Children benefit greatly from learning basic breathing techniques. This particular exercise helps to calm children through focusing on lengthening their inhalations and exhalations. It will also help to reduce stress, improve oxygen intake, and provide a refuge from a sometimes chaotic world. 

When speaking with a special education expert he mentioned that this technique is self-employed by many of his students when they are feeling worked up. They simply say, “I’m gonna Take 5″ and retire to a quiet corner to spend a few minutes breathing and calming down. In this way children learn to recognize stressful situations and find a more productive way to dealing with the stress than thru tantrums, panic, aggression or meltdowns.

I will often use Take 5 at the beginning of a yoga class to teach how to take a complete breath and to prepare all participants for their yoga practice. Once children have learned this breathing technique, a simple reminder “How about you Take 5″ is often all that is needed for them to realise their emotions are taking over and they need to remember to breathe. 

Take 5

Sit comfortably. Lift one finger at a time as you breathe in through your nose and count in your mind: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Pause for a second. As you exhale, count backward (5, 4, 3, 2, 1) putting down a finger for each number. Repeat 2 or 3 times.

At first younger children may find it very difficult to count all the way to five, so start with counting to three and build from there. Kids may also find it hard to control the exhale, wanting it to explode out, instead of gradually releasing the breath. Keep trying and Take 5 will get easier with practice.

Question: What techniques do you use to help your children to handle stressful situations, meltdowns and tantrums? How do you handle the same situations?

Recently I was fortunate to be able to interview Lori Lite of Stress Free Kids and Shark Tank fame. She is an amazing woman whose life work is to reduce anxiety, stress and anger in kids, while building self esteem and promoting a peaceful sleep.

Visit My Interview with Stress Free Kids Author Lori Lite to listen to the entire interview.

We talked about how vital it is to help children reduce the stress in their lives. Kids today are more aware of what is happening in the world, are victims of violence, live with the repercussions of divorce, and have greater stress and anxiety than ever before.  It is vital that we teach children the skills they need to combat these stressors. Lori’s books and CD’s use well known and effective stress management techniques in an engaging and age appropriate manner. During the interview we discussed four different techniques and how useful they are in reducing anxiety and stress.

Diaphragmatic Breathing

Becoming aware of your breath is vital. Once you become aware, your breath deepens and evens, and the mind becomes calm. Children need to learn how to breathe properly and diaphragmatic breathing is the first step in reducing stress. It is easy and is how babies breathe naturally, using their belly instead of their chest.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation: Active & Passive

Focusing, in turn, on specific parts of the body and tensing, then releasing (active) or simply willing the stress to leave (passive) are commonly used relaxation techniques during savasana (corpse pose). These techniques help to dissolve tension and teach the body what it feels like to be relaxed. Children can then recall that sensation during times of stress or use the techniques themselves to reduce anxiety and promote calm.

Visualizations

Taking a mental vacation is a method of stopping the chatter in your mind. Guided imagery and visualizations provide a focal point that replaces the mental chatter with the imagination to heal the body. These often involve colours or scenes such as the beach, park, etc. to encourage the body to relax.

Affirmations

Affirmations are extremely powerful at improving self-esteem. These are personal positive statements that help empower and relax children. Children can create their own affirmations to help them throughout the day which they can use anytime, anywhere. The words we think and say influence how we act, feel and live. Affirmations are a potent tool in the battle against stress.

For more information on these techniques listen to My Interview with Stress Free Kids Author Lori Lite.

You can learn more about Lori Lite or her many books and CD’s which help kids reduce stress and anxiety by visiting her website Stress Free Kids.

Lori Lite of Stress Free Kids.

Listen to my interview from BlogTalkRadio with Stress Free Kids Author Lori Lite!

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.