Do you ever find yourself asking your students to calm down or relax? Have you ever actually taught them how to calm their body and their mind? Sometimes we get so caught up in telling our students or children this that we forget about teaching them how to do it. Thankfully with the help of amazing websites like Go Noodle and Mind Yeti you can teach your students how to calm their body and their mind.
I LOVE use breathing strategies with my students because they are simple, quick, and simple for each youngster to learn and use. I have discovered four breathing strategies that are each a little different, allowing the students to find one that fits them and their moment. As a class we practice all of these breathing strategies and we revisit them periodically so that we all remember how to perform them correctly. My students have gotten to a point where I can prompt them to use a strategy, and they will visit the calming corner, practice their breathing strategy, then return to their activity calm and ready.
The first breathing strategy is Soup Breathing. In this strategy, students pretend to have a bowl of soup in front of them. Students take a deep breath in through their nose like they are smelling the soup. Then they blow their breath out like they are cooling the soup down before eating it. Students repeat this as many times as necessary to regain a calm body and mind.
The second breathing strategy is rainbow breathing. With this breathing strategy students have their arms stretched out to the side. As the students take a deep breath in, they raise their arms up to the sky. During their breath out, their arms slowly go back down to being stretched out to their sides. Students repeat the rainbow breathing as many times as necessary until they regain a calm body and mind.
The third breathing strategy is balloon breathing. In this breathing strategy students close their eyes and pretend they are holding onto a string attached to a balloon. Students take deep breaths as they slowly pull the balloon closer to them. Once the balloon gets close to them, they grab the balloon with their hands. Students gentle squeeze the balloon imagining the rubber feel of the balloon. When they are feeling calm, they let the balloon go and watch it float away into the sky, thus releasing the negative energy and feelings.
The fourth breathing strategy is tree breathing. With this breathing strategy students stand tall with their arms down by their side. Students stretch their arms out as far as they can like the branches on a tree. Students take 2 deep breaths. Next, students pretend there's a breeze and let their "branches" gently move in the breeze. Then the student takes 2 deep breaths. Next the students pretend the sun comes out and their "branches" stretch up towards the sun. Students take 2 more deep breaths. Lastly, students slowly let their "branches" come back down to their sides and take 2 more final, deep breaths.
These breathing strategies have worked wonders in my classroom and I'm sure they will in your classroom too! These strategies, like anything else, require model and group practice so that students are using them correctly. Give your students time to self reflect after learning all of them to identify which strategy works best for them. I have my students do this periodically and write it on a post-it note to keep at their seat. This physical reminder allows my students to be reminded of what to do when they are feeling a big emotion and need to regain a calm body and mind.
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