Deep Breathing Skills

Lesson Overview

• Year Level: Year 2
• Subject: Health and Physical Education
• Duration: 30 minutes
• Class Size: 25 students
• Unit: Understanding Emotions and Reactions
• Lesson Number: 3 of 10
• Lesson Title: Deep Breathing Techniques
• WALT (We Are Learning To):
  Learn deep breathing as a strategy to manage feelings.
• Success Criteria:
  • Students can demonstrate deep breathing techniques confidently.
  • Students can explain how deep breathing helps manage emotions.

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Curriculum Alignment

Western Australian Curriculum: Health and Physical Education

• Content Descriptor:
  AC9HP2P03: Identify how different situations influence emotional responses, and explore self-regulation strategies to manage emotional responses.
• Elaborations:
  • Recognise own emotions and demonstrate ways to manage emotional expression (AC9HP2P03_E1).
  • Explore self-regulation strategies to manage emotions (AC9HP2P03_E2).

This lesson specifically develops students’ ability to self-manage emotions through deep breathing as a self-regulation strategy, aligned with AC9HP2P03.

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Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will:

1. Understand what deep breathing is and why it helps when feeling upset or anxious.
2. Demonstrate deep breathing techniques using guided practice.
3. Reflect on how deep breathing can calm their body and mind.

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Resources Needed

• Colourful step-by-step infographic posters (dyslexia-friendly, simple language, with pictures)
• Breathing buddy: small soft toys or pinwheels for each student
• Calming music or nature sounds (optional)
• Poster-making materials (coloured paper, markers) for extension activity

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Lesson Breakdown

1. Introduction (5 minutes)

• Engagement: Ask the class, “What do you do when you feel upset or worried?”
• Discuss briefly why sometimes our bodies feel jittery or fast (link to emotions like anger, fear, excitement).
• Introduce deep breathing as a way to help calm our body and feelings. Show a colourful infographic illustrating simple steps of deep breathing (e.g., breathe in through the nose slowly, hold, breathe out through the mouth slowly).
• Highlight the learning intention (WALT) and success criteria in clear language on the board or poster.

2. Modelling and Guided Practice (10 minutes)

• Use the infographic poster to model the deep breathing technique with the whole class:
  • Breathe in slowly through the nose for 4 counts (count aloud).
  • Hold the breath for 2 counts.
  • Breathe out slowly through the mouth for 6 counts.
• Use a breathing buddy (soft toy or pinwheel) to visually demonstrate slow breath flow.
• Play soft calming music or nature sounds to create a relaxed environment.
• Invite students to practice deep breathing together twice, counting aloud as a group.
• Pair students to practice together using their breathing buddies, encouraging positive feedback and support.

3. Group Discussion and Reflection (5 minutes)

• Ask: “How did deep breathing make your body feel?”
• Encourage students to describe their feelings before and after deep breathing (happy, calm, relaxed, etc.).
• Affirm all answers and link back to emotional regulation.

4. Differentiation and Extension (10 minutes)

• Differentiation:

  • Pair stronger students with those needing more support to guide through the steps.
  • Use the infographic as visual support and written prompts for students with dyslexia or other reading difficulties.
  • Offer one-on-one practice opportunities if needed.

• Extension:

  • Invite advanced students or pairs to create their own colourful calming poster illustrating the steps of deep breathing, using words and pictures.
  • Display posters around the classroom to reinforce learning for the whole class.

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Assessment

• Formative Assessment:
  Observation checklist during paired practice to confirm students can correctly perform deep breathing steps.
• Success criteria check:
  Do students demonstrate deep breathing with slow, controlled breaths?
  Can they verbally explain why it helps emotions?

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Classroom Management Tips

• Use calm, gentle voice when guiding breathing to promote a soothing environment.
• Ensure pairs are appropriately matched to maximise confidence and peer support.
• Have breathing buddies readily available and handled carefully.
• Use visual time cues (like sand timers or gentle chimes) to mark breathing intervals if needed.

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Additional Notes for Teachers

• Reinforce deep breathing as a tool that can be used anytime students feel overwhelmed or upset.
• Connect this strategy to future lessons on emotional regulation and coping skills.
• Celebrate effort and participation to build positive emotional literacy.

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This 30-minute lesson perfectly fits Year 2 students’ developmental needs and the WA curriculum goals for self-regulation and emotional understanding through an engaging, hands-on, colourful approach that is accessible for diverse learners including those with dyslexia .