave a Reply