Bedtime Breathing: 5 Calming Yoga Games for Kids at Home
Bedtime can be the hardest part of the day. Your child is tired but wired, the room is full of energy and every request for one more story feels like a negotiation. Slow, playful breathing is one of the simplest tools a parent has to help a young body switch from busy to calm, and it costs nothing.
These are the same breathing games our Yoga Bears teachers use in childcare centres across Australia every week. They work for children from about 2 to 6 years, and each one takes less than a minute.
Why Breathing Helps Children Settle
When children breathe slowly, especially with a long gentle breath out, it helps their body move out of active play mode and into rest. Young children cannot simply be told to calm down, but they can be invited to play a breathing game. The game does the calming for them.
Doing it together matters too. When your child sees you slow your own breath, they copy you. A calm adult is the most powerful calming tool in the room.
5 Bedtime Breathing Games to Try Tonight
1. Teddy Bear Breathing
Lie your child on their back and rest a favourite teddy on their tummy. Ask them to breathe in slowly and make the teddy rise up, then breathe out and let it sink down. Count three teddy rides together.
2. Birthday Candle Breathing
Hold up five fingers as birthday candles. Smell the cake with a slow breath in through the nose, then blow out one candle with a long breath out. Fold down a finger each time until all the candles are out.
3. Sleepy Bunny Breaths
Take three quick little sniffs in through the nose like a bunny, then one long, slow breath out through the mouth. Finish by curling up like a sleepy bunny under the blanket.
4. Balloon Belly
Place both hands on the belly. Breathe in and blow up a big balloon in your tummy, then breathe out slowly and let the air float away. Make each balloon a little slower than the last.
5. Bumblebee Hum
Breathe in through the nose, then hum like a bumblebee on the way out. Make the hum softer and softer each time until it is a whisper. The gentle vibration is very soothing for many children.
Tips to Make It Stick
Keep it short. Two or three rounds is enough. Stop while it is still fun.
Do it every night. Routine is what makes breathing work. After a week or two, many children start asking for their favourite game.
Dim the lights and slow your voice. Speak more slowly and quietly with each round.
Never force it. If your child would rather watch, let them. Seeing you breathe calmly still helps.
Breathing Beyond Bedtime
These games are not just for bedtime. Try them in the car, before a doctor's appointment, after a meltdown or on the walk into childcare. The more children practise when they are calm, the easier it is for them to use breathing when feelings get big.
Is Your Child Already Learning This at Childcare?
Yoga Bears Kids Yoga has run weekly yoga sessions in more than 600 early learning centres across Australia since 2019. Children learn animal poses, yoga stories and breathing games just like these, from Baby Bears (6 months) to Mighty Bears (6 years).
Ask your child's educators whether Yoga Bears visits their centre. If not, let them know about our childcare yoga program. Many centres book us because a parent asked. You can also read our guide to breathing games for rest time, or get in touch to bring Yoga Bears to your centre.
