SEL: SLOTH Mindfulness Breathing Calming Activity

Product description

From the author

SEL: SLOTH Mindfulness Breathing Calming Activity is a mindfulness resource that teaches students to focus on their breathing to calm down. Students trace cute designs like a sloth while breathing slowly. The routine offers a structured mindful pause. Use the Trace and Breathe technique whole-class when students need to refocus, like after recess. Or provide copies at a classroom Calm Down Station for individual students to use as needed. This social-emotional learning activity includes a description of the technique, a poster to display, and colored and black-and-white sloth tracing pages for printing. Other animal designs sold separately. To do the activity, students take a breath in, then trace the picture slowly while breathing out. The printed sequence includes a pause between repetitions. With practice, students can use this technique independently when frustrated or unfocused. It's perfect for classrooms aiming to improve focus and self-regulation.

In the classroom

Teaching tips & learning objectives

Teaching tips

Print and laminate several copies to stock a classroom calm-down station where students can choose one to use as needed (page 1).
Use the routine whole-class at predictable calm-down points, such as right after recess or after an assembly, rather than only as an individual tool (page 1).
Choose the black-and-white copy when a student may benefit from coloring the sloth in as part of the calming activity, and the color copy for a ready-to-use printed version (pages 1, 3, 4).

Skills covered

Breath regulation — students take a breath in, then coordinate the exhale with finger-tracing the sloth image, pausing and repeating the cycle (pages 2-4).
Self-regulation routine — students learn a repeatable five-step sequence they can use independently at a calm-down station when they need to refocus (page 1).
Fine-motor tracing — students trace the sloth's outline with a fingertip, coordinating hand movement with breath timing (pages 2-4).

Good to know

Questions teachers ask about this resource

How can I introduce the routine?

Model the poster’s sequence with a tracing page before students try it. Keep the poster nearby as a reminder, and offer the color or black-and-white image according to the activity you plan.

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Resource details

Concepts & topics

Core concepts

Mindfulness
Breathing regulation
Self-calming routine

Topics

Mindful breathing Sloth tracing Calming strategy

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Categories this resource belongs to

Social Emotional Learning Activities Activities Activities By Subject Holiday and Seasonal Activities Cut and Paste Activities

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