Calm Breathing for Kids - The High Five Technique

Its important for our children to learn calm breathing strategies…

Breathing is an automatic function of the body, we feel stressed, our breathing rate and pattern changes can change.

Stressful situations or thoughts might cause a response called “fight, flight, freeze”, as a response to danger (real or imagined). When we are triggered by something stressful, the body's sympathetic nervous system triggers the adrenal glands, which release adrenaline into the bloodstream. Increased adrenalin is associated with increased blood pressure pulse, and can result in rapid, shallow breathing. The intention of this reaction is to give our bodies the right “stuff” so we can escape (flight) or fight the danger our brain has identified.

We experience muscle tension for quick action, and increased energy to fight or flee the danger (increased blood flow to the muscles, increased oxygen and higher blood sugar for feeding our muscles). So we can experience sore/tight muscles, nausea (as blood leaves the tummy to go to the muscles), shaking, headaches etc. As adults we might be aware of these processes (to protect us, or understand how and why our bodies might do this), but it can be really scary for our kids as they don’t understand what is happening in their bodies, or how to return to a state of calm/relaxation

This is where calm breathing comes in…

Calm, or belly breathing is really helpful in managing stress. As I mentioned above, if a person is under stress, their breathing pattern changes and becomes shallow and rapid (trying to get more oxygen into their bodies). However, this kind of breathing disrupts the balance of gases in the body and some really uncomfortable by-products like muscle tension, headaches, shaking, nausea etc.

When a person is relaxed, they breathe through their nose in a slow, even and gentle way. Calm breathing can trigger the parasympathetic nervous system which functions in opposition to the sympathetic nervous system, and helps prepare the body for sleep, digestion and relaxation.

Calm breathing can cause physical and mental changes that include:

  • lowered blood pressure and heart rate

  • reduced levels of stress hormones in the blood (adrenalin and cortisol)

  • reduced lactic acid build-up in muscle tissue (lactic acid = sore muscles)

  • increased immune system functioning

  • improved physical energy

  • improved sleep

  • increased mental wellbeing and reduced stress/anxiety

Its really important for us to teach our kids how to take calm breaths…

We need to teach our children this vital skill, they might not recognise the fight, flight freeze response, or understand why it occurs, but they will certainly be able to notice the symptoms of feeling sick, breathing rapidly, feeling dizzy, sore muscles, headaches etc. When we give teach them a skill like a calm breathing technique it not only gives them a way to self soothe and regulate, but it also increases their confidence. In particular they feel confident in their own ability to manage their bodies, calm themselves down and to manage stressful situations.

Langley, John Newport (1921). The Autonomic Nervous System. Cambridge: Heffer. p. 10. ISBN 9781152710191.