A girl wearing an apron and a chef's hat smiles with her therapist. There is a toy kitchen in the background.

A (Yummy!) Breathing Technique

Breathing deeply helps kids connect with the feelings in their body
and has a calming effect on their nervous system


In this blog post, our team’s Natalie Bergman explains
the ”pizza” breathing technique.

“Pizza Breathing” is a simple and fun way to teach kids how to calm down using deep breathing. Here’s how you can practice it with your child.

1. Imagine holding a hot slice of pizza.

Ask your child to pretend they’re holding their favorite slice of pizza fresh out of the oven.

2. Smell the pizza.

Take a big, slow breath in through your nose, as if you’re smelling the delicious pizza. Mmm, that smells great —but wait— it’s too hot to eat.

3. Blow on the pizza to cool it down.

Slowly blow some air out through your mouth, as if you’re cooling the hot pizza before you can take a bite. Make the breath slow and steady.

 

Why pizza breathing works

Deep breathing helps kids to calm their nervous system, and visualizing the pizza keeps them engaged.

When is a good time for your child to learn this technique?

The best time to learn and practice an emotional regulation technique, such as this “pizza” breathing technique, is when your child is regulated. Trying to reason or teach something new to a child (or an adult, for that matter) when they are experiencing a moment of dysregulation is not effective.

Check out Natalie’s reel explaining the pizza breathing technique on Instagram.

Meet the author

Natalie Bergman, MA, RPsych, CPT
Natalie Bergman, MA, RPsych, CPTChild Psychologist at Kids Reconnect
Natalie is a Director and co-founder at Kids Reconnect. She is an experienced child psychologist and Certified Play Therapist who uses her professional expertise and caring heart Superpowers to emotionally connect with children, helping them heal using play therapy and heart-to-heart conversations. Natalie also uses her profound insights into the world of children to help parents understand and connect with their child with love, gentleness, and patience.

Meet the editor

Ana Hoepfner, BEc
Ana Hoepfner, BEcCommunications at Kids Reconnect
Ana is a writer and designer who delivers business results through creative, joyful communications that surprise and delight. Leveraging her 15+ year track record of successfully building and boosting corporate, personal, community, and non-profit local and international brands, Ana designed, copywrote, and manages the “spark-tacular” Kids Reconnect, Couples Reconnect, and CRCG websites, including this blog. She loves pizza.

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