7 Fun Breathing Exercises for Kids That Actually WORK!
/If you are considering the benefits of a deep breathing practice or want to learn more about breathing exercise for kids that can promote calm and reduce anxiety, you’re at the right place!
In Yo Re Mi we use our breath for all sorts of things: shouting, hissing like snakes, roaring like lions, whispering like leaves. We practice deep belly breathing exercises with our Hoberman Sphere, also known as our trusty “breathing ball,” and we modulate our breaths to gust feathers and to float flowers.
We also sing...a lot. Through singing, we learn to control and manipulate our breathing. When we hold a long note, we exhale slowly and completely. Then our body automatically takes a long, deep breath in.
Try this simple breathing exercise:
Place one hand on your belly and one on your chest. Experiment with which hand feels best in which place. Once you’ve figured that out, come to stillness.
Allow your eyes to drift shut...and take a deep breath, in through your nose, filling up your lungs and feeling your belly and ribs expand. Exhale, emptying everything out.
Now, do that again….and again.
How do you feel?
Breathing exercises are a powerful way to teach social emotional learning (SEL), incorporate calming activities into your child’s daily routine, and support a healthy immune system!
Learn more about the best (and fun) breathing exercises we use with children — that are effective enough to use with adults too, so the whole family can benefit! Here are 7 breathing exercises for kids that will promote calm, energize, and reduce anxiety.
The key is to practice breathing techniques when things are calm so we are already familiar enough to use them we are stressed, emotional or overwhelmed.
1. Deep Breath Exercise for Calming
Children as young as 18 months are able to notice and begin to name emotions. By two years they are able to self regulate and learn to control their emotions by connecting to their breath. Has your toddler ever had a meltdown in Trader Joe’s? Try some deep breathing exercises together. I’ve had a meltdown myself in that line.
If you want to exhale tension and negative energy, deep breathing is one of the best exercises to try.
In yogic thinking, energy or “prana” travels on the breath. When we take a deep belly breath, we are inviting new, healthy energy into our bodies, and when we exhale, we are removing old, stale energy. For this reason there is an entire arm of yoga dedicated to breathing practices, also known as Pranayama.
Try deep belly breathing in the video below:
2. Dragon Breaths to Release Tension
Who knew Dragon’s Breath could be the key to releasing tension and getting our blow flowing?
Different breathing techniques offer different benefits. For example, on a frigid winter’s day I may use heating Dragon Breaths with a class to warm up and get our blood flowing.
Try Dragon Breathing:
Sit comfortably on the ground or on a chair. The key here is to have a nice long spine. Take a deep breath in through your nose. Open your eyes and mouth wide, stick out your tongue, and breath out through your mouth. Is it hot in here?
3. Taco Breath Cool Down
When energy is very high and it’s time to cool down and relax our bodies, I may have children practice cooling sitali, or as I like to call it, taco breathing.
Find a comfortable seated position with a nice long spine. Relax your shoulders. Curl the edges of your tongue together like a little taco.
Disclaimer: this is not genetically possible for everyone, so if you or your kiddo’s tongue doesn’t curl, just make a little round straw with your lips.
Take a deep breath in through your taco or straw. Hold the breath for a second, then gently breathe out through your nose. I feel calmer already.
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Kid-tested tools for stress relief:
- The Yo Re Mi app's library of music, yoga and mindfulness videos is the perfect way to support online classrooms, distance learning, and homeschooling. Try it free today!
4. Partner Breaths
We love partner yoga poses, and partner breathing exercises just as much! Breathing with a partner fosters teamwork and communication and enhances little learner’s SEL skills. Why not take a breathing break together?
Try Partner Breathing Exercises:
Sit back to back with your child and see if you can feel each-other’s backs and ribs expanding with each breath. To take it up a notch, try this breath work in partner pose, “lizard on a rock.”
Sit back to back and begin to notice your breathing. Then have one partner lean forward while the other leans back, opening their chest and expanding their ribs. Take a few breaths and then switch.
5. Ch-ch-ch Train Breaths!
Breathing exercises for children can be fun and silly too. At Yo Re Mi, we love to make rhythmic sounds with our breath.
The ch-ch-ch of a train closely resembles the sharp, staccato exhales in a yoga breathing called "breath of fire” and is a great breathing technique for kids! ALL ABOARD!
Kids Yoga Poses to Try:
- If your child loves creating a train with these rhythmic breaths and forward fold stretches, try these awesome transportation yoga poses next.
6. Rising Breathing Buddies
Breathing buddies are a great tool to help your child connect with their breath and wind down after a long day. Place a favorite stuffed animal on their belly. Have them take a deep breath in and watch their buddy rise up, up, up and then down, down, down as they breathe.
7. Breathing Ball Visualization (Hoberman Sphere)
We use breath with the children to connect with our emotional lives and to create clarity of mind. We learn to name different emotions and then self-regulate. When it’s time to cool down, or if we are upset in class we pass around our breathing ball and everyone has a turn to lead the breath.
Take a few breaths along with this awesome breathing ball... Just 3-5 minutes of conscious breathing can shift our energy, mood and outlook.
visualize your breaths with the breathing ball:
Regular mindful breathing practice teaches emotional awareness and introspection from an early developmental stage. That, in turn, strengthens social and emotional intelligence and helps our children grow to be strong, healthy, compassionate people.
Do you have a favorite breathing practice that always works for you?
Save this article for later and don’t forget to download the Yo Re Mi app for children’s mindfulness and musical yoga videos.
