How to Practice Breathing with your Kids: 5 Tips
Whether you have littles at home or teens, dive into these practical tips to introducing breath exercises into your kid’s life—fostering their well-being and creating moments of connection.
1. Practice early and often
Parenting can feel like a rollercoaster ride, but there's a simple tool that can help both you and your kids find calm amid the chaos: mindful breathing. There’s always an opportunity to practice mindful breathing, and kids can learn to become aware of their breathing from a young age—even 1 or 2 years old.
“Take a deep breath” is something parents might say a lot when kids are on the verge of a breakdown, but practicing breath awareness before things escalate is a much happier and effective way to practice. This can be simple—just helping your little one notice when breath is coming in or going out. Help them watch their lungs or belly rise and fall with each breath. Can they pull lots of air into their tummies? Can they let it all out so their bellies are empty?
2. Use breath to break the ice
Initiate open conversations about stress, anxiety, and the benefits of mindful breathing. Use relatable examples and share your own experiences to make the discussion comfortable and relatable.
Before you have a talk about behavior, or are about to share the download on the big travel day you have ahead, you might say—let’s take a few breaths together before we start. Don’t let it feel patronizing by having them do it alone—join in on it and take a few slow breaths together.
3. Model healthy breathing habits
Gentle reminders can go a long way. Instead of nagging, subtly encourage deeper breaths by leading by example. Your actions speak louder than words. Model mindful breathing in your daily life.
Let your children witness you taking intentional deep breaths during stressful moments, emphasizing the positive impact it has on your well-being. Even one minute of intentional breathing can have a massive impact—this doesn’t need to be as much of a commitment as an hour-long yoga class or the like. Just take a few moments in the day-to-day to practice.
4. Use mealtimes and drives to practice
Incorporate mindful breathing into routine activities. Begin meals or car rides with a collective deep breath, maybe closed eyes, maybe a few minutes of listening—what sounds did you hear? What thoughts arose? Combining breathing with light awareness practice helps you to use this time as an opportunity to reset, connect, and cultivate a sense of shared calmness.
Try these three easy breath exercises with your family.
5. Breathe together as a family
While the idea of family breathing exercises might seem unconventional, it's a simple and effective way to foster connection and well-being. Kids doing yoga, kids meditating—it’s becoming more mainstream (we’re thrilled about it!), so let breathing exercises together be the next way you connect, tone down a tantrum, get through waiting times, or prepare for bedtime.
Embrace the uniqueness of the experience and make it a family affair. Turn moments of shared breathing into a family tradition, creating lasting bonds and a home filled with tranquility and awareness.
