Droply Droply Kids
Breathing Exercises for Kids
Breathe in as the flower opens, breathe out as it closes. Choose a pattern, press start and breathe along with your child for two or three minutes. It's the same flower as in the Droply Kids app.
Ready when you are
How to do it
Flower breathing in four steps
Sit or lie down together. You go first; children copy what they see.
Get comfy
Lie down or sit with a straight back. Put one hand on your tummy so you can feel it move.
Smell the flower
Breathe in slowly through the nose for about 4 seconds, as if smelling a flower, while the flower on the screen opens.
Blow out the candle
Breathe out gently through the mouth for about 6 seconds, as if blowing out a candle slowly, while the flower closes.
Do it again
Five to ten breaths, or two to three minutes. Then lie still for a moment and notice how the body feels.
Breathing out longer than breathing in is what makes it calming. Never force or hold the breath for long.
Four breathing exercises kids actually like
Flower breathing. Smell a flower (in through the nose), blow out a candle (out through the mouth). The longer out-breath helps the body relax. Good from about age 3.
Balloon breathing. Hands on the tummy. Breathe in and make the tummy big like a balloon, hold for two counts, then let the air out slowly. Children like seeing their hands rise and fall.
Rainbow breathing. One breath per colour of the rainbow: breathe in red, breathe out red, breathe in orange… Imagining each colour keeps a busy mind occupied. Seven calm breaths, and it's done.
Square breathing. Also called box breathing: in for 4, hold for 4, out for 4, hold for 4, like drawing the sides of a square. Better for older children (about 8+) who can count along.
When to use breathing exercises
Bedtime is the obvious moment: after the story, with the lights low, a few minutes of slow breathing helps the body catch up with the routine. But breathing exercises work best when they are practised at calm times, too, so a child can reach for them when they're upset, before a test or after a nightmare.
Keep it short and playful. Two or three minutes is plenty. If a child doesn't want to, don't push. Doing it yourself, out loud, is often the best invitation.
Breathe mode in Droply Kids
In the app the same flower blooms and closes with each breath, and a soft vibration marks every breath, so a child can follow it with their eyes closed. There are also 26 guided meditations for kids, including Rainbow Breathing, Balloon Belly, Hot Cocoa Breath and Square Breathing, narrated by a calm voice. Breathing sessions of up to 3 minutes are free; longer sessions are part of Droply Premium.
Questions about breathing exercises for kids
What is the best breathing exercise for kids?
For young children, flower or balloon breathing: they are simple, visual and have a long out-breath, which is what calms the body. Older children often like square breathing because they can count.
How long should a breathing exercise last?
Two to three minutes, or five to ten breaths. Short and regular works better than long and rare.
At what age can children do breathing exercises?
From about age 3, with a simple picture like a flower or a balloon and an adult breathing along. Counting-based exercises like square breathing suit children from about 8.
What is rainbow breathing?
A breathing exercise where a child takes one slow breath for each colour of the rainbow, imagining the colour as they breathe in and out. It combines slow breathing with a gentle imagination task.
Tonight, let bedtime be the calm part of the day
A story, a short meditation and a soothing sound, one after another, then a gentle fade-out. Free download, no ads, works offline.
Droply Kids is for iPhone and iPad. Scan the QR code or open this page on your iPhone.
iPhone and iPad · iOS 18.6 or later
Free download with free stories, meditations and sounds. Droply Premium is optional.
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