Birthday Cake Breathing
We are always celebrating Birthdays! In class, at home, or at a location for a friend’s party. My kids just got invited to an evening nerf-gun battle birthday party. Sounds fun, right?!
As fun as birthdays can be, they can be a time of high activity and stress. There can be lots of kids running around and a lot to prepare and do as a mom. Birthdays can also be a time of sadness, anxiety and dread for some depending on their circumstances. Everyone has a different attitude surrounding birthdays. This is where Birthday Cake Breathing comes in.
Lets incorporate some deep breathing activities while waiting for candles to be lit, or needing to calm down before a celebration!
Deep Breathing
Deep breathing exercises are designed to support self-regulation, mindfulness and brain break needs.
Many times, kids can struggle at home and school with anger or frustration and they lack the coping strategies needed in those situations. They require tools to improve self-regulation. This can occur both at school and home.
Children, like adults, experience worry and anxiety, fears and can be nervous in life situations and having simple strategies on hand can help them cope during the day.
One way to do this is to use mindfulness strategies like deep breathing exercises.
Children who practice mindfulness will find it much easier to focus and actively engage in the classroom. Practicing mindfulness and breathing exercises can be very powerful for kids as they grow and navigate the world we live in. Students in the classroom who use mindfulness will bring a sense of collective calm to the space as well making the learning environment more favorable for everyone. Incorporating mindfulness can be fun !
Making deep breathing fun and combining it with an activity like a birthday party or celebration can help kids practice their breath and use breathing as a way to cope or calm down.
How to:
- Imagine it’s your birthday.
- Close your eyes and make a wish!
- Take a long deep breath in. As you breathe out from your mouth, pretend you are blowing out the candle on your cake!
- Repeat as many times as needed.
Ways to Use:
- Use the Poster as a Printable and hang it in the classroom, therapy room or at home.
- Use the deep breathing exercises as a brain break as needed to bring in some breath work to your classroom or therapy sessions.
- Try this breath at a birthday party, to calm the kids down before actually blowing out the candles on a cake.
- Pair it with a baking activity. Cooking and baking can teach children essential life skills. There is a lot of development that occurs through baking including measuring items, learning how to read a recipe, following directions, sequencing and problem solving. It can also help with fine motor skills, bilateral coordination and organization. Baking with children can be so beneficial.
- My favorite chocolate cake recipe is from Nora Cooks and you can find it here: Vegan Chocolate Cake
Let me know if you use this breath and how it went!
Try out some of my easy guided breathwork for kids:
