Yoga for Breath Support for Speech 73regarding the adult and the child’s performance of various
breathing exercises. The following activities can be performed
with toddlers and preschool-age children with adult facilitation
either on an individual basis or in a group setting. Children
with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) should
particularly benefit from the sustained attention to the breath.
- Listening breath. The child cups his hands over his ears so
that he can hear the breath (Simpkins and Simpkins 2011). - Blowing breath. The child blows bubbles or pinwheels so
that he can see the effect of the exhalation. - Three-part breath. The child places his hands sequentially on
his chest, ribs, and abdomen in order to feel the movements
associated with each of these three areas of respiration. - Belly breath. When the child lies down, an adult places a
soft toy on his abdomen and instructs him to use the breath
to move the toy gently up and down without it falling off
his body. For example, the adult places a rubber duck on
the child’s abdomen and tells him to make “waves” by
breathing in and out of the belly while watching the duck
“swim.” This activity allows the child to see the movement
caused by the breath. This could be particularly helpful to
children with intellectual disabilities and autism spectrum
disorder (ASD) as it provides a concrete, external sign of
the internal process of respiration. Figure 5.2 illustrates a
boy practicing belly breath. - Spherical breath. A Hoberman sphere is a children’s toy that
resembles a geodesic dome; it expands and contracts by the
scissor-like action of its joints. The child holds a Hoberman
sphere in his hands. As the child inhales and moves his
hands apart, the sphere grows bigger. As he exhales