Do you want to make a game that will help you learn a new skill? Come make a breathing maze! Make the maze your own with twists and turns. Blow a ball through your maze with your breath. Sometimes you may need to breathe like a dragon but other times you may need to breathe small breathes like a bunny. Grab a friend and get the hang of controlling your breathing and make it to the end of your maze!
Supplies:
Plastic Straws (about 5)
A sticky note (or small piece of paper)
Pencil with eraser
Marker
Clear Tape
Scissors
Construction Paper (1)
Pre-activity: First, find a flat surface with room to make your breathing maze! Gather all of your supplies! Don’t forget to tell an adult nearby that you are using scissors!
Step one: First, grab your pencil! You will use it to write on your piece of construction paper your starting and ending point for your maze. You can put yours wherever you want! I made mine on opposite ends of the paper so my maze could go across the paper.
Step two: Next, use your pencil to lightly draw an outline of how you want your maze to go! You will want to draw two lines that are across from each other. They should be across from each other so your ball can go in the middle. Think of it like a racetrack and you need room for a car in the middle! I made mine go up, then down, then back up again to make it to the end!
Step three: Next, place your straws over the lines you drew for your maze! This is where you may need to cut some of your straws to make them fit to your lines. If your straws have a bend, you can use that in places where your maze turns. Or, you can just have two straws touch each other at the spot where your maze turns.
Step four: Now that you have your straws where you want them, you will use tape to stick them to your piece of paper! I used a piece of tape about the size of a quarter. Hold the straw in place and put one side of the tape on one side of the straw and then go over the straw, then the end of your piece of tape should be on the other side of your straw holding it on your paper. It is okay if your straws do not perfectly cover the lines you drew! The lines are just a guide.
Step five(optional): Now, you can use your eraser to erase any lines that you can see that your straw was not able to cover!
Step six: Next, you can decorate your breathing maze! Since it is your maze, you can decorate it however you like! I wrote encouraging words on mine and went over my start and end words with my marker. You could also write or draw how you are feeling, things that make you happy,
or something you are working towards. I used a blue marker because I like the color blue! What is your favorite color?
Step seven: Next, take your sticky note or small piece of paper and crumple it in your hand so it looks like a ball! This will be what you blow through the maze you just made!
Step eight: Lastly, practice blowing your ‘ball’ through your maze! Some parts will require you to blow harder and some parts you will need to use small breaths. Taking big breaths may make you feel big like a dragon! But it is also important to take small breaths like a bunny so that your ball can make it out of the maze! When are some times you would need to take big breaths like a dragon?
You did a great job creating your breathing maze! Show it to your friends and family to see if they can make it to the end too!