Teaching Children Deep Breathing Exercises

Posted on 2010-03-23 (UTC) by under Mental Health.

Teaching our children deep breathing exercises may be the best thing we can do as parents. As adults, we are able to research different ways to deal with anxiety and stress, but our children don't have the necessary resources or abilities, especially the younger ones. If you are familiar with deep breathing exercises, you know the benefits that they can provide us.

When it comes to anger management, children learn what they see. If their parents are calm, cool, and collected all the time, children tend to pick this up. On the other hand, if a parent is explosive, children will be well aware of that, too. If a parent practices time outs and deep breathing in order to stay calm, children will pick the same habits up, too. We are our children's best advocates, their favorite teachers, and they do follow by example.

Explaining in detail to your child how to practice deep breathing will help them comprehend how to do it. Showing them will further their understanding. Then, you should ask them to show you how they do it. Show them to put their hand on their stomach and feel their diaphragm move in and out as they breathe. Make sure that they are standing or sitting up straight and explain to them how the lungs can expand more and accept more air when you straighten your body out. Clarify to them how the oxygen fills their lungs, and have them hold it in only as long as they are able to. Then, tell them to slowly breathe it out through their mouth. If they have trouble grasping how to do it immediately, don't lose patience. Even adults take time learning how to utilize deep breathing techniques when they first start.

You can ask your child for an example of a time when they were angry (or stressed out, but children tend to understand "angry" more than "stressed"). Tell them to explain what they were feeling and how their body reacted right at that point in time. (Did they get shaky or feel hot?) Then, let them know that it is normal for your body to feel that way. We all experience anger. Then, walk them back through the steps of deep breathing, and tell them that is how a lot of people handle their angry feelings.

The more you practice the deep breathing with your child, the more they will get the hang of it. In the future, when you see your child upset, angry, or stressed, you can suggest to them to try their deep breathing techniques, and see how they do.

Teaching your child the art of deep breathing can be a permanent stress reducer for them. If they start as a child, they can make it a healthy habit for a lifetime. It's our job as parents to give our children the tools to survive in this manic world. And, honestly, with the stress levels for even children today, I can't think of anything better than deep breathing techniques to teach our children when it comes to stress and anger management.



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