Pinwheel Breathing Exercise

If the past 6 months have taught me anything, it is the value of a deep breath. There have been many times when I've had to stop, remind myself that it is not an emergency, and take a deep breath (or 5!). If you're anything like me, when your child becomes upset or frustrated, you might find yourself instinctively telling him or her to "just breathe." But what does that really mean? If my son is really upset, he will likely either completely ignore my request or become even angrier (Can't Mom see how upset I am? Why is she telling me to breathe!). If you are able to reach your child before emotions boil over, then saying, "just breathe" is ambiguous at best. I've seen many children respond by taking quick breaths that only fuel their anxiety even more. We need to spend some time coaching our children on what it really means to "just breathe" and helping them discover breathing exercises that are effective for them.

Here's an easy one that works for even very young children. Coach your child to hold a pinwheel in front of their face and take a deep breath in, letting the lungs expand as much as possible. Then blow out through the mouth slowly and steadily to spin the pinwheel. Repeat several times. The pinwheel makes the idea of "just breathe" a bit more tangible and guides children in taking deeper and deeper breaths. How long can she make the pinwheel spin with each breath? You can discuss how it spins better with longer, slower breaths than quick puffs of air.