Smell the flower and blow the candle –
What is it?
It is a visual way to help children breathe IN through the nose and breathe OUT through the mouth, so to help them calm down. You can practise it with your child during the day and encourage them to do it while they are emotionally heightened.
Download this free worksheet to make your own calm down tool at home!
smell the flower blow the candle bsp.pdf
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Why is it beneficial?
When children are frustrated, this causes the body to be under stress. As a result, this produces hormones like adrenaline and cortisol that prepare them for urgent action – also known as the ‘fight or flight’ response. This situation can cause some different effects on a child’s mind and body, such as sweating, feeling annoying and finding hard to concentrate.
When children get emotional or stressed to the point of being overwhelmed, they need a tool that helps them to handle their emotions. The flower and candle strategy delivers immediate results and reduces the physiological arousal driven by the sympathetic nervous system. This counscious action is a helpful cool down strategy for regulating the children’s breathing and finding their calm place again.