This is a fantastic art project for children that is not only easy to do at home, but can also help teach them how to stay calm when things get a little too much. 

How to do it

1. This step is for adults only: using scissors, cut off about 4cm from the top of the cardboard tube and put the smaller piece to one side, then cut right along the length of the larger piece. 
2. Tuck one side of the tube you’ve just cut behind the other side, and gently push together to make the tube thin enough for a child to hold comfortably in their hand. 
3. Tape the tube back together by taking one piece of tape and hooking it into the hole at the top, ensuring that it sticks firmly to both the inside and outside of the tube. 
4. Do the same to the other end, using as much tape as you need to keep everything firmly held together. This will be your handle! 
5. Now take the 4cm piece of tube that you cut off and turn it on its side, so that the hole faces left to right rather than up and down. Tape this to the top of the longer piece of tube. Watch the video carefully to see how we do this. Again, make sure it’s stuck down firmly. This will be your breathing hole! 
6. Now, using more tape, attach the ribbons or fringe securely around the outside of one side of the breathing hole. 
7. Decorate your breathing wand with your markers, stickers, glitter, paint and whatever else you like! Be gentle to make sure your wand keeps its shape. 
8. Once all of your decorations are dry, your wand will be ready to use! 

This breathing wand is a great way to encourage children to focus on their breathing. To do this, they just need to take a deep breath and blow firmly through the hole, watching the colourful ribbons or fringe flutter. Deep, slow breathing like this helps to keep youngsters calm.