Cloud Breathing Worksheet

Practice your cloud breaths and share your feelings. Use Breathing Cloud Guide as you work. Let’s have fun!

1. Cloud Breathing Practice

Trace the cloud shape below with your finger or crayon. Breathe in as you trace up, breathe out as you trace down.

2. Draw Your Calm Cloud

Draw your own calm cloud using shapes and colors. Remember to breathe slowly as you draw.

3. Show the Feeling

Look at your Emotion Naming Poster for help. Draw a face on each cloud to show how you feel.

Calm cloud:

Happy cloud:

Sad cloud:

Angry cloud:

4. My Feelings Cloud

How do you feel today? Draw and color a cloud to show your feelings. Talk about it with a friend or teacher.

Cloud Emotions Reading

Once upon a time, there was a little cloud named Cora. Cora loved to float high in the sky and watch the world below. But one morning, Cora felt something new in her fluffy belly. She felt wobbly and jittery. Her edges trembled, and she didn’t know why.

Cora’s cloud friends noticed her shaking. “Are you okay, Cora?” they asked. Cora whispered, “I feel stormy inside—like I might rain raindrops all at once.”

Her friend Nimbus nodded kindly. “I know just what to do! Let’s do cloud breathing.”

Nimbus showed Cora how to breathe like a calm cloud:

1. Inhale slowly through your nose. Imagine filling up your soft cloud until you’re big and puffy.
2. Exhale gently through your mouth. Let the ‘rain’ fall away with each soft breath.

Cora took a deep breath in—and she felt herself fill up with calm, cool air. She let the air out slowly, and her shakes drifted away like tiny raindrops disappearing. She practiced five cloud breaths with Nimbus. By the last breath, Cora’s edges were smooth and relaxed again.

“I feel better!” Cora smiled. “I’m calm and ready to float!”

From that day on, whenever Cora felt anxious or stormy, she remembered her cloud breathing. She could always find her calm sky again.

Think and Share

How does Cora’s cloud breathing help her feel calm? Draw or talk about a time when you used big, slow breaths to feel better.

Cloud Check-In Warm-Up

Time: 5 minutes
Materials: Cloud Imagery Cards, Emotion Naming Poster

Activity Steps:

1. As students enter the classroom, hand each child a Cloud Imagery Card showing a calm or stormy cloud.
2. Invite them to look at their cloud and think “Am I feeling calm like a fluffy cloud or stormy like a rain cloud?”
3. Ask students to place their card on our mood board under either the calm cloud side or the stormy cloud side.
4. Once all cards are placed, briefly point to each side and say: “I see 3 calm clouds and 2 stormy clouds today. Let’s practice a cloud breath together to help any stormy clouds feel calm.”

Transition: Lead into the main lesson by introducing Breathing Cloud Guide and practicing the first cloud breath together.

Rainbow Cloud Drawing Cool-Down

Time: 5 minutes
Materials: White paper, crayons

Instructions

1. Think about how you feel after our cloud breathing activity.
2. Draw a big cloud on your paper and color a rainbow inside it using crayons. Choose colors that match your feelings.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. Below your cloud, draw a small face or write one word that shows how you feel now.
   
   
   
   

Share

If you’d like, share your Rainbow Cloud with a friend and tell them about your feeling.

Cloud Imagery Cards

Materials: Cardstock or heavy paper, color printer or crayons, scissors, optional laminator.

Instructions for Teacher:

1. Print or draw two sets of cloud cards on cardstock: one set of Calm Clouds and one set of Stormy Clouds.
2. Cut out each card and, if desired, laminate for durability.
3. On each Calm Cloud card, include a soft, rounded cloud shape in light blue or white with a smiling face label: “I am calm.”
4. On each Stormy Cloud card, include a jagged or dark gray cloud shape with a slightly frowning face label: “I feel stormy.”
5. Prepare enough cards so each student receives one at the start of class.

Example Card Layout (draw or print):

Calm Cloud Card:
[ 😊 ] ← soft edges, light colors
I am calm.

Stormy Cloud Card:
[ ☁️⚡️ ] ← jagged edges, darker colors
I feel stormy.

Use these cards for the Cloud Check-In warm-up and as visual supports throughout the lesson.

Breathing Cloud Guide

Materials: Poster paper or chart, markers, optional cloud stickers/pictures

How to Breathe Like a Cloud

1. Make Your Cloud
   • Sit comfortably with your hands on your belly.
   • Imagine a soft, puffy cloud growing in your tummy.
     
     
2. Inhale to Fill Your Cloud
   • Breathe in slowly through your nose for 3 seconds.
   • Feel your belly push out like a cloud expanding.
     
     
3. Hold for a Moment
   • Gently hold your breath for 1 second.
   • Notice how full and round your cloud feels.
     
     
4. Exhale to Let It Rain
   • Breathe out softly through your mouth for 4 seconds.
   • Imagine raindrops falling from your cloud, carrying away worries.
     
     
5. Repeat Five Cloud Breaths
   • Inhale…hold…exhale.
   • Practice five times, moving slowly and quietly.
     
     

Tips for Success

• Use a hand or small toy on your belly so students can feel the rise and fall.
• Draw simple cloud shapes on the poster to show breathing steps.
• Encourage calm voices: soft “whoosh” sounds as they exhale.
• Praise students for practicing gentle, slow breaths.

Feeling Clouds Discussion

Time: 5 minutes
Materials: Cloud Imagery Cards, Emotion Naming Poster, Breathing Cloud Guide

Discussion Guidelines

• Use a calm voice and listen when friends share.
• It’s okay to feel any feeling—happy, sad, stormy, or calm.
• You can point to pictures or use words from our Emotion Naming Poster.

