You can see a demonstration of the technique here: Most children find the sensory aspect of this breathing method very soothing and settling.
Place your pointer finger at the bottom of your thumb, and breathe in as you slide up.Breathe in through your nose and breathe out through your mouth. Now you are ready to add some breathing.Keep going until you have finished tracing your fifth finger (pinky). Slide your finger slowly, watch your finger move and notice how it feels. Continue tracing your fingers up, pause, and down. Now slide your pointer up your second finger, pause, and slide down the other side. Start at the bottom of your thumb and slide your finger up your thumb, pause at the top, and then slide your finger down the other side.Pretend the pointer finger of your other hand is a pencil and imagine you are going to trace around the outline of your hand and fingers. You can choose your left hand or your right hand. Spread your hand and stretch your fingers out like a star.Here is how it works:įive Steps to Feeling Calm (use this as a guide to teach your child) If you notice that your child finds breathing through their nose a challenge, invite them to imagine they are smelling a beautiful flower or their favourite food as they breathe in, and then to breathe out with a big sigh. (Breathing in and smelling a beautiful smell and breathing out with a sigh because it smelt so good.) At the same time as breathing, children will focus on the action of tracing up and down the fingers of one hand and the gentle sensations this creates. Children may need to practice this first as they may be mouth breathing. Be sure to also check out our brand new Social Emotional Learning Journal – perfect for encouraging students to creatively explore a wide range of emotions and develop emotional awareness and relationship building skills.ĭuring take 5 breathing, children concentrate on taking five slow breaths in through their nose and out through their mouths. Best of all, Take 5 Breathing is simple, enjoyable, free, and you can use it anywhere, anytime. It brings the body back into balance, slowing and deepening the breath and slowing down the heart rate, while harnessing the need to move with an action that requires focus and provides sensory feedback to our brains. This Take 5 Breathing Exercise is a wonderful way to switch off the stress response. As adults, we are more aware of our feelings and of the physiological changes that come with these, but even we may have a hard time managing our own behaviour. When stressed, children may experience an additional layer of fear or distress as they feel out of control and overwhelmed, not understanding what is happening to them or why.
Our thought processes and self-control are actually hindered by our biological stress response. While stress hormones are flooding our bodies and we are gripped by this programmed response it is very hard to slow down, become calm, express our feelings or think rationally about what is happening to us and how we are responding. When we are stressed or upset nature’s ‘fight or flight’ response takes over – increasing our heart rate, making our breathing fast and shallow, and sending blood from our brain out to our limbs ready to escape or challenge the perceived threat or danger.
Take five massage series#
Today I am excited to team up with the lovely Leonie MacDonald of Relax Kids Canberra to bring you part four of the Managing Big Emotions printable poster series (you can find all of the other posters in the series in our Feelings & Emotions resource collection) – this newest addition is a simple breathing exercise that is super awesome for kids as it can be performed discretely and literally used anywhere.
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