Bedtime Breathing Exercises for Kids: Free Ways to Wind Down

Bedtime breathing exercises cost nothing, and you don’t need an app for them. The two most useful are balloon breaths, where your child’s belly puffs out like a small balloon on each breath in, and a four-breath wind-down in bed with one hand on the belly. Both come straight from KidsHealth’s pages for children. The AAP’s HealthyChildren site suggests making deep breathing part of the daily bedtime routine to help children wind down. That’s guidance, not a promise: no page I loaded says breathing will put a child to sleep. It works best as the quiet last step of a slow evening, practiced in daytime first.

What the pediatric pages actually say Verified October 2026

I loaded each of these pages on October 19, 2026.

AAP / HealthyChildren. The Just Breathe article says: “Try incorporating deep breathing into your children’s daily bedtime routine—it can help them wind down for the night.” On meditation in children more broadly, it says “there is also evidence to suggest it can help with anxiety, depression, school performance, sleep” and other problems. “Evidence to suggest” is the page’s own wording. It’s a hopeful finding, not a proven one. The same page gives time frames: “a few minutes per day” for preschoolers and “3-10 minutes twice a day” for gradeschool children.
KidsHealth (Nemours), written for kids. Be Mindful to Stress Less lists “at bedtime to help you get a peaceful night’s sleep” as one time to use mindful breathing. It also makes the point most parents miss: it’s “good to learn how be mindful at a time when you’re not in a stressful rush.”
HealthyChildren’s bedtime-battles page. The toddler bedtime tips warn that “active play may make your child too excited to sleep” and suggest a story, quiet music or a bath before bed instead.

So breathing belongs at the slow end of the evening. It won’t fix a bedtime that’s too late or a child who is still bouncing off the walls.

Four breathing exercises that cost nothing

1. Balloon breaths. KidsHealth’s guide to helping kids stay calm in storms gives the wording: “Breathe in through your nose, letting your belly puff out like a small balloon filling up with air. Breathe out through your nose, letting your belly flatten.” Ask a young child to blow up the balloon in their tummy slowly, then let it go down slowly.

2. Four easy breaths in bed. KidsHealth’s Eat, Play, Sleep page spells out a bedtime version: “Find a comfy spot and snuggle in. Get quiet and still. If you want, put your hand on your belly or on your chest. Take 4 nice, easy breaths, one by one.” It suggests saying a word in your head on each breath in, such as “calm,” “cozy” or “snuggle,” then taking four more, and to “count the breaths on your fingers if you want.” Counting on fingers gives the exercise a clear end: one hand of breaths, then sleep.

3. A sigh-out breath. The kids’ mindfulness page says you can “sigh out some stress” on the out-breath, making “a sound like ‘hahhh’ or ‘hmmm’.” It can set off giggles the first few times, so try it at the start of the routine rather than at lights-out.

4. A breathing buddy. Put a small soft toy your child already owns on their belly while they lie down, and have them watch it rise and fall. It’s the balloon idea made visible, and it costs nothing.

A slower wind-down, with breathing as the last step

Where breathing sits in the evening matters. KidsHealth’s Eat, Play, Sleep page tells kids to do “quiet play or slow yoga before bedtime to help you wind down for sleep.” A free version of that evening looks like this:

An hour before bed: screens off and active play over. (My screens before bed guide covers what the AAP says about that hour.)
Bath, teeth, pajamas: the usual steps, in the same order each night.
A book or a short story. If you use audio, my free bedtime audiobooks guide covers the library apps and how to keep a story from turning into an all-night habit.
Lights low, then breathing: two or three rounds of balloon breaths or four easy breaths, then goodnight. For a preschooler, the AAP’s “a few minutes per day” is the right size, so keep it short.

Practice in the daytime first. KidsHealth’s advice to learn it when you’re “not in a stressful rush” applies at bedtime too. Try balloon breaths after lunch or in the car for a few days. Then at bedtime it’s a familiar game, not a new demand.

Slow your own breathing too. It’s easier to lead balloon breaths when you aren’t rushing yourself. If you want a guide, Betteroo’s free mindfulness tools for moms include a breathing pacer that runs in the browser. The page describes it as “no app, no signup, no audio course.”

Free breathing apps and resources Verified October 2026

I checked each listing on October 19, 2026, and both apps were free that day. All of these run on a phone or tablet. The AAP says screens should be off an hour before bed, so use them to learn the breathing in the afternoon, then do it screen-free at bedtime.

Breathe, Think, Do with Sesame (ages 2-5). The App Store listing shows it as Free, sold by Sesame Workshop, with no in-app purchases listed. It is “intended for parents and caregivers to use with their young children (ages 2-5)” and includes a “Breathe with the Monster” activity “to help children practice taking deep breaths to calm down.” It’s bilingual, in English and Spanish. Two caveats: its version history shows the last update in July 2022, so check it runs on your device, and I could only verify the Apple listing, so I’m not claiming an Android version.

Smiling Mind (ages 5-12 and up). Smiling Mind is an Australian not-for-profit, and its app page says the app “has remained free for individuals and families to access for over 12 years,” funded by donations and partners. The US App Store listing shows it as Free, with “children’s collections suitable for ages 5 to 12” and content on sleep and calm. Because it’s audio, you can play it from a phone you take out of the room with you.

KidsHealth’s breathing recordings (older kids). KidsHealth’s Breathing Basics page has free audio of belly breathing and finger-count breathing. It’s written for teens, so it suits a tween, not a preschooler.

When breathing isn’t the fix

Breathing helps a child who is ready for sleep let go of the day. It won’t override timing.

For school-age kids, KidsHealth’s Eat, Play, Sleep page says “most kids need between 9–12 hours of sleep each night,” and suggests working out bedtime by counting back “about 10 or 11 hours” from wake-up time. If bedtime is too late, a calm routine won’t make up the difference.
For babies and young toddlers, a different timing problem looks like a failed wind-down: falling asleep easily, then waking fully 30 to 60 minutes later. Betteroo’s explainer on false starts at bedtime says most families fix it by “adjusting the last wake window before bed, tightening the bedtime routine, or shifting bedtime by 15 to 30 minutes.” A breathing game can’t fix that.

And if worries are keeping your child up most nights, KidsHealth’s kids’ page says to talk it over with a parent, teacher or counselor. Mention it to your pediatrician too.

Free — verified Calm at bedtime, awake an hour later? When a calm wind-down still doesn't hold, the schedule is often the missing piece. Betteroo's free 2-minute quiz builds a sleep plan around your child's age and days. Take the free sleep quiz →

FAQ: bedtime breathing exercises for kids

What age can kids start breathing exercises?

The free Sesame app is aimed at ages 2-5, and the AAP suggests “a few minutes per day” for preschoolers. Do it with them rather than explaining it.

Do breathing exercises help kids sleep?

The AAP suggests deep breathing as part of the bedtime routine to help children wind down. It describes the research on children’s meditation and sleep as “evidence to suggest,” so it’s promising, not proven. Expect a calmer last few minutes, not a guaranteed fast sleep.

Are there free breathing apps for kids?

Yes. On October 19, 2026, Breathe, Think, Do with Sesame and Smiling Mind were both listed as free on the US App Store. Use them in the daytime to learn, and keep bedtime screen-free.