28 Printable Breathing Exercises for Kids

Give your child the gift of mindful breathing with these printable breathing exercise cards featuring 28 breathing exercises for kids.

Why? Because breathing has to be the handiest tool we can gift our child for their feelings and emotions toolkit, after all your breath goes everywhere with you!

28 Printable Breathing Exercise Cards for Kids

Why are breathing exercises important for kids?

Teaching children mindful breathing provides them with a simple but effective strategy for slowing down – emotionally, mentally and physically, which in turn provides them with space to notice how they’re feeling and/or the opportunity to calm down in the face of overwhelming emotions.

It’s not about avoiding big feelings. Instead breathing exercises can help a child feel more in control and ready to constructively process their feelings, or the stressful situation they find themselves in. The exercises help children develop greater emotional awareness and coping skills.

Breathing also helps kids;

• Feel happier
• Reduce stress and tension
• To lower a high heart rate and blood pressure
• Improve focus and concentration (which makes our breathing cards an awesome tool for the classroom!)

How to teach mindful breathing

Our printable cards feature 28 simple breathing exercises that are perfect for use with kids at home or school. These exercises can be used as part of their calm down plan, as a prior-to-sleep or rest relaxation activity or as a brain break exercise to refocus and re-fresh between lessons or learning activities, or before an important assessment.

Each breathing technique has been specifically chosen for children –  they are fun and engaging for children (and adults) of all ages – we’d say 3 to 103! Our guess is they’ll particularly enjoy the Superhero, Snake and Bumblebee Breathing exercises…though we have a hard time choosing because they are all super fun.

Each of the 28 printable breathing cards includes one breathing exercise. The card includes a bright, bold image to act as a visual prompt alongside simple, clear instructions for performing the technique. These are techniques that kids can literally take anywhere (only one uses a small, soft toy as a prop, the others do not require any accessories).

The 28 exercises included are;

Bunny breathing Snake breathing Butterfly breathing Eagle breathing Rainbow breathing Superhero breathing Grateful breathing Monkey breathing Golden glow breathing Kindness breathing Blue sky breathing Ear rub & breathe Bear breathing Hot air balloon breathing

Pretzel breathing Ocean breathing Infinity breathing Nostril breathing 5 senses breathing Lion breathing Back to back breathing Tummy breathing Elephant breathing Bubble breathing Balloon breathing Shoulder roll breathing Take 5 breathing Bumblebee breathing

Tips for Using the Breathing Exercises Cards

• Available for immediate download, simply print them cards and laminate them for durability and then you are ready to begin.
• Introduce the exercises one at a time so that each child has time to master a technique before trying the next.
• Choose a time when you are not rushing to be somewhere else, and an environment that is quiet and comfortable. Some of the breathing techniques included can be performed standing up, others sitting or lying down.
• Teach children breathing techniques when they are calm, not upset.
• Revisit each technique regularly. You are helping your child to develop an important skill they will then be able to put to use whenever they find themselves overwhelmed by big emotions.