One of the most fundamental and important skills we can teach children is breathing. Not only does it help them relax, but breathing exercises can also assist in calming them down during moments of stress or anxiety. With the help of these 28 breathing exercises for kids, you can teach children to master their breath and promote mindfulness in their daily lives.
Breathing Exercise #1: Belly Breathing
Have your child lie down on their back, placing one hand on their belly and the other hand on their chest. Ask them to take deep breaths in through their nose, feeling their belly rise, and then slowly exhale through their mouth, feeling their belly fall. Encourage them to focus on their breath and let any racing thoughts drift away.
Breathing Exercise #2: Take 5 Breaths
Instruct your child to close their eyes and take five deep breaths in and out. As they do this, ask them to visualize something calming, like a peaceful forest or a calm beach. This technique can be especially useful during moments of stress or anxiety.
Breathing Exercise #3: Counting Breaths
Ask your child to sit quietly and take ten deep breaths in and out, counting each breath as they go. This technique can be helpful in promoting focus and calming busy minds.
Breathing Exercise #4: Flower Breathing
Have your child imagine holding a flower in their hand. Instruct them to take deep breaths in through their nose, imagining the sweet scent of the flower, and then exhale through their mouth, blowing the imaginary petals away. This technique can be helpful in promoting relaxation and reducing anxiety.
Breathing Exercise #5: Bee Breath
Instruct your child to close their eyes and take a deep breath in. As they exhale through their nose, ask them to hum like a bee. This exercise can be especially helpful in promoting relaxation and reducing stress.
Breathing Exercise #6: Straw Breathing
Have your child take a deep breath in through their mouth as they hold a straw in their lips. As they exhale, they can blow out through the straw. This technique can promote focus and relaxation.
Breathing Exercise #7: Balloon Breathing
Instruct your child to imagine their belly is a balloon. As they take a deep breath in through their nose, tell them to imagine blowing up the balloon in their belly. As they exhale through their mouth, ask them to imagine deflating the balloon. This technique can be helpful in promoting relaxation and calming busy minds.
Breathing Exercise #8: Cloud Breathing
Have your child sit with their eyes closed and imagine lying in a field, watching the clouds go by. As they inhale through their nose, ask them to imagine a white, puffy cloud. As they exhale, encourage them to imagine the cloud drifting away. This technique can be especially helpful in promoting relaxation and reducing stress.
Breathing Exercise #9: Lion’s Breath
Instruct your child to take a deep breath in through their nose. Then, as they exhale through their mouth, ask them to stick out their tongue and roar like a lion. This exercise can be helpful in releasing tension and stress.
Breathing Exercise #10: Bubble Breathing
Have your child imagine blowing bubbles. As they inhale through their nose, encourage them to imagine taking a deep breath in to blow a large bubble. As they exhale through their mouth, ask them to imagine blowing a smaller bubble. This technique can be helpful in promoting relaxation and reducing stress.
Breathing Exercise #11: Bear Breath
Instruct your child to take a deep breath in through their nose. As they exhale through their mouth, tell them to growl like a bear. This technique can be helpful in release tension and stress.
Breathing Exercise #12: Snake Breath
Have your child imagine that they are a snake. Instruct them to take a deep breath in through their nose and then exhale through their mouth with a hissing sound, like a snake. This technique can promote focus and relaxation.
Breathing Exercise #13: Starfish Breath
Instruct your child to lie on their back and imagine themselves as a starfish. As they inhale through their nose, have them push their arms and legs out, imagining their body expanding. As they exhale through their mouth, ask them to release their limbs and imagine their body contracting. This technique can promote relaxation and reduce stress.
Breathing Exercise #14: Elevator Breath
Have your child imagine that they are in an elevator. Instruct them to inhale through their nose as the elevator goes up and exhale through their mouth as the elevator goes down. This technique can be helpful in promoting relaxation and reducing stress and anxiety.
Breathing Exercise #15: Four Square Breathing
Instruct your child to picture a square in their mind. As they inhale through their nose, imagine moving up the first side of the square. Hold their breath as they imagine moving along the top of the square. Exhale as they imagine moving down the second side of the square. Hold their breath as they imagine completing the square. This technique can promote focus and relaxation.
Breathing Exercise #16: Ha Breath
Have your child take a deep breath in through their nose. As they exhale through their mouth, ask them to imagine saying “ha” out loud. This technique can be helpful in releasing stress and tension.
Breathing Exercise #17: Ocean Breathing
Instruct your child to sit quietly and imagine they are at the beach. As they inhale through their nose, ask them to imagine the sound of the waves coming in. As they exhale through their nose, have them imagine the sound of the waves going out. This technique can promote relaxation and reduce stress.
Breathing Exercise #18: Tummy Tightener
Have your child take a deep breath in, then ask them to pull their tummy in as tight as possible as they exhale through their mouth. This technique can be helpful in releasing tension and stress.
Breathing Exercise #19: Toad Breath
Instruct your child to take a deep breath in through their nose. As they exhale through their mouth, ask them to stick out their tongue like a toad. This technique can be helpful in releasing stress and tension.
Breathing Exercise #20: Sun Breath
Have your child imagine themselves as a sunflower. Instruct them to take a deep breath in through their nose, imagining themselves soaking up the sun. As they exhale through their mouth, have them imagine their face turning to focus on the next ray of sunshine. This technique can promote focus and relaxation.
Breathing Exercise #21: Energy Ball Breathing
Instruct your child to imagine they are holding a ball of energy in their hands. As they inhale and exhale through their nose, have them imagine the ball of energy expanding and contracting in their hands. This technique can promote relaxation and focus.
Breathing Exercise #22: Hummingbird Breath
Have your child imagine themselves as a hummingbird. Instruct them to take a deep breath in through their nose and then exhale with short, quick bursts through their mouth, imitating the sound of a hummingbird. This technique can be helpful in releasing stress and tension.
Breathing Exercise #23: Balancing Breath
Instruct your child to sit quietly and inhale through their nose for four counts and exhale for four counts. This technique can promote focus and relaxation.
Breathing Exercise #24: Heartbeats Breath
Have your child place their hand on their heart and feel their heartbeat. As they inhale through their nose, encourage them to imagine their heart expanding. As they exhale through their mouth, ask them to imagine their heart contracting. This technique can promote relaxation and reduce stress and anxiety.
Breathing Exercise #25: 4-7-8 Breath
Instruct your child to inhale through their nose for four counts, hold their breath for seven counts, and exhale through their mouth for eight counts. Repeat this breathing cycle three times. This technique can promote relaxation and reduce stress and anxiety.
Breathing Exercise #26: Pufferfish Breath
Have your child imagine themselves as a pufferfish. Instruct them to take a deep breath in through their nose, filling themselves with air like a pufferfish. As they exhale through their mouth, have them imagine the air releasing and contracting back down to a normal size. This technique can be helpful in releasing tension and stress.
Breathing Exercise #27: Candle Breath
Instruct your child to imagine themselves holding a candle. As they inhale through their nose, they should imagine lighting the candle. As they exhale through their mouth, have them imagine blowing the candle out. This technique can promote relaxation and reduce stress and anxiety.
Breathing Exercise #28: Smile Breath
Have your child take a deep breath in and then exhale through their mouth with a big smile on their face. This technique can promote positivity and happiness.
With these 28 breathing exercises for kids, your child can learn to master their breath and promote mindfulness in their daily lives. These techniques can be helpful in promoting relaxation, reducing stress and anxiety, and focusing their minds. Give them a try and see which ones work best for your child!
