Christmas breathing exercises.
There’s something extra special about the holiday season here in New England!
With festive lights sparkling on cozy homes, the scent of pine from freshly picked Christmas trees, and chilly nights by the warm fire, it’s a time of magic and joy.
But the excitement of December can sometimes bring stress, too, especially for children. The flurry of activity, disrupted routines, and overwhelming sensory experiences can leave little ones (and grownups) feeling overstimulated and anxious.
To keep things balanced and to create moments of calm, try introducing playful Christmas breathing exercises. Using Wikki Stix and pipe cleaners, these activities not only engage children in the holiday spirit but also give them a tool for managing emotions and stress.Â
Whether you’re starting the day with a Morning Meeting, getting ready to transition between classes, or settling down after a lively recess, these fun exercises can help students find their inner calm.
Science (see Stanford study) shows that mindful breathing helps children regulate their nervous systems, reducing anxiety, increasing focus, and promoting overall wellbeing. Deep breathing signals the brain to slow down, fostering relaxation and helping children build resilience during this busy holiday season and beyond.
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5 Christmas Breathing Exercises to Reduce Anxiety and Increase Attention
What you’ll need to practice these Christmas-themed breaths:
Try these 5 Christmas-themed breathing techniques with your children to help them self-regulate, manage their big emotions, and be ready to learn:
1-Fireplace Breath
How to create your fireplace box shape:Take two Wikki Stix and cut them exactly in half. Create a box shape with the four equal sides. Carefully join each of the corners by pressing the Wikki Stix together. Pretend that the box is a fireplace with a log fire inside. As a variation, the box shape could also be a gift box or sleigh.
How to practice Fireplace Breath:Start by placing your pointer finger on the bottom left corner of your Wikki Stix box shape. Inhale deeply for four counts as you trace your finger up to the top left corner of the box. Hold your finger on the corner as you exhale for four counts. Then take a deep breath in for four counts as you trace your finger across the box shape to the top right corner. Stop there and exhale for four counts. Repeat the pattern of inhale-stop-exhale-inhale-stop-exhale, as you take your finger around the box. Imagine the flames dancing on the logs inside your fireplace. Continue like this for a few minutes and then return to breathing naturally.
Fireplace Breath
2-Candy Cane Breath
How to create the candy cane shape:Take one red Wikki Stix or pipe cleaner and curve the top so that it looks like a candy cane. As a variation, you could turn the curved shape into a J shape, and it could be a stocking instead.
How to practice Candy Cane Breath:Take your pointer finger to the bottom of your pipe cleaner candy cane. Inhale as you trace up the candy cane around the curvy top to the end. Then exhale and trace your finger back down the candy cane. Continue in this way: inhale as you trace up the candy cane and exhale as you trace down the candy cane. Repeat a few times.Â
Candy Cane Breath
3-Wreath Breath
How to create your wreath shape:Take two Wikki Stix and bend them into a circle with their ends connecting each other, pretending to create a wreath. As a variation, the circle shape could be a snowball or round ornament for the Christmas tree.
How to practice Wreath Breath:With your pointer finger starting at the bottom center of the circle, inhale and trace the circle all the way around clockwise back to the bottom center of the circle. Then exhale and trace your finger in the opposite direction back around the circle back to the start. Continue in this way—inhaling clockwise and exhaling counterclockwise—as you imagine the colors and textures on your wreath. When you’re done, come back to breathing naturally.
Wreath Breath
4-Shiny Star Breath
How to create your star shape:Take two yellow Wikki Stix or pipe cleaners. Starting at one end, fold back the pipe cleaner about an inch. Then fold it back to line up with the inch length. Continue this way, folding back and forth an inch at a time. Do the same for both pipe cleaners. Then open the pipe cleaners and attach them together to create a pretend shining star in the sky. As a variation, the star shape could be a snowflake or a star on top of the Christmas tree.
How to practice Shiny Star Breath:Like the Take 5 Breath, place your right pointer finger at the bottom right corner of your star. As you inhale, slide your pointer finger up the left side of the star. Pause briefly at the top of the intersection. Then exhale while tracing down the next star point, fully while tracing the inside of your pinky finger. Repeat the inhale toward the intersection and exhale to the next tip of the star shape. Continue tracing your star and matching to your breath until you come back to the start. Come back to breathing naturally.
Shiny Star Breath
4-Christmas Tree Breath
How to create your tree shape:Depending on how big you would like the triangle shape, take two or three Wikki Stix and bend them into a triangle shape, pretending to create a Christmas tree.As a variation, the triangle shape could be a Christmas bell.
How to practice Christmas Tree Breath:With your pointer finger starting at the bottom right-hand side of the triangle, inhale and trace the triangle up to the top peak. Then exhale and trace your finger down the other side of the triangle to the bottom-left corner. Inhale and trace back up to the peak; exhale back down to the right-hand corner. Continue in this way—inhale up to the peak then exhale down to the opposite corner. When you’re done, come back to breathing naturally.
Christmas Tree Breath
Incorporating these playful Christmas breathing exercises into your classroom or home routine can help create moments of calm and joy during the bustling holiday season.Â
Take a few deep breaths, enjoy the magic of the season, and give children the tools they need to stay centered and resilient, ready to embrace all the wonder and warmth that Christmas brings.
Happy holidays, everyone!
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