7 Fun Mindful Breathing Exercises for Kids: Simple Ways to Help Children Find Calm

Mindful breathing for kids is one of the simplest tools you can hand them. It costs nothing, works anywhere, and gives them something to do with their hands and attention the moment a big feeling shows up. Below you'll find 7 breathing exercises for kids, plus how to pair each one with a short round of Tapping (EFT), by age.

Let's explore some simple, engaging breathing techniques designed specifically for children.

Why mindful breathing for kids is so important

Before diving into the exercises, let's understand why mindful breathing for kids matters. When children learn to focus on their breath, they develop a powerful tool they can use anytime, anywhere to:

• Calm down when feeling overwhelmed or anxious
• Improve focus and concentration
• Better manage strong emotions
• Reduce stress and tension
• Fall asleep more easily
• Build self-awareness
• Feel more grounded and centered
• Build emotional regulation tools they can turn to throughout their lives as they grow into adults

The best part? Our breath is with us always, through every up and down of life. 

Mindful breathing is completely free, requires no special equipment, and can be done anywhere, at home, at school, or on the go. So it’s the perfect tool to learn and use no matter what life throws your way. 

7 Mindful Breathing Exercises Perfect for Children

1. Balloon Breath

How to do it:

1. Have your child place their hands on their belly
2. Ask them to imagine their belly is a big balloon
3. When they breathe in, tell them to imagine the balloon filling up (as their belly expands)
4. When they breathe out, have them imagine the balloon deflating (as their belly falls)
5. Guide them slowly through 5-10 gentle balloon breaths

2. Stuffed Animal Breathing

How to do it:

1. Have your child lie down and place their favorite stuffed animal on their belly
2. Ask them to focus on making their stuffed animal rise and fall gently with each breath
3. Guide them to take slow, steady breaths, watching their furry friend go up and down each time
4. Continue for a few minutes, or until they feel calmer

3. Rainbow Breath

How to do it:

1. Have your child raise their arms up as they inhale, making a rainbow shape
2. As they exhale, have them lower their arms back down
3. Optional: Have them imagine adding a different color to the rainbow with each breath
4. Repeat 5-7 times

4. Hot Chocolate Breath

How to do it:

1. Ask your child to pretend they're holding a cup of hot chocolate
2. Have them smell the imaginary chocolate with a deep inhale through their nose
3. Then have them cool it down with a gentle exhale through their mouth
4. Repeat 3-5 times

5. Five Finger Breathing

How to do it:

1. Have your child hold up one hand, spreading their fingers wide
2. Using their other hand's pointer finger, have them trace up their thumb while breathing in, and down the other side while breathing out (alternatively, you can be the one to trace)
3. Continue for each finger, moving from one finger to the next
4. Repeat going back the other way towards the thumb if desired

6. Snake Breath

How to do it:

1. Ask your child to take a deep breath in through their nose
2. Then, ask them to make a hissing sound as they breathe out slowly through their teeth, imagining that they are a snake.
3. Make it a fun challenge to make the snake’s hiss last as long as possible
4. Repeat 3-4 times

7. Flower and Candle Breath

How to do it:

1. Have your child pretend they're holding a flower in one hand and a candle in the other
2. Ask them to smell the flower in one hand with a deep inhale
3. Ask them to blow out the candle in the other hand with a gentle exhale
4. Repeat 5 times

When to use these breathing exercises

These mindful breathing exercises for kids work great:

• Before bedtime to help with sleep
• During homework time to improve focus
• When feeling overwhelmed, anxious, mad, or sad
• As part of a morning routine
• During transitions between activities
• Any time your child needs to find calm

For additional support in helping your child manage emotions and find calm, consider exploring Tapping for kids, another powerful tool that combines well with mindful breathing. Tapping is effective for everything from child anxiety to helping kids sleep better, and it’s well worth your while to explore!

This guided Tapping video for kids (led by a kid so it’s relatable!) is a great starting point. We have many sessions like these in The Tapping Solution App, where you and your child can explore a vast library of sessions from “Confidence for Kids” to “When Facing a Tough Challenge: Problem-Solving Quick Tap.”

Plus, Tapping is great for parents, too! Give a simple Tapping for Anxiety exercise a try, and see how it feels for yourself!

