5 Simple Breathing Exercises to Help Kids Calm Down Fast
, 3 min reading time
When big feelings take over—whether it’s anxiety, anger, or overwhelm—one of the most powerful (and often underrated) tools we can offer our kids is right under their nose: the breath.
Breathing exercises help children tap into their inner calm, shift out of fight-or-flight mode, and reconnect with the present moment. The best part? They work quickly, and they’re easy to learn—even for the littlest ones.
Here are 5 gentle, playful breathing exercises you can try with your child today:
1. 🌬️ Balloon Belly
Best for: Toddlers and young children
Ask your child to place their hands on their belly. As they breathe in slowly through their nose, tell them to imagine their belly is blowing up like a big balloon. On the exhale, the balloon deflates.
“Let’s make your belly balloon grow… and now let’s slowly let the air out…”
💛 This helps kids become aware of deep belly breathing—great for calming the nervous system.
2. 🐝 Bumblebee Breaths
Best for: Releasing stress and quieting the mind
Have your child close their eyes, breathe in through the nose, and then hum softly on the exhale like a buzzing bee: “mmmmm”.
“Let’s buzz out all the busy thoughts.”
💛 This gentle vibration calms the brain and body, and kids love the silly sound.
3. 🖐️ Five-Finger Breathing
Best for: Focusing attention and grounding
Ask your child to hold out one hand like a star. With the pointer finger of their other hand, trace up and down each finger slowly—breathe in as they trace up, breathe out as they trace down.
“Let’s trace and breathe together, nice and slow…”
💛 This combines breath with touch and movement—perfect for bringing attention back to the body.
4. 🕯️ Smell the Flower, Blow the Candle
Best for: Quick resets in stressful moments
Have your child pretend they’re holding a flower in one hand and a birthday candle in the other.
“Smell the flower…” (inhale through the nose)
“Blow out the candle…” (exhale through the mouth)
💛 The simple visual makes it easy to remember and fun to repeat.
5. 🐢 Turtle Breaths
Best for: Slowing everything down
Tell your child to imagine they’re a turtle pulling their head into their shell as they breathe in… and slowly peeking it out again as they breathe out.
“Turtles move slow and steady. Let’s take turtle breaths together.”
💛 This one is especially soothing before bedtime (even for us parents!) or when your child is overstimulated.
Breathe First, Then Talk
Teaching our kids to pause and breathe gives them a lifelong tool to navigate big emotions. And the more you practice before the meltdown, the easier it is for them to remember these tools during it. Remember telling a child who has never practiced breathing to take a deep breath while he or she is having big emotions is unlikely to get them to want to engage- so try and practice before hand so that its familiar when they need it.
So don’t worry about doing it perfectly. Make it fun. Let them lead sometimes. And most of all—breathe with them.
Looking for more ways to help your child calm down and build emotional strength?
🧚🏽 Explore our affirmation cards and mindfulness tools »
Written with love and gratitude,
Maricela 💛
Maricela Robles is the founder of Meditation Fairy, a mindfulness brand dedicated to helping children build emotional resilience, confidence, and inner calm through affirmation cards, breathwork, and imaginative tools. Her mission is to empower kids and parents with practical, playful mindfulness tools that create lasting change—one mindful moment at a time.