9 fun breathing exercises for kids

Breathing exercises for children are as useful as they are beneficial. Not only do they help them control their emotions much better, but they also improve their ability to pay attention and focus. In addition, they feel more relaxed because they become more aware of their body and its processes, even managing to improve their communication skills.

Likewise, more than one may ask the following question: don’t children come into the world knowing how to breathe? It is clear that yes, we all do it. The biomechanics of inspiration and exhalation are automatic processes. Now, the question that should encourage us to a simple reflection is the following: we all know how to breathe, but do we do it well?

Do we breathe well?

The answer is no. We don’t always breathe correctly. To begin with, a more than obvious fact is that we do not take advantage of all our lung capacity, we forget that we also have a diaphragm and that it can wonderfully optimize the entire process.

Likewise, another fact that we do not forget is that, on average, we breathe very quickly, we take in very little air with each inhalation and this forces us to do it several times and arrhythmically. All of this translates into a greater feeling of tiredness, frequent headaches and a greater impact of stress. and anxiety in our body.

Now, in the case of babies there is a curious fact that must be considered. When a child comes into the world, he breathes correctly, he does so deeply and uses his diaphragm. However, as you grow, whether due to posture or lifestyle, you lose that natural ability.

The benefits of five minutes of deep breathing

Many experts say that deep breathing balances the body and mind and allows you to better cope with the day’s tasks. Check out this simple basic exercise for kids designed by Daniel Goleman:

Every morning, and before starting classes, all those little ones between 5 and 6 years old would lie down on some mats with a teddy bear on their bellies. They had to take a breath for 3 seconds and watch their favorite stuffed animal rise. Then they would exhale and start again. This game lasted just over 5 minutes and yet, one thing that Daniel Goleman could see is that the effects of it were really beneficial.This exercise strengthened the children’s brain circuits to improve attention and emotional management processes.Thus, those students who had already been practicing these morning breathing sessions for more than 2 years showed fewer attention and hyperactivity problems, as well as a greater willingness to study and learn.

As we can see, something as simple and elementary as dedicating a short interval a day to this series of breathing exercises can have a very positive impact on their development and abilities. It’s worth a try. Let’s now look at some of these techniques.

Breathing exercises for children

Studies such as the one carried out at Broadmeadow University in Australia show us the physical and psychological benefits of deep breathing. In addition, Daniel Goleman once explained in an article how beneficial breathing exercises for children can be.. She gave the example of a small school in Harlem, New York, and how a teacher had introduced the dynamics ofand “breathing friends.”

1. The snake game

Simple, fun and effective. The snake game is one of the little ones’ favorites and consists of the following.

How do we do it?

We will sit the children in a chair, telling them that they must have their backs straight.They must put their little hands on their abdomen and focus on the commands that we are going to give them. Next, they must take a deep breath through their nose for 4 seconds. We can count the time for them, noticing how their bellies swell. Afterwardsyou must let that air go while making the snake sound. It should be a loud hiss that will last as long as they can.

2. We are going to blow up a very big balloon

The second of the breathing exercises for children is just as entertaining. To do this, we will follow these steps. How do we do it?

The child should sit comfortably in a chair with his back straight. Now we will explain that The game consists of blowing up an invisible balloon, a colored balloon that must be very, very big.To do this, they must take air through their nose and then exhale it. They must imagine how it swells and how it gets bigger and bigger.

In this exercise, children (like adults) have the tendency to take air through their mouths. In fact, it’s what we all do when blowing up a balloon. Therefore, we must correct them and tell them that the air is taken in through the nose while our belly swells. Then they must exhale, pursing their lips as if they had that giant colorful balloon in their mouth.

3. Breathing like elephants

This breathing game is one of the most successful among the little ones, they love it. The guidelines that we will follow are the following. How is it done?

The children must stand with their legs slightly apart. We will tell them that they are going to become elephants and that they are going to breathe like them.They must take a deep breath through their nose and when they do, they will raise their arms as if they were the animal’s trunk. trying in turn to make the abdomen swell. Next, it is time to exhale. To do this, they must do it through the mouth loudly and lowering their arms while leaning a little, bringing the “elephant’s trunk” downwards.

4. Leopard’s breath

This breathing exercise for children is somewhat more complex but equally fun and effective to introduce them to diaphragmatic breathing. How is it done?

We will tell the little ones to get on all fours on the ground as if they were a leopard.Now you should breathe in through your nose, noticing how your abdomen swells and your spine descends. Then you should exhale through your mouth, noticing how your abdomen empties and your back rises a little.

Note that this exercise It is worth doing it slowly so that children perceive those processes in their body related to this type of breathing. which, in essence, is the most beneficial.

5. Bee Breathing

This game for children helps train conscious breathing. It is usually used in therapies mindfulness. The child is asked to try to breathe making a sound similar to a humming sound. That is why the comparison with bees is often used, since it is a sound that requires the air to be exhaled slowly.

6. Flower Breath

For this type of guided breathing, children and adults should imagine that they are smelling the scent of a flower. In this way, deep and diaphragmatic inspiration is encouraged.

To help the little ones, you can ask them to draw a flower. Afterwards, it is a good idea to take the drawing and point to the petals one by one and inhale and exhale with each step.

7. Candle Breathing

Another of the most useful metaphors to help children breathe consciously is to ask them to imagine a candle. It is also possible to use a real one, as long as it does not pose a security problem for those present. How is it done?

The child is asked to look at the candle or imagine it. It is explained to him that, to extinguish a candle, he has to take a deep breath.Before exhaling, you are asked to hold the breath for a couple of seconds.You are then instructed to blow out the candle.

8. Drawing Breath

This exercise, also widely incorporated into mindfulness routines, is ideal for connecting body movements with breathing. This will help the child focus their attention and work on the body when it comes to breathing properly.

How is it done? The child is asked to make a specific drawing while he breathes. It can be a mountain range, the infinity symbol, the shape of your hands, etc. The important thing is that the line has rises and falls that symbolize the rhythm of breathing.

9. Breath of energy

Sometimes it is necessary to control your breathing to activate yourself and not just to relax. For these cases, this procedure is followed:

The child is asked to stand, with his hands on his knees and semi-flexed. He is instructed to take a deep breath.When exhaling, instead of being asked to do it slowly, you are told to do it hard.The process is repeated about 10 times.

To conclude, point out that there are many more breathing exercises for children within our reach, It is enough to find those that you like the most and those that carry out each step correctly to make them a daily routine. Only in this way will they learn to breathe better, only in this way will we enhance their development and quality of life a little more.

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