5 Breathing Techniques for Kids With Anxiety
Kids feel anxiety too (before school, at bedtime, after a scare), and 'calm down' helps them about as much as it helps adults. Breathing exercises give a child something concrete to do. The trick is making them playful.
Five easy breathing exercises for anxious kids: balloon breaths, smell the flower and blow the candle, bunny breaths (three sniffs in, one long breath out), star breathing, and teddy on the tummy. Turn each into a game and practise when your child is calm, so it's familiar when they need it.
Keep it simple and fun
Children respond to breathing when it feels like a game, not a chore. Turn each technique into an image they can picture.
1. Balloon breaths
Hands on the belly, imagine inflating a balloon on the in-breath, then slowly letting the air out. Big belly in, slow deflate out.
2. Smell the flower, blow the candle
Breathe in through the nose like smelling a flower, out through the mouth like gently blowing out a candle. Simple, and the long exhale does the calming.
3. Bunny breaths
Three quick sniffs in through the nose, one long breath out. Kids love the bunny part, and it resets a worked-up breath.
4. Star breathing
Trace a star, or their own hand, with a finger: breathe in going up a point, out going down. A visual path keeps them engaged.
5. Teddy on the tummy
At bedtime, lie down with a stuffed animal on the belly and watch it rise and fall slowly. Great for winding down.
A note for parents
Practise these when your child is calm, not only mid-meltdown, so the tool is familiar when they need it. Breathe along with them; your calm is contagious. If anxiety is persistent or intense, check in with a paediatrician or counsellor.
Common questions
How do you teach a child to breathe when anxious?
Make it a game with a picture they can imagine, like inflating a balloon or blowing out a candle, and practise together when they're calm.
What age can kids start breathing exercises?
Even young children can often manage simple ones like balloon breaths or smell the flower, blow the candle. Keep them short and playful.
When should I get help for my child's anxiety?
If anxiety is persistent, intense or gets in the way of school, sleep or friendships, talk to a paediatrician or counsellor.
Need it right now? Open the quick-start page: The best breathing exercise for anxiety.
This guide is for general wellbeing and is not medical advice. If you have a heart or lung condition, are pregnant, or your symptoms are severe, talk to a doctor.