Breathing
Try it when bodies feel buzzy, rushed, or stuck in a worry loop.
Parent cue: “Let’s make the out-breath a little longer than the in-breath.”
Home practice for K–6 and Grades 7–8
The same calm language, wherever your child is.
When school and home use the same simple regulation strategies, children get more chances to notice what they need and choose a next step. Try one together, without needing a perfect moment or a long lesson.
Small practice counts. A minute of breathing, a stretch, or a curious question can help a big feeling become manageable.
Four core strategies
A shared toolkit for big feelings and busy brains
Use the cue that fits the moment. These are not ways to make feelings disappear; they are ways to create enough space for your child to respond with more choice.
Grounding
Try it after a hard transition, conflict, or moment of feeling overwhelmed.
Parent cue: “Let’s notice what is here, one sense at a time.”
Movement
Try it when energy is high, focus is fading, or sitting still feels impossible.
Parent cue: “Let’s change what our bodies are doing before we solve the problem.”
Cognitive reframing
Try it when one tough thought starts to sound like the only possible story.
Parent cue: “What happened, what did your brain say, and what else might be true?”
Three at-home resets
Practice the classroom language at home
Each walkthrough is short enough for a weekday and flexible enough to meet your child where they are. Follow the steps, then let your child decide what helped.
Setup
Use before homework, bedtime, or a difficult conversation to help everyone arrive in the same room.
Steps
- Invite your child to notice where their hand is resting without changing anything yet.
- Breathe in gently for 3 counts and feel the belly expand like a balloon.
- Breathe out for 4 counts, letting shoulders soften. Repeat five times.
- Ask, “What feels one notch different?” No answer is required.
Parent cue
Keep your own breath quiet and easy. The goal is a shared reset, not a performance.
Keep your own breath quiet and easy. The goal is a shared reset, not a performance.
Grade-band adaptation
K–6: use a stuffed animal as a breathing buddy. Grades 7–8: try box breathing from the deep-dive if your teen prefers a counted pattern.
Open belly-breathing tool →
K–6: use a stuffed animal as a breathing buddy. Grades 7–8: try box breathing from the deep-dive if your teen prefers a counted pattern.
Setup
Use after school, before leaving the house, or whenever thoughts are racing faster than the body can settle.
Steps
- Stand together and press both feet into the floor. Notice five things you can see.
- Reach up, then slowly fold or shake out your arms. Name four things you can feel.
- Take three slow steps and notice two sounds and one smell. Pause for one steady breath.
- Finish with a stretch or wiggle that feels good, then choose the next small action.
Parent cue
Let your child lead the noticing. There is no correct answer and no need to rush through the senses.
Let your child lead the noticing. There is no correct answer and no need to rush through the senses.
Grade-band adaptation
K–6: make each sense a colour or animal clue. Grades 7–8: pair the scan with the grounding deep-dive and keep the movement subtle if privacy matters.
Open grounding deep-dive →
K–6: make each sense a colour or animal clue. Grades 7–8: pair the scan with the grounding deep-dive and keep the movement subtle if privacy matters.
Setup
Use when a hard thought feels like a fact. Stay curious together instead of trying to argue the feeling away.
Steps
- Name what happened and the feeling that showed up: “That sounds really disappointing.”
- Ask what the brain said next. Write the thought down or repeat it neutrally.
- Check it gently: “What evidence supports it? What evidence gives us another possibility?”
- Create a more balanced reframe that still respects the feeling, then choose one helpful next step.
Parent cue
Validate before reframing. “That hurt” can be true even when “nothing will ever get better” is not the whole story.
Validate before reframing. “That hurt” can be true even when “nothing will ever get better” is not the whole story.
Grade-band adaptation
K–6: use “name it to tame it” language and draw the thought as a speech bubble. Grades 7–8: use a thought record for a private, more detailed version.
Open thought-record tool →
K–6: use “name it to tame it” language and draw the thought as a speech bubble. Grades 7–8: use a thought record for a private, more detailed version.
Keep the practice going
Explore the student-facing resources your child can use at school and at home, or open the teacher dashboard to see how the classroom routines are connected.
Support for urgent moments
These activities support everyday regulation. If your child may hurt themselves or someone else, or needs immediate help, pause the activity and reach out now.
Kids Help PhoneKids Help Phone — 1-800-668-6868 (call) · Text HELLO to 686868 · 24/7, free, confidential
9-8-8Canada’s 9-8-8 Suicide Crisis Helpline — call or text 9-8-8
911Immediate danger — call 911