Bubble Breaths

Bubble Breaths turns slow breathing into a gentle game for children aged 4 to 12. Pip the otter floats in a sunny sea. Hold to breathe in and a bubble grows in Pip's paws; let go to breathe out and the bubble drifts up and pops into a little sea friend: a fish, a starfish or a jellyfish. Breath by breath, the water fills with friends.

It was made for the children of Maplewood Children's Hospital, for the moments that feel big or scary. There is no score, no timer and no way to lose. A soft ring and a few simple words (hold, in, let go, out) show the rhythm, so even children who are not reading yet can follow along. No ads, no accounts, no personal data collected.

How to play

Press Play, then hold anywhere on the screen. A little hand shows where to press the first time.

• Hold to breathe in. The ring fills with sunshine yellow and a bubble grows in Pip's paws.
• Let go to breathe out. The ring slowly drains to sea green and the bubble floats away.
• Watch the bubble pop into a new sea friend.
• After 14 breaths a Well done! card shows how many friends joined you. Keep going or head home.

For grown-ups

The breathing rhythm starts at about four seconds in and six seconds out, a slow and comfortable pace. If a child breathes a little faster, Bubble Breaths gently follows their pace instead of correcting them. A quick tap just makes a tiny bubble pop, with no fuss.

A session of 14 breaths takes about two to three minutes. The home button returns to the start at any moment, a keyboard or gamepad can open a rest card (Esc, P or Start), and sound can be muted with one button. The game plays in landscape and portrait, so it works on a tablet held either way, a phone or a computer.

Controls

Touch

Hold anywhere on the screen to breathe in, let go to breathe out

Mouse

Hold the left button to breathe in, release to breathe out

Keyboard

Hold Space, Enter, Up or W to breathe in; Esc or P to rest; M to mute

Gamepad

Hold A, B, X, Y, a shoulder button or a trigger to breathe in; Start to rest; Back to mute

Features

• One simple action: hold to breathe in, let go to breathe out
• Pip the otter and six sea friends to fill the water with
• No score, no timer, no way to lose
• Breathing pace gently adapts to the child
• Picture and colour cues, almost no reading needed
• Calm music and soft underwater sounds, with a mute button
• Works in landscape and portrait on tablets, phones and computers
• No ads, no accounts, no personal data collected