BREATHING EXERCISES FOR CHILDREN
BREATHING EXERCISES FOR CHILDREN
All parents want to do everything for the health of their children. Recovery in sanatoria, trips to the sea, sports clubs, walks in the fresh air – all this, of course, strengthens the immune system of the baby, but sometimes takes a lot of time and effort from parents.
We all understand that today every minute counts and leave with the child for a week from the city – this is a rare opportunity. At the same time, if the child gets sick, the hospital will cost the same week, but the time spent will be waste extremely.
To preserve the health of the baby and keep within the tight working schedule of parents allow alternative methods of healing the body. For example, breathing exercises for children.
How does breathing exercises affect the child’s body?
Breathing exercises for children are mainly aimed at strengthening the respiratory system of the body. At employment develops the respiratory muscles, the habit to do the breath correctly and rhythmically.
Since the exercises for young children are of a playful nature and include pronouncing sounds, the work of the speech apparatus is also improved. By improving the blood supply to the body, strengthens the local immunity of the child.
Improving immunity helps the baby to easily tolerate viral diseases or completely avoid them during colds. Reduces the likelihood of serious diseases of the respiratory system.
Up to five years of breathing exercises for children is more playing form and combined with physical and voice exercises. Children must engage in such game gymnastics with their parents. This will ensure complete safety of classes, as well as allow mom and dad to spend more time with the baby.
It is recommended to engage in full-fledged respiratory gymnastics for children from the age of five. At this age, the child begins to control his breathing, to assess his health. But even at this age, he must perform exercises under the supervision of parents. It is possible to be engaged independently only from seven years.
The rules of the exercises depend on what method you have chosen. For example, in some techniques as proper breathing through the nose, others through the mouth. Before classes, be sure to clarify this point.
In General, there is a small list of recommendations for breathing exercises with children:
- the child must be calm, not angry and not too playful;
- exercises should be performed at a calm pace so that the baby does not overdo it and you can always control his condition;
- during classes, you cannot make sharp exhalations;
- the baby’s shoulders should remain calm.
Stop exercise If:
- child often breathes, sharply turned pale or’re blushing;
- the kid complains that his arms or legs are numb;
- the child’s hands began to tremble.
- Before class, ask your child to tell you how he or she feels and warn you immediately if he or she feels unwell.
Breathing exercises for children. Examples of exercises.
EXERCISES FOR KIDS FROM TWO YEARS
Bubbles
The kid takes a deep breath in through your nose, inflate “the cheeks–bubbles” and slowly exhaling the air through the slightly open mouth. Repeat 2 – 3 times.
Pump
Hips tucked under, slightly squats – the breath, straightens up – the exhalation. Squats gradually become lower, inhale and exhale longer. Repeat 3 – 4 times.
Airplane
You tell a poem, and the kid performs movements in the rhythm of the verse:
Airplane — plane (baby spreads his hands in hand palms up, raises his head and takes a breath)
Sent flying (holds his breath)
Ju-Ju-Ju (makes a turn to the right)
Ju-Ju-Ju (exhale, says j-j-j)
I will stand and rest (stands up straight, hands down)
I will fly to the left (raises his head and takes a breath)
Zhu-Zhu-Zhu (makes turn to the left)
Ju-Ju-Ju (exhale W-W-W)
I will stand and rest (stands up straight and lowers his hands).
Repeat 2-3 times.
The mouse and the bear
You tell a poem, and the kid performs movements in the rhythm of the verse:
The bears have a huge house (the child straightens up, stands on tiptoes, raises his hands up, reaches for them, looks at his hands and takes a breath)
Mouse is a very small (sits down, grabs your hands, his knees, lowers his head, exhales with pronouncing the sound sh-sh-sh)
The mouse goes to visit a bear (walking on toes)
He wouldn’t get to her.
Repeat 3 – 4 times.
Chickens
Parents perform movements with the baby. Stand up, bend down, freely hang your hands-“wings” and lower your head. Say: “So-so-so” and at the same time Pat on the knees. Exhalation. Straighten up, put your hands up – inhale. Repeat 5 times.
EXERCISES FOR KIDS 4-5 YEARS
For children 4-5 years breathing exercises becomes a little more complex and more conscious. The child learns to perceive and control his / her breathing during the lessons.
“Listen to your breath»
Purpose: to teach children to listen to their breath, to determine its depth and condition of the body.
Starting position: standing, sitting, lying – any comfortable position. The muscles are relaxed.
In complete silence, children listen to their own breathing and determine:
where does the air stream and where it comes out;
what part of the body is set in motion when breathing (abdomen, chest, shoulders or the rest of the waves);
what breath: superficial (easy) or deep;
what is the respiration rate: often there is an inhalation – exhalation or quietly at a certain interval (automatic pause); quiet, inaudible breathing or noisy.
It is important not only to carry out an exercise with the child, but also to explain to him the value of certain indicators.
