Here, you’ll find a printable snow globe activity designed for breath awareness. This breath awareness practice uses a snow globe theme. Paired with other deep breathing exercises, this resource is a concreate way to help kids develop breath awareness as a coping tool for self-care and mindful breathing.
Add this snow globe breathing exercise to a snow globe theme, including our recent snow globe letter matching puzzles.
Breath Awareness
Mental health struggles are so overlooked and underdiagnosed. Recently a push for mental health awareness has gained some traction. If you are or know someone who is struggling, you know how difficult it is to get the right help. Waiting lists to see a doctor can seem like a mile long. Getting in to see the right specialist takes time and persistence.
In the meantime, or to prevent further damage, a little self care can go a long way. Before taking on all of the challenges of the the classroom, learning, or functioning in general, take time for a little self care.
When we use breath awareness strategies as a tool for self-care, we are becoming more mindful of how our breath impacts regulation. Breath awareness results in a calmer state. This in turn allows for mindful participation, or being present in the moment, rather than a focus on internal or external stressors.
This strategy can help with breath control as well. Try to settle the snow globe with slow and steady breaths from the bottom of the lungs. A long and slowed breath can help to calm the whole body, so when imagining a snow globe, use that long and slow breath to settle the snow, not stir it up.
Don’t let it add to your stress as one more thing to do, but take five minutes to remind yourself of the possibilities each day.
In addition to finding help and working on self care, becoming more aware of breath and it’s impact on the body and mind is an excellent step to reducing stress and improving mental health.
Snow Globe Meditation
The OT Toolbox has several excellent printables and tools to help develop strategies for reducing stress, decreasing arousal level, or improving focus. The newest printable in the Deep Breathing Series is our Snow Globe Deep Breathing Printable.
The snow globe meditation tool you’ll find below is a printable PDF breathing exercise. Beyond the easy usability with this printable deep breathing exercise, is the way that it can be used in conjunction with a real snow globe.
A snow globe is a powerful tool for meditation. If you’ve ever shaken up a snow globe, then you probably can picture the sense of calmness that comes over you as you watch the snow inside the globe first swirl furiously and then slowly settle to the bottom of the glass globe.
This imagery can be paralleled to internal stressors.
When we feel stressed by thoughts, emotions, or external stimulants, you might feel like a swirling storm is inside of you. It’s hard to focus on a thought just like it’s difficult to focus on one swirling snowflake in a winter storm. But, with time, the snow slows and settles to the bottom of the snowglobe.
You can use a snow globe imagery to help kids feel calm and focus on breath awareness as a self-regulation tool.
Snow Globe Breath Awareness Tool
To use this page, begin by having kid identify their emotions and feelings. Help them to become more aware of breath by describing their breathing, focus, stress levels as swirling like a shaken up snow globe.
Then put your finger on the first white dot. Trace the arrow and take a deep breath in. Pause at the end of the arrow and breathe out. Continue around the image several times while breathing.
Then ask kids to describe their emotions, heartbeat, feelings, and breathing. Ask the user to identify how their breathing and other identifiers have changed. Are they feeling more like a settled snow globe? Or do they still feel “shaken up” and swirling? If so, repeat the breath awareness exercise.
What else can I use the Breath Awareness Printable for?
In sensory speak this activity can be used for modulation and improving arousal level. This basically means practicing self regulation and calming, by focusing the energy on a single activity rather than the offending or overwhelming sensory input.
This Breath Awareness PDF can also be used to improve focus. Learners can practice channeling their energy onto the page to begin to learn to attend to one item at a time. This will help practice self control.
Mindfulness is not new. It has been around for centuries. In western medicine, mindfulness is commonly taught in dialectical behavioral therapy, or DBT treatment. According to the writers at Mindful, “mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us. Mindfulness is a quality that every human being already possesses, it’s not something you have to conjure up, you just have to learn how to access it.”
The OT Toolbox has an informative page of resources for mindfulness. Check it out!
While learning DBT, I tried to learn mindfulness. I learned I am not good at it. I can not slow my mind enough to sit without doing or thinking. As a DBT activity, I clocked how many thoughts went through my head in 60 seconds. I had over 20 different thoughts one of the days I tried this task. I one minute! Imagine people who meditate and are proficient at mindfulness can sit for HOURS thinking of nothing, just listening to nature or attending to their breathing.
That’s where this snow globe breath awareness task comes in as a mindfulness tool to help identify breathing and overall awareness.
How can I modify this activity?
- Laminate this PDF to make it reusable
- Print in full color to make it more motivating
- Instead of deep breathing, use the activity to place coins on each of the dots, then use the pointer finger to slide to the next arrow. This develops in hand manipulation.
- Create a modulation kit of printables, and other sensory items to work on self regulation, stress reduction, and attention/focus. The OT Toolbox has several printable deep breathing exercises and a pack of cards to specifically address this goal year-round.
What other strategies can I use for calming and organizing?
- Winter Mindfulness Activities
- Sensory fidgets such a putty, koosh balls, coil bracelets
- Chewing gum
- Journaling and creative writing
- Aromatherapy
- Heavy work
- Exercise/yoga/Pilates/walking
- Pet therapy
- Music
- The list is endless, work with each of your learners to find out what helps them with their self care
Free Snow Globe Breath Awareness Printable
Want to download a copy of this snow globe breathing exercise? Enter your email address into the form below to access this printable tool. Note that this resource is also available for immediate download inside the OT Toolbox Member’s Club. Members can grab the PDF immediately simply by clicking a button.
With all of the holiday fun and excitement, do take time out for self care and deep breathing. It will be worth it!
Just keep breathing!
Victoria Wood, OTR/L
Victoria Wood, OTR/L is a contributor to The OT Toolbox and has been providing Occupational Therapy treatment in pediatrics for more than 25 years. She has practiced in hospital settings (inpatient, outpatient, NICU, PICU), school systems, and outpatient clinics in several states. She has treated hundreds of children with various sensory processing dysfunction in the areas of behavior, gross/fine motor skills, social skills and self-care. Ms. Wood has also been a featured speaker at seminars, webinars, and school staff development training. She is the author of Seeing your Home and Community with Sensory Eyes.
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