Taking slow, deep breaths can help you feel calmer and more relaxed. You can try just one of these exercises or as many as you like. You might need to repeat an exercise a few times until you feel it working.

Try to take deep breaths so you can feel your chest rising. When you breath out, it might feel like you're slowly letting the air out of a balloon. You can close your eyes, look at something in the distance, or not focus on anything at all.

Relaxation for children

Box breathing

Square breathing

Melt – relaxation

Whale Breaths

90 second pause

Working in schools, we deal with children who have made poor decisions in the heat of the moment. Or they have made the best decision they could in that moment, without understanding the extent of the consequences.

Using the following steps, practise the 90 second pause to help support children to make better decisions and reflect, rather than react in the heat of the moment.

1. Take a deep breath.

2. Stay calm and resist the urge to act out of impulse.

3. Label what you’re feeling.

4. Put your ego or self-importance to the side for now.

5. Think through the possible consequences of different reactions or responses.

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