Blow the worries away

A calming exercise for releasing tension

When your child feels overwhelmed or anxious, Blow the Worries Away offers a playful way to help her calm down and let go of those feelings. By pairing slow, intentional breathing with imagination - and even bubbles - this activity turns stress relief into a fun and engaging experience.

Materials needed

• None (optional: bubbles).

Instructions

1. Introduce the activity. Say, "Let’s blow our worries away! Imagine all the things bothering you floating away like bubbles."
2. Demonstrate deep breathing. Show her how to take a deep breath in through the nose, then exhale slowly as though gently blowing out a candle.
3. Invite her to join. Encourage her to take a deep breath and blow her worries away with you.
4. Use bubbles (optional). If available, blow actual bubbles together, imagining worries floating away with each one.
5. Repeat together. Continue for about one minute or as long as she enjoys it, focusing on slow, steady breaths.

Tips

• Visualize the release. Encourage her to imagine worries floating away like bubbles or disappearing into the air.
• Focus on the exhale. Emphasize slow, steady exhalation, which has a calming effect on the nervous system.
• Make it playful. Pop or catch the bubbles together, or blow exaggerated “big worry bubbles” to add fun.
• Keep it gentle. Adjust the activity to match her mood; the goal is calm, not overstimulation.

Expected outcome

• Calming effect. Slow breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system, reducing stress and anxiety.
• Emotional release. Visualizing worries leaving her body helps her let go of difficult emotions.
• Engagement. The fun, interactive nature of the activity encourages participation and focus.

Why this works

Blow the Worries Away works by leveraging the calming power of slow, deep breathing. Exhaling slowly stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, the part of the autonomic nervous system responsible for rest and relaxation. This reduces the body’s stress response, lowering heart rate and cortisol levels.

Using visualization, like imagining worries floating away as bubbles, helps engage the right brain, which processes emotions and imagery, creating a sense of release and lightness. Adding playful elements like bubbles makes the activity enjoyable and accessible for children, making them more likely to engage with the practice and use it as a self-regulation tool.

Further Reading

For more insights into breathing exercises for children, explore Breathe Like a Bear by Kira Willey.

Final word

Blow the Worries Away turns stress relief into a playful and calming activity your child can enjoy anytime she feels overwhelmed. Try it with or without bubbles, and watch as her worries float away with each gentle breath. Let us know how it works for you in the comments below, and subscribe to our newsletter for more tools to nurture your child’s emotional resilience and creativity.