Breathing Activity for Back to School Stress!

You know summer is coming to a close when all the beach supplies at Target get traded out for backpacks and water bottles. This still gives me anxiety as a 37 year old Mom so I cant imagine being a little one again and having tons of questions you don't even know how to ask. My 5 year old started Kinder today and I have been a teary mess for the las few days. No because I am going to be away from her but because I know what it's like to not like school because of anxiety and I never want her to feel the way I did in school.

So how do you deal with back to school anxiety? For me, it was always breathing techniques that helped. I would take deep belly breaths and imagine my happy place. It sounds cheesy but it really did help! If your child is struggling with back to school anxiety, here are a few breathing techniques that might help:

- The Lion Breath: This breathing technique is great for kids because it involves making a silly face. To do this, have your child sit up tall and take a deep breath in through their nose. As they breathe out, have them stick their tongue out and make an "ahh" sound.

- The Bumble Bee Breath: This is another breathing technique that is great for kids because it involves making a funny face. To do this, have your child close their lips and breathing through their nose. As they breathe in, make a "buzzing" sound. As they breathe out, have them open their mouth wide and stick their tongue out.

- The Balloon Breath: This breathing technique is great for kids because it involves using their imagination. To do this, have your child take a deep breath in through their nose and then exhale slowly through their mouth as if they are blowing up a balloon.

Hopefully these breathing techniques will help your child (and you!) survive the back-to-school madness! If you have any other tips, please share them in the comments below.

Wishing you all a happy and stress-free back-to-school season! breathing techniques for kids, back to school anxiety, how to deal with back to school anxiety, breathing exercises for kids, balloon breath, bumble bee breath, lion breath.