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Brave Little Breath

Rich

Tier 1
For Schools

Lesson Plan

Finding Our Calm

Students will learn to identify what anxiety feels like by recognizing physical signs in themselves and will practice a simple belly breathing exercise to find calm.

Early awareness of anxiety and self-regulation skills helps children manage emotions, supports focus in class, and builds a foundation for lifelong emotional wellbeing.

Audience

1st Grade

Time

15 minutes

Approach

Discussion, feeling chart, guided breathing

Materials

Anxiety Feeling Chart, Calm Breathing Visual, and Classroom Timer

Prep

Prepare Materials

5 minutes

  • Print enough copies of the Anxiety Feeling Chart for each student
  • Print and display the Calm Breathing Visual on a board or wall
  • Set up the Classroom Timer for guided breathing practice
  • Review both materials to familiarize yourself with key feelings and breathing steps

Step 1

Introduction to Anxiety

3 minutes

  • Gather students in a circle and ask if they’ve ever felt their heart race or tummy flutter when nervous
  • Define anxiety as a feeling of worry or nervousness in our bodies
  • Show the Anxiety Feeling Chart and point out common signs (butterflies, fast heart)
  • Ask students to point to a feeling on the chart they’ve experienced

Step 2

Recognizing Signs

4 minutes

  • Prompt students to share physical signs they notice when they feel worried (e.g., sweaty palms, shaky knees)
  • Facilitate 2–3 student examples, linking each to the chart’s images
  • Emphasize that noticing these signs is the first step to finding calm

Step 3

Guided Breathing Practice

5 minutes

  • Introduce belly breathing: breathe in through nose (belly grows), breathe out through mouth (belly shrinks)
  • Display the Calm Breathing Visual and model the steps
  • Set the Classroom Timer for 60 seconds and guide students through deep breaths together
  • Repeat the 60-second breathing cycle two times, counting breaths aloud

Step 4

Reflection and Closure

3 minutes

  • Ask: “How do you feel now compared to before?” and invite 2–3 students to share
  • Reinforce that they can use belly breathing whenever they notice anxious feelings
  • Point to the Calm Breathing Visual as a reminder of steps
  • Praise effort and remind students they’re learning a skill for any time they feel worried
lenny

Lesson Plan

Brave Little Breath Lesson Plan

Students will recognize physical signs of anxiety and practice the “Brave Little Breath” belly-breathing technique with a simple visualization to feel calm.

Early emotional awareness and self-regulation help first graders manage worry, stay focused, and build lifelong coping skills.

Audience

1st Grade

Time

15 minutes

Approach

Discussion, feeling chart, guided breathing, visualization

Materials

Anxiety Feeling Chart, Calm Breathing Visual, and Classroom Timer

Prep

Prepare Materials

5 minutes

  • Print enough copies of the Anxiety Feeling Chart for each student
  • Display the Calm Breathing Visual on a board or wall
  • Set up the Classroom Timer for guided breathing practice
  • Review both materials and practice belly breathing yourself to model clearly

Step 1

Welcome and Introduction

3 minutes

  • Gather students in a circle and read a brief story about a “Brave Little Breath” character who feels butterflies in its tummy
  • Ask: “Have you ever felt butterflies or your heart race when you’re worried?”
  • Define anxiety as a feeling of worry in our bodies
  • Show the Anxiety Feeling Chart and point out common signs (butterflies, fast heart)
  • Invite students to point to any feeling they’ve experienced

Step 2

Identifying Anxiety Signs

4 minutes

  • Ask for 2–3 volunteers to share what their body feels like when they’re nervous (e.g., shaky knees, sweaty palms)
  • Link each student example back to the matching image on the Anxiety Feeling Chart
  • Emphasize: “Noticing these signs is our first step to using our Brave Little Breath”