Guiding Questions

1. Show a Calm Cloud Card
   • What does this calm cloud look like?
   • How do you feel when you see a cloud like this?
   
   
   
   Follow-up: What are some things that help you feel calm (like a warm hug or soft music)?
2. Show a Stormy Cloud Card
   • What does this stormy cloud look like?
   • When might you feel like a stormy cloud?
   
   
   
   Follow-up: Can you tell us a time you felt worried or upset?
3. Feeling Clouds on Our Day
   • Look at our Emotion Naming Poster—what word shows how you feel right now?
   • Who wants to point to their feeling cloud on the poster?
   
   
   
   Follow-up: Do you sometimes feel more than one feeling at once (like happy and worried)?
4. Calming Our Stormy Clouds
   • When a cloud feels stormy, what can we do to help it feel calm?
   • Let’s all try one breath from our Breathing Cloud Guide.
5. After Cloud Breathing
   • How do your clouds feel now—still stormy or more calm?
   • Who wants to share one thing they like about our cloud breaths?
   
   
   

Extension Ideas

• Invite children to draw one stormy cloud and one calm cloud on the floor mat.
• Ask advanced learners to use a full sentence: “I feel ___ when ___.”
• Use extra Emotion Naming Poster cards for partners to quiz each other on feeling words.

Cloud Lesson Rubric

This rubric assesses Pre-K students’ understanding and application of cloud breathing, emotion recognition, and participation during the Calm Clouds lesson.

Scoring Guide

• 4 – Exceeds Expectations: Consistently independent, accurate, and sometimes extends learning
• 3 – Meets Expectations: Usually independent and accurate with minimal support
• 2 – Developing: Sometimes accurate but needs frequent prompts or support
• 1 – Beginning: Rarely accurate and requires constant guidance

Rubric Criteria

Use this rubric to track each student’s progress and plan targeted supports or extensions.
Align feedback with the specific level descriptors to help children understand next steps.

Calm Clouds Teaching Script

1. Warm-Up: Meet the Clouds (5 minutes)

Teacher: "Good morning, friends! Please come sit in our circle on the floor. I have something fun to show you."
Teacher: (Hold up a Calm Cloud Imagery Card) "What do you notice about this cloud? It’s soft, round, and floating gently. When I move it slowly, it looks peaceful—just like we feel when we are calm. Can you show me how a calm cloud moves?"
(Wait for students to mimic slow, gentle floating motions. Praise responses.)
Teacher: (Switch to a Stormy Cloud Imagery Card) "Now look at this cloud. It’s dark and jagged. It might rumble and drop rain! How do you think a stormy cloud moves?"
(Allow brief responses.)
Teacher: "Sometimes our bodies feel like stormy clouds—we might feel worried, nervous, or upset. Today we will learn how to notice those feeling clouds and help them become calm clouds."

2. Cloud Breathing Activity (10 minutes)

Teacher: "Let’s learn to breathe like a cloud using our Breathing Cloud Guide! First, put your hands on your tummy. Imagine a little cloud growing there."
Teacher: "Step 1: Inhale through your nose for 3 seconds—fill your cloud. I’ll count quietly: 1…2…3… (demonstrate belly rising)."
Teacher: "Step 2: Hold your breath for 1 second—your cloud is nice and puffy!"
Teacher: "Step 3: Exhale through your mouth for 4 seconds—let it rain and carry away worries. Ready? I’ll count: 1…2…3…4… (demonstrate gentle exhale)."
Teacher: "Great! Let’s do five cloud breaths together."
(Guide class through five slow breaths. Use soft “whoosh” on the exhale.)
Teacher: "I did it! You did it! How do your tummies feel now?"
(Encourage a few quick shares: “Calm!”, “Soft!”, etc.)

3. Emotion Naming (8 minutes)

Teacher: "Now we will name different clouds of feeling using our Emotion Naming Poster."
Teacher: "Look at this happy face. Can you say happy? When do you feel happy?"
(Wait, praise: “Yes, at snack time!”)
Teacher: "This is sad. Say sad with me. When might you feel sad?"
(Brief responses.)
Teacher: "Here’s worried—like a stormy cloud. Say worried. Can someone share a time you felt worried?"
(Encourage one student to share: “I felt worried at bedtime,” etc.)
Teacher (follow-up): "That’s brave to share! When you felt worried, what helped you feel calm?"
(If needed, prompt: “Did a hug help? Or talking to a friend?”)

4. Cloud Drawing Calm-Down (5 minutes)

Teacher: "Now let’s draw our own calm clouds. Here is white paper and crayons for everyone."
Teacher: "Think of the calmest cloud you can. What color will it be? What shapes will you use?"
Teacher: "Remember to breathe like a cloud: hands on your belly, fill your cloud, hold, then let it rain as you draw."
(Play soft music if desired; circulate to offer praise: “I love the colors you chose—so peaceful!”)

5. Closure (2 minutes)

Teacher: "Let’s finish by coming back to our circle. Show me your best calm cloud drawing!"
Teacher: "What did we learn today about stormy clouds and calm clouds?"
(Invite 1–2 responses: “We breathe like clouds!”)
Teacher: "Yes—when we feel stormy, we can do cloud breathing to feel calm. I’m so proud of each of you for practicing your calm clouds. Let’s end with one big, slow cloud breath together: inhale…hold…exhale… whoosh!"
Teacher: "Great job, everyone. You are all calm clouds today!"

Differentiation Tips (Ongoing)

• For friends who need extra help, offer a hand on their belly to feel the breath.
• Invite advanced learners to use full sentences when naming feelings: “I feel worried when ….”
• Early finishers can practice labeling extra feelings on mini emotion cards.
• Use gentle reminders and extra encouragement to keep the group calm and focused.