Calming Children With The Balloon Technique
Many parents use the balloon technique to help their children learn to stay calm under pressure. It is a simple game that teaches deep breathing and helps children deal with stress in everyday life.
Childhood is a time of new experiences. Some of these can be very scary for young children.
Fortunately, there are many methods and tools that children can use to learn to relax in stressful situations.
Children are not born with the ability to calm down when they are upset. As they grow up, they seek solace from their parents. Children learn by example and discover methods that work for themselves.
The balloon technique is one of these methods. It teaches deep breathing that the child can use to calm down.
But what is deep breathing and why is it so important?
Deep breathing
This method can help reduce the child’s anxiety and make them feel more in control. Breathing is closely related to the nervous system.
This means that by breathing deeply, the muscles relax and the mind is calmed. The balloon technique is a way to teach children how to breathe properly to relieve stress in difficult situations.
How the balloon technique calms restless children
The balloon technique soothes tense children. It is a very effective method for deep breathing and is suitable for children who have difficulty controlling their impulses.
Note that it is a game that is meant to be fun for children and teach them how their lungs work and how to control them.
How does the balloon technique work?
The balloon technique is a very simple exercise. All you need is a couple of balloons. Inflate one and explain to your child that just like the balloon, people get very tense when they’re nervous.
The balloon analogy is ideal for showing children how their bodies function. Your child should now imagine that their lungs are balloons. When you’re nervous, they fill with air.
The first thing your child should do is hold an empty balloon to their lips. Then it breathes in deeply through its nose and out into the balloon.
As the child exhales, he tries to inflate the balloon as much as possible. This should repeat for five deep breaths without removing the balloon from your mouth.
However, if the child becomes dizzy, they should stop.
When the balloon is full of air, it makes sense to deflate it slowly. This will show your child how to control their breathing. Most children breathe quickly and shallowly when they are nervous.
For anxious children, this exercise is recommended twice a day to improve lung health. Once in the morning and once before bed is optimal.
aims
The balloon technique teaches children:
- Getting to know your own body.
- Learning to relax under pressure
- Control your impulses
- Transition into a calm state of mind
- Maintaining control in anxiety-inducing situations
advantages
The balloon technique has several advantages for children who are more likely to be anxious:
- It increases lung capacity
- In addition to exercising the lungs, it also trains the muscles of the diaphragm
- The technique alleviates breathing difficulties or the feeling of shortness of breath
- Incorrect breathing is linked to speech, voice, and articulation disorders
- The balloon technique strengthens the lip muscles by regularly inflating balloons
This game also offers another important parallel to real life. Just like the overcrowded balloon, we run the risk of bursting if we don’t let off some air.
If you let fear pour over your body, you won’t be able to withstand the pressure.
