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Breathing Exercises for Kids

Four guided breathing exercises with a Pal leading each round. Press start and breathe along — the light grows blue as you breathe in, holds on purple, and fades to green as you breathe out.

  • Four exercisesBalloon breathing, bunny sniffs, 4-7-8 and box breathing.
  • A Pal leads the roundPick Yoyo, Bonnie, Kyle or Ted and follow along together.
  • Nothing to installIt runs in the browser, with no account and no ads.
Open the full PlaygroundWorks on any phone, tablet or classroom screen.

Breathing exercises that actually work with children

Slow breathing is one of the few calming tools a child can carry everywhere. The hard part is not the technique — it is that "take a deep breath" means very little in the middle of a meltdown. Children need something to follow: a light, a shape, a voice counting with them. That is all this tool is.

The four exercises

  • Balloon breathing (4-2-6) — fill the belly like a balloon and let it down slowly. The easiest place to start, and the one most three-year-olds manage.
  • Bunny sniffs — three quick sniffs in, one long blow out. Good for a child who is already crying and cannot manage a long inhale.
  • 4-7-8 — in for four, hold for seven, out for eight. A longer exhale than inhale, usually used at bedtime.
  • Box breathing (4-4-4-4) — four equal sides. Steadying before homework, a test or a game.

Which one, and when

For bedtime, pick a pattern with a long exhale — 4-7-8 or balloon. For focus before schoolwork, box breathing. For a child who is already upset, start with bunny sniffs, because short sniffs are possible when a long inhale is not.

Teach it when nobody is upset

This is the part most guides skip. A breathing exercise introduced during a tantrum feels like something being done to a child. Introduced on a calm Tuesday afternoon, as a game with a koala on the screen, it becomes something they already know how to do — and can reach for later. Practise it two or three times when things are fine, and only then use it when they are not.

By age

Around 3–4, one or two rounds of balloon breathing is plenty. From 5–6, most children can follow a hold. From about 7, 4-7-8 and box breathing work as they are written. More detail in our breathing techniques by age guide.

Practise when calm

Two or three rounds on an ordinary day beats one round mid-meltdown.

Do it together

Children copy breathing before they follow instructions about it.

Keep it short

Three to five rounds is a full session for a young child.

Questions parents and teachers ask

Is this free to use?

Yes — it runs in your browser, with no account, no app and no ads.

What age are these exercises for?

Balloon breathing and bunny sniffs work from around 3. 4-7-8 and box breathing suit roughly 6 and up, and adults use both as they are.

My child will not join in. What now?

Do it yourself beside them without asking anything. Most children join within a round or two. Pushing turns it into a demand, which is the opposite of the point.

How many rounds should we do?

Three to five. If a child is enjoying it, more is fine; if they are restless after two, stop there and try again another day.

Is it safe?

Slow breathing is safe for healthy children. If anyone feels dizzy, stop and breathe normally — holds should never feel like a struggle. Talk to your doctor first if your child has a respiratory condition.

Do you make something for this without a screen?

Yes — Breathing Pal is a silicone light that runs the same patterns with one button, so kids can use it at bedtime without a device in the room.

All FAQs

The same breathing, without a screen

Meet the Breathing Pals