Pause Button.
Teach your child to take a pause! Help them learn that it’s OK to stop and take a breath.
Exercise guidance
- Ask your child to run about or jump up and down for a few minutes.
- Then get them to come and press the PAUSE button.
- Together, follow the balloon breaths on screen, in and out.
- Don’t try to change your breath, just follow it.
- Try to repeat the exercise three times.
Why do this?
We want to start to plant the seeds of mindfulness and meditation – so what better way to do this than to teach them to stop, pause and breathe.
We live in a busy world today and learning that it’s OK to take a break is a valuable tool for our self-care – for children and adults alike!
Deep breathing in the belly sends signals to the nervous system to relax – which is good for little minds and bodies.
What can I try if it’s not working?
If your child can’t or won’t sit – why not try one breath first. Get them to copy you – young children love copying! Hold their hands in yours, look in their eyes, and take a big deep breath in and out yourself.
Try to expand your tummy like a balloon, place your hands on your tummy if it helps. Make a game of it. Then come back to Wee Seeds’ Pause Button and try again.
What else can I do?
- Use the exercise to talk about how important it is to take a pause in their day.
- Ask your little one what did it feel like pausing? What did they feel like before? After?
- Then for fun why not decide where their own Pause button could be. On their tummy? Nose? Forehead?
- Come back to this exercise time and time again – repetition helps create habits.
- Use this practice before stressful situations escalate, in the supermarket, at home before dinner, or a meltdown, or simply to relax and unwind before bedtime.
