Smell the Flower, Cool the Soup
Children learn to breathe slowly with two images: they smell a pretend flower to breathe in through the nose and cool a hot bowl of soup to breathe out through the mouth. It builds mindful breathing to calm down.
How to play
- Sitting in a circle, everyone holds a pretend flower in one hand and a bowl of soup in the other (1 min).
- We smell the flower slowly through our nose, feeling our tummy fill up, then blow on the soup gently so it doesn't splash; five times (1 min).
- The teacher changes the flower (a rose, a giant daisy) and the soup (really hot, just warm) and we go slower each time (1 min).
- Put a hand on your tummy, close your eyes and take three more quiet breaths (1 min).
- Open your eyes and stretch slowly, like a flower opening in the sun (1 min).
Rules
- Smell through the nose, blow through the mouth.
- Don't splash the soup: blow gently.
- There's no rush.
- I breathe quietly.
Variations
Easier
For 3-year-olds, the teacher holds a paper flower and a real bowl so they can see them, and we take just three breaths.
Standard
For 4-year-olds, as described, with five breaths.
Harder
For 5-year-olds, they count to three in their heads while smelling and to four while blowing.
Adaptations
- Hearing loss: pair it with a hand rising while smelling and lowering while blowing.
- Visual impairment: give them a fabric flower to hold and let them feel their breath on their own hand.
- Autism: offer to keep eyes open, looking at the teacher's paper flower.
Learning goals
- Breathe slowly through the nose and mouth.
- Calm the body after play.
- Learn a calm-down strategy they can use on their own.
Teacher tip
It's a quick tool you can use any time of day just by saying "flower and soup." Kids tend to blow hard; ask them not to spill a drop from the bowl.
PatioLab has "Smell the Flower, Cool the Soup" and 8714 more activities ready to drag into your lesson and run from your phone in the gym.
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