Everyone Needs A Rainbow

Everyone needs a rainbow! Even on a cloudy or gloomy day we can always cultivate a rainbow from within.  

The metaphor of a rainbow is so powerful – the bright beautiful colors after the storm. Hope, healing, acceptance. Sometimes it can be a symbol of better things to come.  You know, somewhere over the rainbow! Oh, and don’t most rainbows have a pot of gold at the end?

So considering all of this pairing rainbows, breathing, and mindfulness seems like a winning combination!

I want to share three ways to use rainbows for mindfulness and deep breaths!  The awesome thing about these activities is that they all have printables that you can use for directive play therapy in office OR email to clients if you are doing Tele-Play!

 Rainbow Bubble Breathing
This breathing exercise is fantastic for smaller children or those new to deep breathing.  One large bubble is used to symbolize a deep breath in and two smaller to symbolize slower smaller breaths…for all the colors of the rainbow! Grab the free download from the Branch Habitat Blog!

Rainbow Meditation
Dawn Selander shares her printable for her rainbow meditation for kids!  She has a characteristic that goes with each color (red = physical, orange = emotional, yellow = personal, etc.) and provides a meditation script that goes through the entire rainbow.  The concepts and language are great from preschoolers up to teens!

Rainbow Breath
This printable from Monkinya has children trace and breathe in a color and breathe out worry for all colors of the rainbow.  This is an excellent activity for Cognitive Behavioral Play Therapy where you are shifting cognitions, putting the difficult thoughts out of your mind, and being intentional about what thoughts occupy your brain! 

So there you have it! Three ways to use rainbow breathing in your therapy practice!

What about you?  Do you have any rainbow techniques that you like to use in your practice with children? Drop a link or comment below! 

Looking for more resources for regulation? Check out my training on Keep Calm and Regulate On: Play Therapy and the Neuroscience of Emotional Regulation! ​

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