“Breathe quietly, easy and smoothly»
Purpose: to teach children to relax and restore the body after physical exertion and emotional arousal; regulate the process of breathing and focus on it.
Starting position: standing, sitting, lying – any comfortable position. If sitting, back straight, close your eyes better.
The child takes a slow breath through his nose. When the chest begins to expand, the breath should be stopped, make a small pause and exhale smoothly through the nose. Repeat 5-10 times.
The exercise is performed silently, smoothly, so that even the palm extended to the nose does not feel a jet of air when exhaling.
“Balloon” (belly Breathing, lower breathing)
Purpose: to teach children to strengthen the muscles of the abdominal cavity, to ventilate the lower part of the lungs, to focus on the lower breath.
Starting position: lying on your back, legs stretched out freely, torso relaxed, eyes closed. Put both hands on the navel.
To safely breathe the air, pulling belly to spine, belly button like descending.
A slow, smooth breath, without any effort – the belly slowly rises and swells like a round ball.
Slow, smooth exhalation – the stomach slowly retracts to the back.
Repeat 4-10 times.
“Balloon in the chest” (middle, rib breathing)
Purpose: to teach children to strengthen intercostal muscles, to concentrate their attention on their movement, carrying out ventilation of the middle parts of the lungs.
Starting position: lying, sitting, standing. Put your hands on the lower part of the rib and to concentrate the attention on them.
Make a slow, even exhalation, clutching the ribs of the chest.
Slowly inhale through the nose, hands feel the chest and slowly release the clamp.
As you exhale, the chest again slowly clamped with both hands at the bottom of the ribs.
Repeat 6-10 times.
Note. The muscles of the abdomen and shoulder girdle remain motionless. In the initial phase of training, it is necessary to help children slightly squeeze and unclench the lower part of the ribs of the chest on exhalation and inhalation.
EXERCISES FOR KIDS FROM 5 years (the METHODS of A. N. STRELNIKOVA)
«Warmup»
Starting position: standing, legs shoulder width apart, torso straight arms half bent at the elbows, fingers slightly clenched into fists, turned to each other.
Sit down, cross your hands towards each other, inhale through your nose — active, fast, clearly audible. Return to starting position. Relax. On the exhale, not to think, not to control his mind. Repeat the exercise eight times in a row without pauses. Temp 1-2 breaths per second, to move strictly rhythmically. Repeat 10-20 times.
«Tilts.» Part one
Starting position: standing, legs shoulder width apart, torso straight, arms down (“at the seams”).
Lean forward, hands freely omitted, slightly crossed, inhale through your nose — quick, clearly audible. Return to the starting position is not completely — and inhale again while tilting forward. On the exhale, not to think, not to interfere, but not to help him. Repeat 8 times, the rate of 1-2 breaths per second, lean strictly rhythmically. Repeat 10-20 times.
«Tilts.» Part two.
Starting position: standing, legs shoulder width apart, torso straight, arms at shoulder level, bent at the elbows, fingers slightly clenched into fists, turned to each other. Lean back, arms abruptly crossed in front of the chest; inhale through the nose – fast, active, clearly audible, but not noisy. To return in the original position not fully – and again the breath under tilt the ago. Repeat 8 times, the rate of 1-2 breaths per second, the movements are rhythmic. Repeat 10-20 times.
«Pendulum»
Starting position: standing, leaning forward, hands down.
Swaying back and forth. When you lean forward and inhale, your arms cross. Inhale through the nose, fast, active, well audible (but it should not be deliberately noisy). The rate of 1-2 breaths per second. Repeat 10-20 times.
These exercises are performed with a short breath: do not try to gain as much air, but on the contrary – to inhale in volume less than possible. Be sure not to help exhale. Hands are not far from the body.
TRAINING ON A BREATHING SIMULATOR
When classes are breathing exercises to lose shape, children are becoming boring to deal with it. Because they do not realize the importance of this process, it is possible to perform bending control of the breath, follow the breath and it becomes simply uninteresting. It is possible to return interest to respiratory gymnastics by means of the respiratory trainer.
It is known that after five years children aspire to independence more and more. The breathing simulator can be presented to the child as a device on which only adults are engaged.
So the child will have an interest in the process, and you can teach him to perceive your breath. From five to seven years to conduct classes need only under your control. After seven years, the baby will be able to engage in the simulator itself.
The time of classes should be no more than 20 minutes. You need to start with 1-2 minutes a day. The load is added every 2-3 days for one minute.
Up to 12 years, the child must pass three stages of training on a breathing simulator (the stages are described in the instructions). After 12 years, you can connect the fourth stage.
The effect of training on the breathing simulator is not inferior to the effect of the standard types of breathing exercises.
It is not always possible to protect a child from harmful environmental factors, so it is important not to “hide” him from external threats, but to teach him how to protect himself. Breathing exercises – one of the ways to protect the child’s body. Regular classes will help the child to cope with viral diseases more easily and not to waste precious childhood on influenza and SARS.
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