✨ Crafting Breathing Tools: DIY Calm Jars and More

Helping little ones manage big emotions can be as simple as handing them a glittery jar or a breathing stick—and even better if they made it themselves. Crafting breathing tools is not only a hands-on way to introduce mindfulness, but it also gives children a sense of ownership over their own emotional regulation.

Whether you're homeschooling, teaching, or just looking for ways to bring more calm into your day, here are some easy and creative tools you can make with preschoolers to support their mindfulness journey.

🌟 Why DIY Breathing Tools?

Children learn best through experience. When they create their own calming tools, they’re:

• More invested in using them

• Practicing focus and patience during the crafting process

• Strengthening sensory awareness and emotional vocabulary

Plus, these tools can be used during quiet time, transitions, or when big feelings start to bubble up.

🫧 1. Glitter Calm Jars

What You Need:

• A plastic jar or bottle with a tight lid

• Warm water

• Clear glue or glitter glue

• Fine glitter

• Optional: food coloring or sequins

How to Make It:

1. Fill the bottle ¾ full with warm water.

2. Add a good squeeze of glitter glue or clear glue.

3. Pour in glitter (as much as you want!) and a few drops of food coloring.

4. Secure the lid tightly (you can hot glue it shut).

5. Shake and enjoy the slow sparkle swirl.

Mindful Use:
Have your child shake the jar and take slow, deep breaths as the glitter settles—just like calming their own thoughts.

🌬 2. Breathing Wands

What You Need:

• A paper towel tube or wide straw

• Ribbons or crepe paper streamers

• Tape or glue

• Stickers or markers to decorate

How to Make It:

1. Cut ribbons or streamers about 12 inches long.

2. Tape or glue them to one end of the tube or straw.

3. Let your child decorate the wand however they like.

Mindful Use:
Encourage slow breaths to watch the ribbons dance. Try breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth, watching the ribbons flutter each time.

🎨 3. Feelings Fans

What You Need:

• Construction paper

• Markers or crayons

• Craft sticks or straws

• Tape or glue

How to Make It:

1. Cut circles or shapes and draw different emotion faces (happy, sad, angry, calm).

2. Tape each to a craft stick.

3. Use them during mindful moments or storytime to talk about feelings.

Mindful Use:
Hold up a “calm” face and model belly breaths, or let your child choose the face that matches how they feel. Then practice breathing to help shift or understand that emotion.

🌬️ 4. Bubble Breathing

What You Need:

• Bubble solution

• Bubble wand

Mindful Use:
Ask your child to take a deep breath and blow a bubble slowly. The goal is to breathe out long and controlled, watching the bubble float away. It’s simple, joyful, and calming.

💭 Final Thoughts

These DIY breathing tools are more than crafts—they’re conversations, skills, and moments of connection. By crafting together, you're helping little ones build a toolbox of emotional strategies they’ll carry with them as they grow.

Mindfulness doesn’t need to be complicated. Sometimes, it just starts with glitter in a jar or a ribbon on a stick.

Looking for more calming tools and activities?
Visit www.booksbyrimes.com for preschool mindfulness resources, guided meditations, and printable breathing techniques like Dragon Breath, Snake Breath, and Star Breath—perfect for your calm corner or homeschool space.

With gentle breath and playful hearts,

Christi

Books by Rimes
Nurturing emotional wellness through creativity, calm, and connection.