Balloon breathing

How do you do balloon breathing?

Press Start and watch the balloon fill and empty. Breathe with it, hands on your tummies.

How do you teach belly breathing to a child?

Lie down side by side and put a small teddy on each tummy. Breathe slowly and watch the teddies ride up and down. Lying down makes it easiest: the tummy moves on its own, and a child can see it working. Once they’ve felt it, it works sitting up too, hands on the tummy instead of a teddy.

Why do kids breathe with their shoulders?

When children are upset, or when they’re told to “take a deep breath”, many gulp air high in the chest and lift their shoulders. It looks like a big breath, but it’s a quick one. Balloon breathing moves the breath low and slow, which is why it’s often the first breath children are taught.

Can toddlers do balloon breathing?

From about 3, with you. Skip the counting. Sit together, hands on tummies, and say “blow up the balloon… and let it go” slowly while you do it. They’ll copy your face and your pace, which is reason enough to practise your own with Breathform. A real balloon helps: blow one up slowly in front of them, then let the air hiss out, and do the same with your breath. Very young children might find smell the flower, blow out the candle easier still.

Can grown-ups do balloon breathing too?

Yes: it’s belly breathing, one of the most common ways adults are taught to slow down. Do it alongside your child and you’re both breathing the same rhythm. Grown-ups can slow it right down, to 6 seconds in and 6 out.

Balloon breathing hasn’t been studied in children as a technique of its own. It’s a picture for belly breathing, which is taught widely in schools, sport and therapy. For more breaths like it, see breathing exercises for kids, animal breaths for kids or, at the end of the day, breathing exercises for kids to sleep.

Questions people ask

How many balloons should we blow up?

Five is a good number for most children: about 35 seconds, short enough to finish happily. Little ones can stop at three. If your child likes it, let them choose a colour for each balloon and say it as they breathe in. At bedtime, slow down and let the last balloon take the longest to float down.

What is hot air balloon breathing?

It’s the standing version with arms. Breathe in as you lift your arms out and up into a big round balloon over your head, then breathe out slowly as they float back down. Some classrooms do it with hands on heads, opening the elbows as the balloon fills. It’s a good one for wiggly bodies before sitting down to work.

My child puffs out their tummy without breathing. Is that OK?

It’s very common at first, and it means they’ve understood where the balloon is. Gently swap the game: ask them to make the hands rise by smelling something nice, slowly, through their nose. The breath does the lifting. A teddy on the tummy, lying down, makes it easier to feel the difference between pushing and breathing.

Is balloon breathing the same as belly breathing?

Yes. Balloon breathing is belly breathing, or diaphragmatic breathing, with a picture a child can hold in their head. The breath goes low, the tummy rises, the shoulders stay put. For the grown-up version and how it works, see diaphragmatic breathing.