These fun, simple and effective mindful breathing exercises are great for helping children to calm their minds and their bodies
I love activities that are simple but secretly teach children a deeper message! That’s what I feel mindful activities are all about; they teach our little ones about their emotions, self-regulation, about gratitude and nature and the environment in a fun, simple but impactful way.
Some of my favourite activities that I regularly share with the educators on my program (and which I love doing with my daughter at home!) are based around breathing...
Kids often breathe in and in and forget to breathe out! This creates stressed out, anxious and tense children! By the end of the day they are full of hot air, creating the perfect storm for a huge meltdown. We have to teach our children to breathe properly by taking big breaths in and out!! This helps them self-regulate and calms their busy minds and bodies.
Here's how you can get your children breathing more mindfully...
Bubble splats painting
For this activity, you will need:
Paper
Food colouring
Trays/containers
Bubble mixture
A bubble wand
Method:
Place the bubble mixture into the trays and add different coloured food dyes into each one
Ask your child to dip the wand into the mixture, take a big breath in and then – very slowly – blow a coloured bubble on to the paper
Now, do the same again with the different colours until you have created an awesome painting!
When you've finished, not only will your child be calmer, but you'll also have a new work of art to hang on the wall!