Five Finger Breathing

What You Need:

• Let's Breathe: Five-Finger Style! worksheet
• Crayons

What You Do:

1. Ask your child what helps them find calm in their day (e.g. playing with friends, coloring, etc.).
2. Explain that feeling our breath can be a great tool to help us feel more calm.
3. Ask your child to take out one hand, with their five fingers open. (Model how to do this.)
4. Ask them to take their pointer finger out on their opposite hand.
5. Guide your child so that as they breathe in, their pointer finger goes up one side of their opposite thumb, and as they breathe out, their pointer finger goes down. Demonstrate how to do this slowly.
6. Guide your child to slide their pointer finger up all the fingers on their opposite hand, one at a time. They should continue to focus on breathing in as they slide their pointer finger up, and breathing out as they slide their pointer finger down.
7. After your child completes this breathing exercise with all five fingers, ask how they feel and what they notice. Do they feel more relaxed?
8. Ask your child where they could use this breathing technique. (Suggestions: when they are sad, bored, angry, etc.) Emphasize that they can use five finger breathing any time they'd like!
9. Explain to your child that they will now teach someone else how to use five finger breathing and draw a picture of themselves doing this.
10. Review the instructions on the Let's Breathe: Five-Finger Style! worksheet, and help your child complete the activity.