Breathing and meditation practices are wonderful for parents and educators to have in their toolbelt of resources
Benefits of Breathing Breaks and Practice Ideas
Breathe Like Bear!
This is a great little practice guide for parents and educators:
The book is available on Amazon here.
Support for Parents and Educators
Tips (Breathe Like Bear)
- Skim through the pages and find the ones that stand out to you
- Be ready to teach on the fly! Have an upset little one? Offer “Hot Chocolate Breath” or “Pizza Breath” – Pay attention to their reaction. If they seem interested, you could try it with them.
- Be willing to adapt practices based on kids’ requests and needs. It’s okay to go outside the book and make up or modify into your own versions of things!
Other suggestions for the classroom:
-Where do you even get started? Learn a few practices at time. Know that it’s okay to know very little! Start small!
-Try it out and see what works – listen to the kids’ feedback. Does this one work for them? Would they like another one instead? Which one is their favourite?
-As you learn more practice ideas, it gets easier to offer breathing exercises in the moment –to help support them with calming, grounding and centering, whenever they need it.
Remember: Check your own breathing! These practices can help you, as a parent and/or educator to stay calm, centred and grounded yourself. You can role-model self-regulation to kids by becoming more aware and in-control of your own breathing. When you are ready, if you like, you might take the time to slow down for a while and practice your own breathing exercises and or meditations. There will be benefits for you and your kids/classroom!