The Power of a Shared Strategy
The power of using our evidence-based, playful approach to mindful breathing lies in its ability to create a unified approach. Where both adults and children share a common understanding and strategy for managing emotions.
When everyone is on the same page, it fosters a sense of connection and understanding, making it easier to respond to each other’s feelings in a calm, consistent way.
Applying the say-and-do game as a shared strategy for emotional-regulation helps build trust, strengthen relationships, and create a more supportive environment, wherever children learn, play, or connect with others.
Co-Regulation: Be the calm you want to see!
Co-regulation is the compassionate process of guiding children through their emotions by offering them a sense of safety, connection, and calm.
It’s not about controlling their feelings, but rather supporting them as they learn to navigate big emotions with confidence.
When a child becomes overwhelmed, their nervous system shifts into survival mode—fight, flight, freeze, or fawn. In these moments, they aren’t able to think logically or regulate their emotions on their own.
Instead, they instinctively look to the adults around them for cues on how to respond. This is where co-regulation becomes so powerful.
If we react with frustration or anger, a child's distress can escalate, reinforcing feelings of fear and disconnection. But when we respond with calmness and support, they sense our reassurance, which helps their nervous system settle and restores their feeling of safety and connection.
This is why using a shared strategy for emotional-regulation, like our say-and-do game, is so impactful. It provides adults and children with a common language and approachfor managing emotions, that is both simple and effective.
Suggested Steps for Co-Regulation
Attempting to teach mindful breathing in the moment of overwhelm when your child is already emotionally dysregulated is ineffective.
Instead, it’s important to regularly practice the say-and-do game when your child is calm —this will help to develop their emotional-regulation skills and ensure you're both ready to use the power of the breath when emotions arise.
The following steps guide you how to use mindful breathing with your child during those emotional moments.
This approach supports you to create a co-regulated environment, helping both you and your child manage emotions more effectively.
Stay Calm: Your calm presence has a stronger impact than words, helping your child feel secure. Use your friend Breath to help yourself embody a calm state.
Connect with Your Child: Get on their level, use a soothing voice, and offer a comforting touch to show they’re not alone.
Validate and Name the Emotion: Let your child know you understand by saying, “I see you’re feeling ____ and that’s okay. Everyone feels this way sometimes.”
Model Say-and-Do: Play from the start of the game, “When I feel .... my friend Breath and I play say-and-do.” Continue through the game, doing the matching breathing pattern for the emotion they’re experiencing.
★Remember, observation is participation. Even if your child isn’t actively participating, observing you engage in mindful breathing still supports their emotional-regulation through co-regulation.Use the 90-Second Rule: This rule is based on science, and explains that emotions last about 90 seconds as the body processes them. After that, the emotion fades—unless we keep focusing on it. By co-regulating with your child during this time, pausing, playing say-and-do, and focusing on your breath together, you can help your child change the way they feel. That’s the magical power of the breath!
“When my child became overwhelmed, I would find it tough to know what to do.
But I’ve now learned that practicing co-regulation, when I stay calm and present, helps us both.
Instead of rushing her through her emotions, I share my calm and guide her to use her breath to change how she feels.
Watching her calm down brings such relief. I feel really proud knowing I’m teaching my child to manage her emotions in such a simple way.
Change your breath, change your emotion. It truly is that easy!”
Swipe to explore our range of books and resources!
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![Black girl seated on bed holding My Friend Breath picture book for help with emotional regulation and resilience]()
My Friend Breath Picture Book
The My Friend Breath Picture Book is a beautifully illustrated 32-page story that empowers children aged 3 - 8+ to develop the important skills of emotional-regulation and resilience through mindful breathing.
Using a simple strategy, children are empowered with the words and actions they need to navigate their emotions, so they can change the way they feel, anytime, anywhere.
This is the first book in the My Friend Breath series and teaches our four foundational breathing patterns.
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Superhero Club Virtual Playground
Explore our 16 unique superhero breathing patterns, each designed to support a child through a specific emotion.
These powerful techniques help restore balance, bring calm, or encourage uplifting feelings.
By linking each breathing pattern to an emotion, children and adults gain a shared, science-backed strategy they can use anytime, anywhere, to change how they feel.
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My Friend Breath Board Game
This exciting snakes-and-ladders style board game turns practicing emotional-regulation through mindful breathing into a fun-filled, playtime adventure.
The more a child plays, the more instinctively they will know how to turn mindful breathing into a natural, go-to tool for emotional-regulation.
Backed by science, powered by play—this super-fun board game, recommended for kids aged 5+, transforms learning into action!
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![Asian girl sharing the Playtime with My Friend Breath practice book for mindful breathing practice and emotional-regulation skill development]()
Playtime with My Friend Breath Book
Practice is the key to strengthening your child's emotional-regulation and resilience skills.
The Playtime with My Friend Breath Practice Book provides an engaging way to learn and practice the mindful breathing strategy introduced in the picture book, My Friend Breath.
The more they practice, the more confident they will become to turn to their breath to manage their emotions and behaviour in challenging situations.
Available in two formats, a generalized with Ash or a personalized version.
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![Child with headphones sitting at computer listening to the My Friend Breath audiobook to help with mindfulness and self-regulation]()
Audiobook & Audio Flipbooks
Our audio versions of the My Friend Breath Picture Book and the Playtime with My Friend Breath Practice Book bring the stories to life.
Narrated in the voice of our main character, Ash, children will enjoy practicing mindful breathing with the help of a friend.
These unique listening experiences capture your child's attention, amplify their learning, and make practicing their mindful breathing super fun!
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![Female teacher or mother presenting the My Friend Breath Social-Emotional Learning Superhero Training Guides for teaching children emotional regulation and resilience]()
SEL Superhero Training Guides
Our SEL Superhero Training Guides are companions to the My Friend Breath Picture Book.
These guides have been specifically designed to be used alongside all formats of our picture book to help teach a range of social-emotional skills.
Each of the 7 learning guides includes a done-for-you script, comprehension activities, and online games.
Making it easy to turn a read-along of the picture book into an engaging and impactful SEL lesson.
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![My Friend Breath Superhero Club Membership Badge]()
Superhero Club Membership
A Superhero Club Membership gives multiple users access to all of the My Friend Breath digital and printable resources.
The 12-month membership is designed to support adults and children to have equal and unlimited access, so you can use a consistent approach in developing emotional-regulation and resilience skills.
We offer memberships for families, homeschool groups, schools, learning centres, and health services/professionals.
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Use your NDIS funding
Our science-backed mindful breathing resources help children build emotional-regulation and resilience skills, making them eligible for NDIS funding.
Through using our resources your child will develop a resilience strategy they can use to self-calm under pressure and recover quickly in challenging situations.
This will help them to appropriately manage their feelings and behavior in social situations, such as childcare or at school.
Connect with us!
Thank you for your interest in our My Friend Breath resources. We are here to help you support and develop the emotional well-being of children around the world.
Are you keen to explore how we could collaborate?
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Do you have a query about our Superhero Club Membership?
Or perhaps you have another question or suggestion!
We are grateful to hear from you. Fill out the form, and we’ll be in touch :)