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A Bit of Information About These Practices
🎂 Birthday Cake Breathing
Even the youngest kids can use this simple practice when they are feeling overwhelmed by strong emotions and want to help themselves relax. It works because lengthening our exhale reduces our heart rate and blood pressure, and focusing on the present moment helps us to stop worrying about the past or future.
🔔 Disappearing Bell
This focusing practice uses any resonant sound—like a bell, chime, or even kitchen utensils—to help with transitions between activities or places. The key is finding something that resonates, such as wood on thick metal. It’s a great way to ground and focus during change.
🌬 Belly Breathing
Often when we are stressed, we take shallow breaths. This practice helps us to deepen our breathing, which reduces our stress levels by activating our parasympathetic nervous system.
🤗 Imaginary Hugs
This highly simplified version of a loving-kindness, or metta meditation is a great one to do at bedtime. It can also be helpful when children might not be able to see and hug their friends or family members.
⚽️ Energy Ball
Kids often “get” this one immediately; it may be worth establishing early that we aren’t aiming to touch our hands together. This can be done sitting in one place (anywhere with room to outstretch our arms) or we can start running around in open space. It’s a great practice for outside.
🤚 Hand Trace
Like adults, kids can get caught up speedy-busyness, so it might be helpful to frame this one in a way that lets them know that the goal is to go slowwwwly on this one. :)