lenny

Mindful Breathing and Drawing

user image

Lesson Plan

Mindful Breathing and Drawing

Reduce anxiety and promote self-awareness

This lesson guides young students through a mindful breathing exercise followed by a drawing session where they express their feelings. It helps reduce anxiety and promotes self-awareness, allowing students to communicate their emotions creatively. This lesson is important as it introduces mindfulness practices at an early age, helping children develop emotional regulation skills and encouraging them to express themselves through art.

Audience

Pre-K and Kindergarten

Time

15 minutes

Approach

Reduce anxiety and promote self-awareness

Materials

Crayons, Drawing paper, Calm background music, and Mindful Breathing Discussion Questions

Step 1

Introduction

2 minutes

  • Gather students in a circle on the floor.
  • Briefly explain that they will be doing a fun breathing exercise to help them feel calm and happy.
  • Introduce the concept of mindful breathing in simple terms.

Step 2

Mindful Breathing Exercise

5 minutes

  • Play calm background music softly.
  • Guide students through a simple breathing exercise:
    • Inhale slowly through the nose, hold for a moment, and exhale slowly through the mouth.
    • Encourage them to close their eyes if they feel comfortable.
    • Repeat for a few cycles, using gentle prompts to keep them focused.

Step 3

Drawing Activity

5 minutes

  • Provide each student with drawing paper and crayons.
  • Ask them to draw how they felt during the breathing exercise.
  • Encourage them to use colors and shapes to express their feelings.

Step 4

Closure

3 minutes

  • Invite students to share their drawings with the class if they wish.
  • Discuss how the breathing exercise made them feel using the Mindful Breathing Discussion Questions.
  • Reinforce the idea that they can use mindful breathing anytime they feel upset or anxious.
lenny
0 educators
use Lenny to create lessons.

No credit card needed

Discussion

Mindful Breathing Discussion Questions

Use these questions to facilitate a discussion about the students' experiences during the mindful breathing exercise.

How did you feel during the breathing exercise?

Encourage students to use words like calm, happy, relaxed, or any other feelings they experienced.







What colors did you use in your drawing and why?

Guide students to connect colors with emotions, such as blue for calm or red for excitement.







Can you think of other times when you might want to use mindful breathing?

Help students identify situations like feeling upset, before a nap, or when they need to calm down.







lenny
lenny