Step 3

Brave Little Breath Practice

5 minutes

  • Introduce belly breathing: breathe in through the nose (belly fills like a balloon), breathe out through the mouth (balloon deflates)
  • Display the Calm Breathing Visual and walk through each step
  • Lead students in a visualization: “Imagine your belly is a brave little balloon taking slow, deep breaths”
  • Set the Classroom Timer for 60 seconds and guide students through 5 deep breaths aloud
  • Repeat the 60-second cycle one more time, counting breaths together

Step 4

Reflection and Wrap-Up

3 minutes

  • Ask: “How do you feel now compared to before?” and invite 2–3 students to share
  • Reinforce that the Brave Little Breath can help anytime they notice anxious feelings
  • Point to the Calm Breathing Visual as a reminder of the steps
  • Praise students for practicing and remind them they can use this skill anytime
lenny

Slide Deck

Brave Little Breath

A 15-minute lesson for 1st graders

• Recognize anxiety in our bodies
• Practice our “Brave Little Breath” belly breathing

Welcome students warmly and introduce today’s lesson: “Brave Little Breath.” Explain that today we’ll learn about anxiety and a special breathing trick to feel calm.

What Is Anxiety?

Anxiety is a feeling of worry or nervousness in our bodies.

On our chart, we see:

  • Butterflies in the tummy
  • Fast heartbeat
  • Shaky knees
  • Sweaty palms

View the Anxiety Feeling Chart

Define anxiety in simple terms. Show the Anxiety Feeling Chart and point to each picture as you speak.

How Does Anxiety Feel?

Let’s point to pictures of how our bodies feel when we’re nervous:

• Tummy butterflies
• Heart racing
• Shaky legs
• Sweaty hands

Ask 2–3 students to point out a feeling they’ve experienced. Reinforce that noticing these signs is the first step to calming down.

Meet Your Brave Little Breath

Our Brave Little Breath is belly breathing:

  1. Breathe in through your nose—make your belly fill like a balloon.
  2. Breathe out through your mouth—let the balloon gently deflate.

See the Calm Breathing Visual

Introduce belly breathing. Model placing one hand on your belly. Demonstrate breathing in slowly through the nose and out through the mouth.

Let’s Practice Together

We’ll take 5 Brave Little Breaths:

• Breathe in…1, breathe out…1
• Breathe in…2, breathe out…2
… up to 5

Repeat the cycle one more time.

Set the classroom timer for 60 seconds. Lead students verbally through 5 slow breaths, counting each in and out. Repeat once.

How Do You Feel?

Think about how your body feels now.

• Do you feel calmer?
• Do your butterflies feel softer?

Raise your hand to share one word that describes how you feel.

Invite students to share how they feel now compared to before. Affirm all answers and link back to the breathing technique.

Remember Your Brave Little Breath

Use your Brave Little Breath whenever you notice:

• Butterflies in your tummy
• A racing heart
• Any nervous feeling

You are brave, and you can find your calm!

Reinforce that they can use this technique any time. Praise effort and encourage practice at home or in class next time they feel worried.

lenny

Activity

Anxiety Feeling Chart

When we feel worried, our bodies can feel like…

  • 🦋 Butterflies fluttering in our tummy
  • ❤️ Heart beating fast
  • 🦵 Legs feeling wobbly or shaky
  • 🤲 Hands feeling sweaty

Point to the picture that shows how your body feels when you notice worry.

lenny
lenny

Activity

Calm Breathing Visual

Our Brave Little Breath uses our belly like a balloon to help us feel calm.

  1. 🤗 Get Comfy
    Sit or stand tall, shoulders relaxed, hands on your belly.
  2. 🍃 Breathe In
    Slowly breathe in through your nose.
    Imagine your belly filling up like a big, brave balloon. 🎈
  3. 💨 Breathe Out
    Gently breathe out through your mouth.
    Watch your brave balloon softly deflate. 🎈
  4. 🔄 Repeat 5 Times
    In…2…3…4…5
    Out…2…3…4…5

Use this Calm Breathing Visual any time you notice butterflies in your tummy or your heart racing. Your Brave Little Breath will help you find your calm!

lenny
lenny