Candy hearts and valentines are flowing in February, but love isn’t the only big feeling kids need to navigate. That’s why this month is the perfect time to incorporate mindfulness and breathing exercises to help them manage stress and overwhelm when things get tough. And parents and caregivers—and teachers too!—can benefit from the reminder to take a step back and breathe. After all, adults who model self-soothing, calming behavior for children can help themselves and kids learn to deal with stressful situations with mindfulness techniques anyone can use. Read on for STEMful’s tips to incorporate deep-breathing exercises adapted for kids so they can have fun and feel safe and supported while doing it.
The Basics of Stress and the Brain
You don’t have to be a neuroscientist to know that when stress kicks in, the mind and the heart race, and emotions can spiral fast. Panic and anxiety are scary feelings at any age, but as adults, we’ve had more time to process and understand those out-of-control body cues. For kids, though, those sensations can be extra scary, so it’s helpful to talk about why they’re happening and what to do when they hit.
Fight, Flight, or Freeze: A Kid-Friendly Explainer
The next time your child starts showing the early signs of anxiety, becomes upset, or begins to act out, take a few moments to explain what’s happening inside the body before a full-on tantrum ignites, if possible. First ask them to close their eyes and imagine they have eyes and ears that can move around inside the body. What do they see? Hear? Feel? Explain the following:
When we feel frightened, stressed, anxious, or angry, all the intense emotions, our brain tells us we’re in danger and tries to keep us safe by warning our body to run or fight and, in some cases, freeze. That was helpful to our ancestors out hunting for dinner thousands of years ago. But today, we might feel the same fear or panic before a test, when we get a bad grade, or when we don’t get something we really wanted.
But what’s happening inside?
First, the adrenal glands—which are little triangles on top of our kidneys, inside our bodies—kick in. When that happens, we feel what is called an adrenaline rush. That rush might feel like flutters in the stomach, or like we’ve had too much sugar or a chocolaty treat. We have a burst of energy as the adrenaline helps prepare us to defend ourselves against a predator or run away. Our heart beats faster, and our muscles tense up. Our breathing becomes shallow and fast as we try to take in more oxygen, but instead, it does the opposite. Taking in more oxygen is a good way to calm down, and slowing down our breathing can help us take in as much as possible. When we breathe more deeply, we send a message to our body and brain telling them we’re out of danger and can relax.
Breathing Our Way to Calm
Being mindful—that is, simply being aware of what we feel in our body—can help calm us down, but breathing slowly and deeply sends us on the fast track to calm. Practice a few of these breathing techniques with your kids to help them master their responses to stressful situations. For littler kids, toys can help them to focus too.
Box or Square Breathing
Box breathing involves deep breaths where air is slowly inhaled and then held for a few seconds before breathing out slowly and holding the breath for a few more seconds, then repeating.
Try these steps next time your child starts to show signs of being overwhelmed or overstimulated. For younger children or kids who need a little more help focusing, experts recommend incorporating a pinwheel to blow on so kids can watch their breath at work, or a toy car to roll in a square shape for each stage of the breath.
- Sit comfortably on the floor or in a chair, or even lean against a wall so the body can relax a bit.
- Ask your child to take a deep breath in and close their eyes, asking them to place their hands on their belly if it’s comfortable. Softly count to four out loud to help them focus, or ask your child to count silently along with you.
- With your child, take a slow, deep breath in for four seconds. You can count to four or ask your child to count silently to four and breathe in. Ask your child to imagine the belly expanding like a balloon, bringing air deep into the body.
- Ask your child to hold their breath for a count of four. You can count out loud or ask them to count silently. If they are more visual, ask them to imagine a square and trace one side for each count. Ask your child to imagine the air flowing around the body, bringing oxygen to every part and energizing it.
- Counting to four once again, ask them to slowly exhale, imagining the air slowly leaving the balloon.
- Repeat as many times as needed until your child is visibly calmer. exhale. Ask them how they feel now that they’ve practiced breathing.
Imaginative Breathing for Kids Five and Younger
For the littlest kids, belly breathing or box breathing may feel too intense, and counting may stress them out further. Instead, try shorter exercises with visualizations that can help them focus on a tasty treat or a sweet-smelling flower.
- Ask them to imagine they are holding a warm, freshly baked cookie or muffin or another favorite snack out in front of them.
- Ask your child to breathe in to smell the scent of vanilla or chocolate or whatever their favorite flavor might be.
- Ask them to breathe out slowly to cool off the cookie.
- Repeat as many times as necessary until your child is calmer.
Picturing sugary treats a recipe for trouble at bedtime? Try this variation instead: Ask your child to hold both hands out and imagine a small candle in one hand and a sweet-smelling flower such as a rose or peony in another. With their eyes closed, they can breathe in to smell the flower, and then breathe out slowly toward the other hand to gently blow out the candle. When they’ve finished, ask them to notice how they feel.
Becoming more mindful and learning to harness deep breathing can help kids self-regulate difficult emotions at any stage of development. By spending a few moments helping them learn to notice what’s happening in the body, literally taking deep breaths, and helping calm down when big emotions arise, you can help set them up for success in tackling challenging situations, like tough STEM subjects, in the future.
For fun and educational STEM activities that will sprout their curiosity in a safe, collaborative learning environment, sign your child up for one of our programs for kids ages 1.5 to 10.
Footnotes:
1. “Fight, Flight, or Freeze,” MindScape, Harvard Health, accessed January 7, 2026, https://www.health.harvard.edu/mindscape/for-young-people/brain-body-connection/fight-flight-or-freeze.
2. “Breathing Exercises and Activities to Help Kids Manage Stress,” Just Ask Children’s, Children’s Hospital of Colorado, December 16, 2025, https://www.childrenscolorado.org/just-ask-childrens/articles/breathing-exercises-and-mood-regulation/.
3. Victoria Pelham, “Five Deep Breathing Exercises for Kids and Teens,” Cedars Sinai, December 15, 2023, https://www.cedars-sinai.org/stories-and-insights/healthy-living/five-deep-breathing-exercises-for-kids-and-teens.