THERAPIES & TRADITIONS · GUIDE
Playful and Child-Friendly Breathing Games: Bubble, Balloon and Hot-Chocolate Breathing
Gentle, play-based breathing games for children described by NHS and hospital sources, which popular versions to leave out, what the few child studies found, and when to ask a clinician.
Content last updated . This page has not been medically reviewed.
Back to Breathwork & RelaxationCheck first: ask your child's clinician before starting if your child has asthma or another lung condition, a heart condition, epilepsy, or ongoing anxiety or panic. Games never replace an asthma action plan or any medicine.
Emergency signs in a child: the NHS lists difficulty breathing with grunting noises or the stomach sucking in under the ribs, lips or skin turning very pale, blue or grey, sudden confusion, or being limp and not responding as usual. [1] In the US call 911.
Games described by health sources
These come from a UK NHS trust's children's occupational therapy handout, a Mayo Clinic children's handout and a UK children's hospital leaflet. They are descriptions of what the sources say, not prescriptions.| Game | How the source describes it | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Bubbles | The visual reward and immediate result help a child grasp the idea; an adult can blow bubbles and let the child try to blow them away if the child cannot blow yet | [2] |
| Wind on the hands | Take turns gently blowing on each other's hand and talk about how it feels | [2] |
| Belly balloon | Pretend there is a balloon in your belly that gets bigger as you breathe in and smaller as you breathe out | [3][4] |
| Stuffed-animal ride | Lie down and rest a small stuffed animal or piece of paper on the belly; watch it rise as you breathe in and sink as you breathe out | [4][2] |
| Hoberman sphere | Hold the expanding ball: open it while breathing in, close it while breathing out | [2] |
| Animal sounds | Encourage a long exhale through animal noises, singing or humming | [2] |
| Tracing a shape | Trace a hand, star or figure-eight with a finger while breathing in on one part and out on the other | [2] |
The Mayo handout adds that the top of the chest should stay fairly still, and suggests letting the belly and body relax for a few seconds before starting again. [4] It also says to practise until it is easy and relaxing. [4]
Hot-chocolate breathing. This is a popular name, often for smelling something warm and then blowing to cool it. None of the sources we read describe it, so it is not described here. Proper evidence not found.
Popular versions we leave out
- Forceful blowing. One parenting page suggests blowing out pretend finger "birthday candles" by breathing out forcefully through the mouth. [5] Gentle breathing is the goal; forceful exhaling is not.
- Breath holds. The same page's "square breathing" includes holding the breath for a count of four. [5] Some hospital handouts also include short holds. This site does not give breath-holding instructions, for children or adults.
- Long counts. If counting is hard, adjust the timing to suit the child; the aim is only slower, deeper-than-usual breathing. [3]
Tips from the sources
- Practise during calm moments, together, not for the first time in the middle of a meltdown. [5]
- Keep it playful. If your child cannot yet blow, show them how first. [2]
- Stop and return to normal breathing if your child feels dizzy, tingly, faint, upset or short of breath. Overbreathing can cause lightheadedness and tingling. [6]
- Do not play breathing games in or near water or a bath.
- Never use the game to push a child through a panic or an asthma flare. Follow their action plan and get help.
What the research shows
Do slow-breathing games help in everyday life?
MixedIn a micro-randomized trial of 171 children aged 9 to 13, a video-guided slow-breathing exercise had no immediate effects on negative mood or relaxation compared with both control conditions; relaxation was higher than the passive control when children were more worried than usual, but not higher than the active control [7]
Dental visits
Promising but limited; a small trial; behavior was rated by observers, and the abstract does not say whether they were blindedA randomized trial of 84 children aged 7 to 13 reported lower anxiety indicators, blood pressure and pulse with deep breathing than usual care [8]
Relaxation for children generally
Insufficient evidenceNCCIH says some relaxation techniques may help children with pain, anxiety, headaches or needle procedures, but much of the research was low quality [9]
Breathing in school or home settings
Not a test of any one gameA narrative review lists breathing practices among many stress-management techniques used by minors [10]
Nobody can be blinded to a breathing game, and many children's outcomes are rated by parents or observers who know what was done. We found no trial of bubble, balloon or stuffed-animal games specifically, so Proper evidence not found for those exact games; we searched PubMed for breathing exercises in children and read the reviews and trials above.
Related pages
See breathing exercises for children and teens for school programs, therapies for children and older adults for general cautions, and breathing exercises for asthma if your child has asthma. Adult basics are in gentle breathing and relaxation practices and the Breathwork and Relaxation hub.Frequently asked questions
At what age can children try breathing games?
The sources we read do not set an age. One NHS trust handout says children who cannot yet blow may need to learn the idea and motor control first, starting with bubbles and modeling. [2]
Do breathing games reduce anxiety in children?
Results are mixed. A trial of 171 children found no immediate effect on negative mood or relaxation overall, and a dental-visit trial of 84 children found lower anxiety indicators. [7][8]
Is it safe to ask a child to take deep breaths?
Keep it gentle and playful and stop if the child feels dizzy, tingly or faint, since overbreathing can cause those symptoms. [6]
Should children hold their breath in a game?
This site does not give breath-holding instructions. Some popular pages include holds, but we leave them out. [5]
When should I talk to a doctor?
If your child has trouble breathing, frequent worry or panic, or asthma, speak with a clinician; a game is not a treatment. NCCIH notes rare reports of worse symptoms in some people with certain psychiatric conditions or a history of trauma. [9]
References
- NHS (UK), Shortness of breath. Page last reviewed 30 January 2024. Read 2026-10-22.
- East London NHS Foundation Trust, Children's Occupational Therapy Service (Specialist Children's and Young People's Services), Breathing: play ideas, handout dated 2023. Read 2026-10-22.
- Evelina London Children's Hospital (Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust), Relaxation for your child, leaflet published December 2021, review date December 2024. Read 2026-10-22.
- Mayo Clinic Children's Center, Barbara Woodward Lips Patient Education Center, How to Relax When You Need to Relax (patient handout MC2923, revision code rev1117). Read 2026-10-22.
- PBS KIDS for Parents, Breathing Exercises to Help Calm Young Children (parenting media article, not a clinical source). Read 2026-10-22.
- MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia (US National Library of Medicine), Hyperventilation. Review date 7/23/2024. Read 2026-10-22.
- The effectiveness of a slow-paced diaphragmatic breathing exercise in children's daily life: a micro-randomized trial, Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology 2023 (PMID 35704507). Read 2026-10-22.
- Clinical effectiveness of diaphragmatic breathing for dental anxiety in 7- to 13-year-old children, European Archives of Paediatric Dentistry 2026 (PMID 41637045). Read 2026-10-22.
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH, US NIH), Relaxation Techniques: What You Need To Know. Read 2026-10-22.
- Stress management methods in children and adolescents: past, present, and future, Hormone Research in Paediatrics 2023 (PMID 36096110; narrative review). Read 2026-10-22.