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Try the Tapping Solution App and lower stress in under 10 minutes

• Instantly reduce anxiety and stress
• Fall asleep faster and sleep better
• Boost productivity, stay motivated
• Relieve chronic or occasional pain
• Release anger, find peace

Tips for success with mindfulness breathing for kids

1. Set aside some time every day. Children are very accustomed to doing things every day on a routine schedule, starting from their days as an infant. Breathing time can become just like meal time, brushing teeth time, or nap time, so they’ll get into a habit of practicing it.
2. Have a special “breathing space.” Children associate their environment with specific activities. The crib is for sleeping, the high chair is for eating, the potty is for using the bathroom, and so on. A big fluffy pillow, a furry soft blanket, a colorful corner of their room, or a cozy sitting chair works great for a designated “breathing space.”
3. Make it fun. We all know how quickly new habits fizzle out when they seem like hard work. And for children especially, you want to make sure that learning how to breathe mindfully is fun! The goal is to make it relaxing and enjoyable, not just another chore. That’s why so many of the breathing exercises for kids listed above use imagination and elements of play. 🙂
4. Practice it yourself. Children learn by mimicking those around them, so why not set a good example? As a parent, teacher, or anyone who works closely with kids, using mindful breathing techniques yourself to release stress and other built up emotions won’t just provide a good example to follow, it will also do wonders for your own relaxation too. 🙂
5. Ask your kids better questions. A part of mindful breathing is actually focusing on those negative emotions you want to release, while bringing in those positive emotions you’d like to feel. So for children, a big part of that is asking them the right questions.

For example, instead of asking, “How was your day today?” try asking more questions like, “What was the most exciting part of your day? Is there one thing that made you feel sad or angry today? When that bad thing happened, how did it make you feel? If you could change one thing today that would make you feel better, what would it be?”

Questions like these will not only encourage them to identify the parts of their day to practice mindful breathing with, it will also help to develop your child’s emotional intelligence, communication skills, self-esteem, and adaptability.

6. Include some props. To add to the fun of teaching children how to breathe mindfully, include things like pinwheels, bubbles, wind chimes, or a stuffed animal “breathing buddy” they can practice with. Adding in sensory stimuli (sounds, colors, movement, touch, etc.) helps to associate the practice of mindful breathing with making things change. 
7. Offer some positive incentives. There will probably be days when it will be difficult to help your child to practice mindful breathing, so occasionally offering a positive reward like their favorite piece of fruit or extra playtime before bed will do the trick!
8. Have your kids measure their feelings before and after breathing. Just like we do with the practice of EFT Tapping, you can have your kids measure their feelings before and after the breathing exercise. If they are feeling sad, ask them on a scale of 1-10 how sad they feel. Or if they don’t know numbers yet, have them measure with their hands. This can help them become aware of how breathing can change how they feel.
9. Give lots of encouragement. Everyone thrives on encouragement, especially children! Let them know they’re doing great, even if it takes some time to get into the habit of mindful breathing. 
10. Pick up a copy of my book, My Magic Breath: Finding Calm Through Mindful Breathing. Books are a wonderful way to teach children how to do lots of things, and I just love writing children’s books. “My Magic Breath: Finding Calm Through Mindful Breathing” was created just for this purpose. With co-author Alison Taylor and beautifully illustrated by Michelle Polizzi, this picture book will help your child find a sense of calm through the magic of mindful breathing.

You can also explore our other kids books and resources on Tapping for parents, children, and teenagers here.

A breathing and tapping combo for kids, by age

Breathing calms the body first. Tapping gives your child a place to put the feeling once they're calm enough to name it. Here's how to combine the two by age, using the exercises above and the same 8 tapping points used in adult Tapping. If your child hasn't learned the points yet, these printable tapping point diagrams for kids show where each one is.

Ages 5 and under

Start with Balloon Breath, 3 to 5 rounds, hands on their belly. Once their breathing slows, add 2 or 3 tapping points (top of the head and side of the hand are easiest to reach), repeating a simple phrase in their own words: "this scared feeling" or "this mad feeling." Use a hand-span instead of a 0-10 number: hands far apart is a big feeling, hands close together is a small one.

