First things first…
Emotions can be these big, overwhelming, confusing and distracting things. When students come into our classrooms flooded with emotion from a challenging experience they had at home, with their peers, or in school, they just aren’t ready to learn.
Giving our students the opportunity to understand their emotions and learn skills to manage their feelings in a healthy way will not only help them succeed in the classroom… It will also give them tools to overcome the challenges they will face throughout their lives. Bonus for teachers: This makes classroom management easier too!!
Social-emotional learning can feel daunting for us teachers! Where to start? How to deliver the teachings? What language/vocabulary to use?
Luckily, we’ve got you covered with a super simple, yet highly effective activity! Probably the most loved breathing strategy in our online social-emotional program Educalme Classroom: 5-Finger Breathing!
Use this poster to teach your students to inhale deeply as they trace up their finger and exhale fully as they trace down the other side. Do this until they’ve traced their entire hand. This will become a tool they can use to calm down when they’re struggling with a big emotion.
Deanna, a grade 3-7 social-emotional learning teacher shared with us that “The Educalme Classroom 5-Finger Breathing strategy has been my saviour for classroom management. I have modelled how I use 5-Finger Breathing when I feel frustrated and now my students will suggest that we all do it together.”
If you would like to take a deep dive into daily mindful breathing to find calm and focus, sign up for the Educalme Classroom Free Trial!
Give your students the gift of learning mindful strategies for overcoming life’s ups and downs.
Wherever you are in your journey of sharing mindfulness with your students, we’re here to cheer you on and support you!
Email us at [email protected] if you have any questions. We’re here to help and we love hearing from you!
With calm and appreciation,
Kailey & Josianne
Teachers and co-founders of Educalme
P.s. Grab your free 5-Finger Breathing Poster now!
