Like adults, it’s common for your little ones to find themselves up against big emotions, such as anger, anxiety, and frustration. Whether it’s a tiny tiff with their siblings or not being allowed to have a cookie before dinner, feelings of agitation and stress can bubble up in your child’s mind, and without proper guidance and coping mechanisms, your little one may have sudden outbursts and temper tantrums.
While these situations can be unpleasant for you to handle, you can always have open communication with your little one about ways to cope with their emotions, and also teach them methods to calm their feelings. For instance, breathing exercises for kids are one of the sure shot strategies to relax your child and help them deal with difficult emotions.
In this post, we discuss the different deep breathing exercises for kids and how they can benefit in handling your child’s emotions.
Importance Of Teaching Breathing Exercises To Kids
If you have tried meditation and other mindful activities, then you already know the power that deep breathing exercises hold. For kids, these exercises help calm their senses and divert their attention from the things that are making them upset, angry, or frustrated. Moreover, deep breathing exercises for kids help enhance their overall health and well-being and also offer the following benefits:
- Increased energy levels
- Relaxed muscles
- Lowered stress levels
- Reduced feeling of anxiety and overwhelmedness
- Boost in immunity
- Improved sleep cycle
10 Deep Breathing Exercises For Kids
When it comes to deep breathing exercises for kids, the key is to make the exercises fun and easy to remember so that they can practice them when things go topsy-turvy, even when you are not around. However, make sure that you are not introducing these exercises to your kids during an emotionally charged situation.
Instead, teach them these exercises during calm moments, when your little one is receptive to information and is willing to practice them along with you. This way you can prepare them ahead of time, and equip them better to handle stressful situations.
Let’s have a look at the easy breathing exercises for kids and their benefits.
The Bunny Breath
Just like a little bunny hopping in the garden, encourage your child to partake in this breathing exercise imitating the animal, and taking three quick sniffs through their nose and one long exhale out through their mouth. This action imitates the sobbing motion and will help your little one breathe through crying or any other big emotion, such as sadness, frustration, or fear.
Benefits of this exercise:
- Helps your child feel and move past big emotions.
- It’s fun and can be included in their playtime activities.
- Is beneficial for regulating their breathing system.
Smelling Flowers
For this exercise, tell your little one to imagine that they are smelling a flower and encourage them to breathe in deeply through their nose, and out through their mouth. This is in fact, one of the easiest breathing exercises for kids, and a good starting point to inspire your child into these activities.
Benefits of this exercise:
- Helps instantly calm them.
- Diverts their attention from the things that are upsetting them.
- The thought of smelling a flower can also enhance your child’s mood and make them feel happy.
Blow Out Candle
This is another simple breathing exercise that helps your child focus on their breathing and keeps their mind off the things that are bothering them. Have your munchkin blow out candles on a make-believe birthday cake, drawing in a deep breath through their mouth, and blowing it out strongly through their mouth as well.
Benefits of this exercise:
- It helps your child relax when they’re feeling stressed.
- It lowers your little one’s heart rate and reduces anxiety.
- If practiced before bed, this exercise can help your little one sleep better.
Blowing Bubbles
Also known as bubble breathing, this breathing exercise for kids helps calm your child’s mind and body effectively. Ask your child if they remember how softly they have to blow a nice big bubble while playing with the bubble maker toys. Now, encourage them to take a deep breath and blow it out soft and long through their mouth as they would do, while playing with the bubble toy.
Benefits of this exercise:
- It is a great breathing technique to get your child’s attention diverted.
- It helps your child release built-up anxiety or anger.
- It’s a fun activity and can be included in their playtime.
- It helps boost their mood.
The Snake Breath
Tell your child to pretend that they’re a snake and imitate the hissing sound, while inhaling deeply through their nose and exhaling through their mouth, softly. Practicing this breathing exercise can help relax your child and also lower their heart rate, thus calming their mind and body.
Benefits of this exercise:
- It soothes the nervous system.
- Helps your child self-regulate.
- Stimulates your child’s imagination and serves as a mood enhancer.
Smell The Flower And Blow Out The Candle
This breathing exercise for kids combines two techniques—smelling flowers and blowing out the candle. Have your child pretend that they have a candle in one hand and a flower in another. The first step is to smell the flower while taking a deep breath through their nose, and filling their lungs with air, and the second step is to exhale through their mouth and pretend to blow out the candle in the other hand.
Benefits of this exercise:
- It is a helpful strategy that helps your child cool down when they are sad or frustrated.
- It helps them focus on inhaling and exhaling, and helps divert their attention.
- It relaxes your child’s body.
Deep Belly Breath
For this exercise, your child will have to place one hand on their belly, and the other hand on their chest. Once they are comfortable, encourage them to take a deep breath in for four counts and exhale slowly through their nose (for four counts). While doing this breathing technique, remind your child to focus on how their belly and chest rise and falls while inhaling and exhaling.
Benefits of this exercise:
- Improves muscle function and prevents strain.
- Reduces anxiety by lowering their heart rate.
- Helps maintain healthy blood pressure.
- Regulates their breathing system.
Bumble Bee Breath
This breathing technique is commonly known as bhramari pranayama and is one of the most popular meditation exercises. Ask your child to sit comfortably in a chair, and inhale through their nose, while keeping their mouth closed. Next, with their mouth still closed, have them imitate a buzzing or humming noise, like bees, while exhaling. You can also encourage your child to cup their hands around their ears to amplify the buzzing sound.
Benefits of this exercise:
- It helps calm an agitated mind.
- It relaxes the nervous system.
- It uplifts your child’s mood and makes them feel calm and refreshed.
Dragon Fire Breaths
Make your child interlace their fingers under their chin, and as they inhale, ask them to raise their elbows as high as they can, around their neck and face. While exhaling, ask them to lower their elbows back down and put them under their chin.
Benefits of this exercise:
- It helps relieve tension and anxiety.
- It helps your child focus on their breathing.
- It calms their nervous system.
Tumble Dryer
For this breathing exercise, ask your child to sit in a comfortable cross-legged position. Now, have them point their index fingers toward each other, in front of their mouth. Ask them to inhale deeply through their nose, and exhale through their mouth, and while they do so, have them swirl their fingers around like a tumble dryer. The fun part of this exercise is the swishy noise that they will hear while exhaling.
Benefits of this exercise:
- It helps calm their senses.
- Reduces feelings of anxiety and frustration.
- It regulates your little one’s breathing system.
These easy breathing exercises for kids are a great way to encourage your child in mindful activities and also form a safe and healthy way to help channel their emotions. They can also enhance your little one’s health and boost their immunity to keep illnesses away. You can also make them fun and interactive by performing them together and supporting your child while they process their emotions.
Also read:
How warning signs protect your child’s mental health: Check out this post to know helpful strategies to protect your child’s mental health and well-being.
Featured image: Freepik.com