Ages 6 to 8

Stuffed Animal Breathing or Rainbow Breath works well at this age, since kids can follow along with an object or a movement. After a few rounds, walk through the tapping points with them, asking "how big is this feeling, 0 to 10?" before and after. Keep the phrases short and match their words.

Ages 9 to 12

Five Finger Breathing gives kids this age something to trace with their hands, which helps them sit still long enough to notice what they're feeling. Follow it with a round of tapping, naming the specific situation (a test, a friend problem, a tryout) instead of tapping generally on "stress."

Ages 13 to 17

Teens often do better leading the exercise themselves. Snake Breath, or a slower breath they pick on their own, followed by a tapping round on whatever's actually going on (a friend group shift, a grade, comparing themselves to someone online) lands better than a generic "calm down" script. Have them rate the feeling before and after so they can see the shift.

Situation to exercise: a quick-reference table

What our data shows

Across 27 Tapping for Kids sessions in The Tapping Solution App, spanning 198,260 completions, the average child-reported intensity drops from 5.6 to 2.8, a 50% drop, the largest of any category in the app (app data).

• Relaxing Before Bedtime for Kids: 33,649 completions, 5.3 to 2.8 (app data).
• Test Anxiety Relief: 8,775 completions, 6.9 to 3.6 (app data).

In a separate study of 270,461 Tapping Solution App users, tapping was associated with anxiety scores dropping from 6.66 to 3.75 and stress scores from 6.91 to 3.83 on average, a 44% and 45% drop (Church & Stapleton, 2020, JMIR mHealth and uHealth). That study wasn't specific to children, but it's the closest independent look we have at the same pattern at scale.

Breathing and tapping are simple, gentle tools you can use anytime with your child, alongside guidance from their pediatrician or care team. For a full walkthrough, see our guide on how to tap with your child. If your child's stress shows up mostly around school, stress relief for children and helping school children thrive show what that can look like in a classroom.

FAQ

Can I combine mindful breathing and Tapping for kids?

Yes, and they work well together. Breathing calms the body first, which makes it easier for a child to sit still long enough to name what they're feeling. Tapping gives them a place to put that feeling once they're calm. Try a few rounds of breathing, then move into a short tapping round on whatever's actually going on.

What age can kids start combining breathing and tapping?

There's no set minimum age. Very young kids can be guided through both with simple words and a hand-span instead of a 0-10 number. As kids get older, they can learn the tapping points and breathing exercises themselves and start using both more independently.

How long should a breathing and tapping session take with my child?

It can be as short as a minute or two of breathing followed by a quick tapping round, or longer if your child wants to keep going. Follow their attention span and stop once they feel better.

What if my child likes breathing but resists tapping, or the other way around?

Let them lead. Some kids take to breathing first and warm up to tapping later, others prefer having somewhere to put the words right away. Offer both and notice which one they reach for.

Do I need to use exact words when tapping with my child?

No. Use their words, not a script. Kids often can't put an exact label on what they're feeling, so it's okay to guess, offer suggestions, or keep it playful and silly while still tapping through the points.

Is tapping safe for kids with anxiety or ADHD?

Tapping is a gentle, simple tool your child can use to manage the stress and big feelings around anxiety or ADHD, alongside guidance from their pediatrician or care team. For persistent or severe symptoms, talk to a licensed professional.

Where can I find guided breathing and tapping sessions built for my child's age?

The Tapping Solution App has sessions built for specific age bands, like Relaxing Before Bedtime for Kids and Test Anxiety Relief, plus sessions for parents supporting a child through something hard.

When should we get help beyond breathing and tapping?

If your child's anxiety, sleep trouble, or big feelings are persistent, severe, or getting in the way of daily life, keep using breathing and tapping, and bring a pediatrician or licensed mental health professional into the conversation too.

Make mindful breathing a daily habit

Remember, like any skill, mindful breathing takes practice. Start with just a few minutes a day and build from there. With consistency and patience, these exercises can become valuable tools your child can use throughout their life for better health and wellbeing.

Want guided support? Try our free Tapping meditations designed specifically for children in The Tapping Solution App, including all sorts of calming techniques designed just for young minds.

Until next time... Keep Breathing (and Tapping)!

Nick Ortner