Help Calm your Elementary Students with these Breathing Exercises

Focusing your breathing with various exercises can bring a sense of calm and comfort, as well as many emotional and physical benefits. 

Breathing techniques can be a fun and engaging way to teach students to regulate their emotions. It also helps students feel more in control when stressed, tired, or upset. When they feel in control, they feel more confident, hopeful, and empowered.

When we get anxious, angry, or upset, our bodies enter a stress response to protect us. Our bodies divert resources away from our brains to other areas of our bodies, which can make it harder to think clearly. When we focus on breathing, we can bring oxygen back to our brains, lower our heart rate, and return to a calm state.

Be sure to teach breathing exercises when students feel happy and comfortable so they can associate deep breathing with calmness. Students can then use these exercises any time they need to refocus and feel peaceful.

As a Studies Weekly Teacher Advocate, I love to pass along information that can benefit you too. I have loved researching and trying fun techniques to recenter and regulate emotions. Teacher Tina Williamson from Mindfulmazing has several fun exercises you can try with your students. 

These are some of my favorites:

1. Hand each student a colorful feather to hold in their hand to help them see their breath.
2. Show them how to put their hand on their belly to feel it rise and fall as they take a deep breath.
3. Have them inhale for a slow count of three.
4. Have the students hold up their feathers while slowly exhaling through their noses.
5. Point out how the feather moves as they inhale and exhale.
6. Have them take breaks between each deep breath to assess emotions.
7. Continue until all feel relaxed.

1. Have students sit up straight and relaxed.
2. Prompt them to imagine a large, white, fluffy dandelion in their hand.
3. Have them take a deep breath through the nose.
4. Tell them to blow out through the mouth and envision all the dandelion seeds scattering into the air.
5. Everyone should take breaks between each exercise to sit and relax.

1. Have students sit up in a confortable position.
2. Encourage the students to imagine the sun with triangle-shaped rays going all around. If you prefer to use a visual aid, put up a picture on the board.
3. Direct them to hold up their hands and get ready to trace the sun’s rays with their pointer finger.
4. Ask them to slowly inhale as they trace up one side of the first triangle.
5. Have them hold their breath briefly.
6. Then demonstrate how to breathe out as you trace the downward side of the triangle ray.
7. Have your students continue the breathing pattern as they trace the other rays around the sun.
8. Take breaks as needed to assess emotions and feel relaxed.

1. Have students sit on the ground with crossed legs.
2. Have them inhale through the nose for four counts.
3. Each should hum or make a buzzing bee sound as they slowly breathe out.
4. Repeat the exercise as needed. Try it with ears plugged or eyes closed, if you wish.

I hope you enjoy these focused breathing exercises!

Warmly, 

Debbie