5 Fun Deep Breathing Exercises For Kids

Deep breathing has become one of the essential skills to learn in the past few years. We never notice our breathing process throughout the day, but when we are working, or have some stress, we tend to breathe fast.

Breathing rate increases to maintain the oxygen level in our body.  However, controlling our breathing is one great way to control your stress levels.  Mindful breathing can help calm the body down from an anxious moment.

Deep breathing is not a natural process, and it feels like an abnormal activity. It is important to exercise deep breaths to maintain health once a day. But children face many crucial issues related to the shortage of oxygen. So, it is essential to teach them how to keep their breathing under control during stress and workout.

Importance of deep breathing for children

Children should learn these deep breathing techniques in order for them to regulate their mood and stress levels. It is a very supportive process to control emotions.

Children are still learning how to control emotion and understand their feelings.  While they do this, having some tools that will help them is important.  Let’s have a look at how mindful breathing for kids is beneficial.

Improve sleeping behavior

Deep breathing helps the metabolism process in kids. It also helps to sustain their heart rate and muscles. These deep breathing exercises can help kids sleep better as well.

Strengthen kid’s lungs

Children are developing, and their bodies need more oxygen. It is very important that they take in deep breaths at this age. When a child deep breathes it increases chest and lungs flexibility and helps to control the heart rate. This will help children become stronger over time.

Children can concentrate better

Slow and mindful breathing for kids will help them to normalize stress, and they become more familiar with their body requirements. In childhood, emotions dominate, and kids cannot focus. Taking in deep breaths help the child recenter and stay better focused.

Fun breathing games for kids

Fun breathing games are helpful to develop the habit of deep breathing in kids because they learn better when they are happy and calm. Kids are always ready to accept funny and attractive things. You need to make these exercises fun for your children.

Feather breathing

Many experts suggest feathers as a mindful breathing technique for kids.  After all, kids like them and they are easy to deal with.  Fun breathing games don’t have to be complicated.  To begin, just start with a small collection of feathers and a guide to understand this mindful breathing for kids.

Here is the small guide to developing a habit of deep breathing in children:

•    Collect feathers of different colors.
•    Ask your kids to hold the feather in his/her hand.
•    Take a deep breath. (Model this for your child)
•    To help kids find out how to require a deep breath, ask them to place their hands on their bellies and feel the increase and fall.
•    Inhale slowly by counting until count 3.

Flower breathing

Flowers are attractive for kids and can be useful in mindful breathing techniques for them. Flower breathing can be a fun breathing game for kids.  This can help them to get rid of anxiety, shyness and be a confidence booster.

Here is the process to practice flower breathing:

•    Find a Flower.
•    Ask your child to inhale deeply and enjoy the flower’s smell.
•    Hold your breath and do not exhale until count 3.
•    Exhale slowly through mouth till count 4.
•    Continue it until 5 minutes.

 Buddy Breathing

Kids lack self-control, and they are not able to get control over their emotions. The one way to improve their self-control is mindful breathing techniques.

A simple way to develop control in your child, pay attention to their breathing behavior. Many kids are not able to control their respiration, and they lack oxygen level in their bodies.

They need someone to help them to breathe properly. Buddy Breathing is one of the most prominent fun breathing games for kids to develop self-confidence and control over emotion.

Follow the steps mentioned below to help your kids.

Ask your kids to lay down on the carpet and put their favorite stuffy (teddy bear) on their tummy.

•    Ask them to inhale deeply until count 3.
•    Then, ask them to exhale until count 4.
•    Ask them to observe the teddy rise and fall as they breathe in and out.
•    Repeat it till 5 to 10 times.

Nostril breathing

One nostril breath is a very efficient fun breathing game especially when a person is working for hours. Kids are very conscious of events and life changes, and it’s a very productive breathing technique to help them to stay calm and refreshed.

Both nostrils play a different role in our body. Right nostril has a connection with our nervous system, and it is responsible for freshness of the body, maintaining willpower and focus. When a kid inhales through the right nostril, it provides extra energy to our body.

While on the other hand, the left nostril is responsible for sensitive actions and controls over blood pressure. In this way, one nostril breathing helps to keep the balance in different situations.

You need to follow the following step for the successful practice of one nostril breathing.

Ask your child to place his finger on one nostril and inhale deeply

•     Ask him/her to put his finger on another nostril to exhale
•     Repeat it by changing the sequence of nostrils
•     Practice it for 2 to 3 minutes

Shape breathing

Shape breathing is the easiest mindful breathing for kids to develop deep breathing habits. You can choose any shape to count the breaths. Following are steps involved in shape breathing.

•     Count the edges of any shape you have chosen
•     Inhale at the one point
•     Exhale on next edge of shape
•     Repeat it for the next points
•     Complete shape breathing cycle for 3 to 4 times daily.

Practicing deep breathing is very productive for kids. You can choose different fun breathing games to involve your kids in. It will improve your child’s health, stamina, self-control and confidence.

You just need to learn different mindful breathing for kids so that you can help your kids grow up with these great calming techniques.