Tips for Parents          

• Ask your child how they relax or calm themselves down.  Show them how you take deep and slow breaths to calm down.
• As a way to learn to focus on breathing and self-soothing, sit with legs crossed, backs straight and do three "balloon breaths" with the song.  Put your hands together at the center of your chest, close your eyes and when you breathe in deeply, raise your arms above your head, making a big balloon.  As you breathe out, lower your hands to your chest. 
• This is an excellent transition to help calm little bodies at nap time.
• Do this song outdoors while doing a peaceful meditation walk.   
• Meditation Maze - You can use sidewalk chalk outside or masking tape inside to create a labyrinth or meditation maze.
• Bubble Breathing - Practice taking deep breaths in and blowing them out by using a simple bubble wand and bubbles. 

The Research Behind This Song
The capacity to "self-soothe" is a sub-skill of the larger concept of self-regulation, an important developmental achievement.  A study by Gaylor, et al., (2001) found that infants who were able to self-soothe at night at 12 months of age were less likely to have sleep problems at age two. 

Books to Read with Children
Meditation For All Kids by Susan Kramer

This song is part of our Songs of Self-Control series, which consists of the following twelve song titles:
Breathe
Emotion
I Get Angry
Self Control
Stop and Think
Three Rules
Be Careful
Down in the Dumps
Golden Words
I Can Settle Down
I Can Wait
When a Kite Flies