Pick a time to cuddle up with your child and spend 5 min or less practicing belly breathing. Just before bed is a great time because it teaches our kids that it’s time to relax before falling asleep. Have your child pick a breathing buddy (stuffed animal) and lie down and put the buddy on his/her belly. Watch as the buddy goes up and down with the rise and fall of their breath. You can say some version of the following: “Imagine that you have a balloon in your belly. Each time you breath in, the balloon gets bigger. Each time you breath out, the air goes out of the balloon and your belly gets smaller. Just take a deep breath in through your nose and out through your mouth. The breath in should be a slow one, a count to 5, the breath out should be even slower, a count to 7. Practice doing this 10 times in a row. How does your body feel after you are done?” Practicing belly breathing at a time when you and your child are calm and can focus will help them to use belly breathing when they are stressed or upset. Remember, its necessary to practice every new skill in order to get better at it. Nothing becomes automatic unless we do it over and over. Making this part of your daily routine will help your child to improve his or her control over their body when they gets upset. It is also a nice way to wind down before bed.