Activity

Part A: Introduction

Step 1.

You could do this activity inside or outside. Tell your kid/s that they are going to do an activity about water. If you have a little activity or action that you use with your kid/s to focus their attention (such as three claps, three big breaths, or a mantra/statement), you could do this now.

Step 2.

If you have a photo or a memory of a time you spent with water (eg at the beach or a river, playing in puddles, having a bath), share this with your kid/s. Alternatively, you could share the following picture:

Have a chat with your kid/s about their water experiences, using the memory or picture as a stimulus:

I wonder what water looks like. Does it always look the same?
I wonder what water feels like. Does it always feel the same?
I wonder what water sounds like. What does it sound like at the beach? What does it sound like in the bath or shower? What does it sound like when it’s falling like rain?
I wonder what water smells like.
I wonder what water tastes like. Does it always taste the same? How does the water you drink at home taste different to the water in the sea?
.

Active listening - Active listening shows a child that what they have to say is important. This helps maintain attention, and allows more complex thoughts and ideas to be injected into the conversation. You can show children their contributions are valued by:

• using verbal and non-verbal cues, including making eye contact and nodding
• using short verbal cues such as 'mmm' and 'yes' to show you're listening
• making appropriate facial expressions (eg surprise, concern) and gestures (eg shrugging)
• allowing children's interests to steer the conversation by building onto a child’s contribution.

Tip: For more evidence-based advice on supporting oral language development, click here.

Step 3.

Pose the following I wonder statements:

I wonder how watching water makes you feel. How do you feel when you watch water rushing down a river, trickling along a creek, or crashing onto the rocks in a storm? How do you feel when you see it raining? Does it make you feel calm or excited?
I wonder how being in the water makes you feel. Do you enjoy it? Does it make you feel calm or excited?

The aim here is to connect children’s experiences of water to their bodies and their emotions. This can help children recognise and communicate their feelings and emotions, and support them in working towards social and emotional regulation.

Part B: Breathing activity

Step 1.

Explain to your kid/s that they will watch a clip to help them connect to water, and make them feel calm and relaxed. Throughout this clip, your kid/s will be asked to move their bodies gently, focus on their breath, and listen to the instructions.

Share the following clip with your children:

Breath Circle - Water (with captions) (https://vimeo.com/677550160)

Step 2.

Once you have watched the clip, spend some time talking with your kid/s about their experience of the breathing activity. For example:

I wonder what you liked about this activity.
I wonder if you feel different in your body now.
I wonder if you feel different in your mind.
I wonder if you would like to do this again.

Part C: Take it further

Your kid/s may have developed their own ideas about how to extend upon the themes presented in this activity. If not, choose one of the following ideas to explore with them:

Play with water! Set up a water table, some buckets of water, or fill up the kitchen sink or bathtub. Give your kid/s some cups, spoons, sieves, funnels, or jugs to play with. You could also provide them with a range of water toys. As they play, talk to them about how the water makes them feel. Another great activity here is to find some toys or plastic kitchen bits that need washing. Add some soap to the water and let your kid/s clean!
Does it float or sink? Using buckets or tubs of water, grab a range of objects from the garden or around your house to test if they float or sink. Objects could include small stones and shells, sticks, wooden blocks, feathers, plastic bowls or spoons, and small pieces of fabric. You could also make some boats to float!
Paint with water. Give children a cup of water and a paintbrush. Direct them to ‘paint’ with the water on a path or wall. What happens to their paintings?
If it’s warm enough outside, you could take a hose, bucket, watering can or water pistols and get wet!
Spend some time exploring the Zones of Emotional Regulation Chart with children. Social and emotional learning strategies seek to equip children with knowledge and skills that positively impact their ability to manage emotions and behaviours, as well as improve their interactions with peers, parents, or other adults. The chart can help children visualise their feelings and build their emotional vocabulary, shifting them away from rote responses like 'good' to more nuanced responses like 'curious', 'excited', or 'worried'. Find out more here.

Want more breathing activities? You can find some more here, or register to see if Beata can visit your childcare, kindy, or school in person.

Something for parents and carers!

You could use the breathing exercise from this activity throughout the day when you want to calm your kid/s down, or focus their attention. This activity could be helpful in transition moments at home, such as before and after meal times, or before nap time. And if you’re still having a daily ‘witching hour’, this activity could help both you and your kid/s get through it. If you need a shorter exercise, try taking just three or five breaths, keeping one hand on your heart, and the other on your belly.

This clip has some great suggestions to help you—as a parent or carer—get back to a calm place if you're feeling stressed, anxious, frustrated, or are just having a moment:

Breath Circle - Calm (with captions) (https://vimeo.com/677968977)

Breath Circle - Water (home learning)

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Summary

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