I absolutley love using colouring sheets alongside my breathing exercises. Colouring is such a simple mindfulness activity that children love. Try these free calming colouring by numbers from Twinkl whenever you need a quick, go to mindful activity for your kids.
How to Use Colouring by Numbers Sheets?
Simply download and print off the free colour by numbers sheets here. I then set down the sheets for my little boy to choose from and we matched the colours with the crayons. He chose the Rainbow colouring sheet, which we then paired with the Rainbow Breaths activity.
How to Use the Colouring by Numbers Sheets to Practice Mindful Breathing?
- Trace Shapes
Before we started colouring we practiced taking a calming Rainbow Breath. In this breathing activity we traced the arc shape of the Rainbow. You can do this by tracing your finger from one cloud to the next and breathing in and the tracing it back and breathing out.
2. Use the Imagination
I love the Birthday Cake colour by numbers sheet and the Lion colour by numbers sheet for these activities. Simply ask your child to imagine they are blowing out a candle and get them to gently breathe in and out, taking a lovely Birthday Cake Breaths. The other option is to take a Lion Breath and ask your child to notice their inner bravery, then take a big breath and roar like a lion.
3. Count Breaths
Another fun breathing activity could be to count breaths and use colours, eg Breathe in 1/red, breathe out 2/orange, imaging the colours with each inhale and exhale. Counting breaths in a lovely simple exercise and with the added colours, it engages childrens imaginations too!
Mindful Colouring by Numbers
One of the benefits of this activity that I love is that it develops the skill of mindfulness.
“Colour by numbers is an activity that can be done at the child’s own individual speed, and is an effective way to unwind. Children can learn to focus on what they’re doing, whilst they’re doing it. It’s an activity that can be done anywhere, whether at school, at the end of the day, or at home when there’s a moment to spare. If the weather’s nice, it can even be done outside.”
Elaine Daniels, Twinkl.
I hope you’ve enjoyed trying using breathing activities with these simple calming colouring by numbers as much as we did. Take care, Emma x
