
This Valentines day, make your own breathing stick using a pipe cleaner and some colourful pony beads. Breathing sticks are a mindful tool that can help to slow down breathing, making us feel calm and grounded.
Using a visual tool, like a breathing stick, can help young children to begin to understand the process of mindful breathing. For older children, taking ownership by physically making their own coping tool can help them to feel more confident in taking control of their health and wellbeing, while encouraging them to have open and honest conversations about how they are feeling.
How to make a Breathing Stick
- Bend your pipe cleaner into a loop at one end.
- Wrap the tail of your loop around the main stem so your beads don’t fall off!
- Slide 6 pony beads on to your pipe cleaner and loop the other end when you are done.
- Make a dent in both of your end loops so you get a love heart shape.
Making a breathing stick with a child or young person creates a great opportunity to start a conversation about stress or anxiety, and why coping skills are essential for your health and wellbeing.
How to use a Breathing Stick
- Make sure all your beads are at one side of your breathing stick.
- Think of each bead as a breath. Slowly, slide one bead to the opposite end of the stick as you take a slow, deep breath in.
- Slowly, move the next bead down the breathing stick, taking a slow, deep breath out.
- Repeat moving the beads and taking deep breaths in and out until all the beads are at the same side.
On our SMS Programmes, our groups love making their own breathing sticks and they can be especially helpful for children and young people with health conditions, who often experience higher levels of stress and anxiety. Self-management skills can provide a sense of control and by practicing relaxation techniques, children and young people can learn to calm their minds and bodies, which can lead to improved mood, better sleep, and a greater ability to cope with their health challenges.
If you know a child or young person who might benefit from learning more self-management skills, you can REFER HERE.