Dear Parents,
All our students at Moss Elementary have been learning about mindfulness. Mindfulness has shown to be very effective for both adults and children in regulating emotions. We thought it might be helpful for you, as parents, to be able to support your student at home with some of the techniques taught at school. These techniques can help students be calm, focused, and attentive to the current moment. These techniques help students be successful in school.
Mindful Breathing Techniques:
Here are some mindful breathing techniques that have been taught to the lower grades students. Some of these have also been taught to the upper grades. Not all the classes have been taught all of them.
These are:
- Easy to use
- Quick
- Easy to remember
- Can be very effective
Bunny Breathing: With nose scrunched up, take three quick, short breaths. Breathing in through your nose, quick hold and release the breath very slowly. Relaxing yourself as you breathe out.
Pinwheel Breathing: While pretending to have a pinwheel in your hand, take a deep breath in through your nose and slowly breathe out. Trying to move the imaginary pinwheel as slowly as you can.
Flower Breathing: Pretend to have a flower in your hand. Imagine what it looks like and how if might smell. Lean your head over the flower and take a big sniff of your flower, raising your head as you do. Savor the breath for quick second- holding it, then breathe out slowly.
10 Finger: Hold both your hands in front of you with fingers spread out. Count each finger 1-10 as you slowly breathe in, and backwards 10-1 as you slowly exhale. If 10 is too long for students. Count 1-5 on one hand –inhaling and 1-5 on the other exhaling.
Lazy 8 or Donut Breathing: Students can picture a lazy eight or two donuts in their mind or on their desk. Take a finger and follow around first circle inhaling and exhaling as they start about the second circle.
Lion Breathing: Take a deep cleansing breath in and roar like a lion forcing the breath out and making noise. Repeat three or four times.
Shark Breathing: While taking a deep breath, put one hand high above your head and while slowly exhaling, you bring your fin (hand) down in front of your face, your thumb towards your nose and fingers close together, resembling a shark fin. Repeat
