Practices for Kids
Gentle, engaging tools to help kids understand their bodies and emotions, build coping skills, and feel more calm and confident.
Two Practices to Try Together
🦋 The Butterfly on Your Heart
A gentle heart coherence practice for ages 4–6. Little ones don’t regulate through instruction, they regulate through imagination, touch, and a calm adult nearby.
Imagine a tiny, gentle butterfly has flown a long way and landed right on your child’s heart. They can rest a hand there gently, like a soft little roof keeping her safe.
Take slow breaths together, in through the nose and out through the mouth, and tell them the butterfly is so happy, her wings opening and closing softly with each breath. Can you send the butterfly some love from your heart?
After a few breaths, ask gently: “Can you feel her there? What does your heart feel like under your hand?” Whatever they say is exactly right.
When she’s ready to fly away, let your child lift their hand and say, “Thank you for visiting, butterfly. Come back anytime.” Try it at bedtime, after a big feeling, or any quiet afternoon (it works on grown-ups too).
🎈 The Floating Balloon
A fun belly-breathing game for ages 4–8. Turning the breath into a balloon they get to fill and float gives kids something playful to picture, which is so much easier for a small nervous system than trying to “take a deep breath.”
Imagine your tummy is a big, beautiful balloon - what colour is it today? You get to choose! Put both hands on your belly, right where the balloon lives.
Breathe in through your nose and slowly feel the balloon getting bigger and rounder under your hands… big, bigger, all puffed up! Then let the air out through your mouth, watching it get small and soft again as it floats gently back down.
Do it together a few times. Can you feel your balloon? Is it big right now, or small? Whatever you notice is exactly right.
When you’re all done, give your belly a little pat: “Thank you, balloon. I can fill you up whenever I need to feel calm and floaty.” Try it at bedtime, before school, or in the middle of a big feeling (and it works on grown-ups too).
A Practice from Your Light Within
Experience: Tune into Your Light Within
Sit with your hands resting over your heart.
Quiet your thoughts and take slow, relaxing breaths in and out.
Think of someone or something you love or feel grateful for. Take a quiet moment with that feeling for as long as it feels right for your child.
Resources: HeartMath - see www.heartmath.org for various heart coherence techniques and the science behind them.