SEL: SLED Mindfulness Breathing Calming Activity | Winter/Holiday

SEL: SLED Mindfulness Breathing Calming Activity

Students take a mindful moment to breathe and trace different objects with their fingertips. This activity teaches students how to calm down emotionally while focusing on their breathing.

Help your students relax by teaching them the Trace and Breathe technique, which is a part of social emotional learning (SEL). This technique helps students feel calmer by focusing on their breath and making small movements. When they feel upset or overly excited, they can use this technique to calm themselves down.

Lots of cute and colorful designs to choose from! Black and White also provided!

This SEL: SLED Mindfulness Breathing Calming Activity comes with:

• A Description of the Trace and Breathe skill

• A Poster with Trace and Breathe

• A Colored Copy of the resource

• A Copy that is Black and White

Ideas for Teachers to use this resource:

• With individual students

• Print out pictures based on student interest!

• To teach the Trace and Breathe Technique

• To help students to calm down as needed

Ideas for Whole Class SEL:

• Use the technique after recess, after and assembly, etc...

Address the needs of Individual Student:

• Allow student to use when they need a moment to calm down

• Create a calm down station in the classroom, have several of these printed and laminated for students to choose from and use as needed

Steps to engage in this SEL: SLED Mindfulness Breathing Calming Activity:

1. Take a deep breathe in

2. Begin to trace the picture with your finger

3. Breathe out as you trace

4. Breathe out as long as you can

5. Pause and repeat

Other Designs Available here!

Animal Bundle- 

• Cat

• Dog

• Elephant

• Monkey

• Sloth

• Snake

Food Bundle-

• Pizza

• Watermelon

• Popsicle

• Grapes

• French Fries

• Hotdog

Transportation Bundle-

• Airplane

• Car

• Bicycle

• Motorcycle

• Scooter

• Train

Spring Bundle-

• Bunny

• Carrot

• Chick

• Flowers

• Lamb

• Watering Can

Fall Bundle -

• Bat

• Candy Corn

• Ghost

• Leaf

• Pumpkin

• Turkey

Winter Bundle -

• Pine Tree

• Snow Globe

• Fireplace

• Sled

• Hot Coco

• Snowman

Need some inspiration on how to use the Trace and Breathe activity in your classroom? READ BELOW!

Do your students come in from recess/specials/an assembly/any activity out of the norm all sorts of hyped out and out of control? This is the PERFECT activity to get them to calm-down and transition productively! With TONS of different designs to choose from- each student can pick out a picture that speaks to them! You can laminate each student's page or place them in a protective sheet so that they can stay nicely in their desks. Display the directions on the board or have them printed-out on large poster paper. Teaching the "Trace and Breathe" skill is essential to providing your students a structured way to practice mindfulness, control their heart rate and breathing, and transition from a high to a low-energy activity.

The Trace and Breathe series can also be used as an essential piece to a calming corner in your classroom! Create a comfortable, calm space where your students can go when they need to cool down. Teach expectations around when it is appropriate for students to use this corner in the beginning of the year. Then, create a binder with lots of different designs the students can choose from. Place the directions to the Trace and Breathe activity on the wall near the calming corner. Then, as needed, students can visit the calming corner, pull-out the Trace and Breathe binder, pick a design that speaks to them, and engage in a moment of meaningful mindfulness!