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App review by Ashley Kemper, Common Sense Education | Updated September 2015

Breathing Bubbles

Name: Breathing Bubbles
Item: Breathing Bubbles
Rating: 3
Author: Ashley Kemper

Students release worries and embrace joys with anxiety-fighting tool

Learning rating

Editorial review by Common Sense Education

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Grades

1–5

Subjects & Skills

Health & Wellness, Character & SEL

Great for

SEL

Take a look inside

5 images

An introduction and guide is available at any time.

Students decide which emotion they're feeling.

After choosing an emotion, students decide the extent to which they are feeling that emotion.

Students then choose whether to write a worry or joy.

After typing a joy or worry, students watch their worry float away or their joy come closer as the manatee helps them take deep breaths.

Pros: Beautifully designed tool with a focus on naming joys and anxieties.

Cons: Users create sentences to put into the bubbles, which may be overwhelming for much younger students.

Bottom Line: A must-have tool for your classroom management toolbox.

How Can I Teach with This Tool?

First, help students identify how they feel and ask them to decide whether that emotion is helping or hurting them. Use Breathing Bubbles in a one-on-one situation when a specific student needs a moment to express their worry or joy in order to refocus their attention on learning. Teachers might also use Breathing Bubbles in conjunction with a more traditional mindfulness practice: Have each student type a joy or worry and, as students are breathing with the app and watching the bubble, speak positive narratives and self-talk.

What Is It?

When opening Breathing Bubbles, kids are prompted to select an emotion (mad, silly, sad, or worried) and then choose how strongly they're experiencing that emotion. On the next screen, kids decide whether to release a worry or receive a joy. In either instance, the white manatee at the bottom of the screen prompts kids to write a worry or joy. When releasing a worry, the bubble floats further away as Manny helps kids practice deep, slow breathing. When receiving a joy, the bubble comes closer with the same deep-breathing prompts.

Is It Good for Learning?

Breathing Bubbles is a simple, effective tool that will empower kids who usually feel out of control by offering them a concrete way to cope with strong emotions. They will also practice deep breathing, which could be a calming practice they can internalize and use away from the app. Because it's simple and approachable, most students will find it easy to use; however, kids who have trouble writing or typing will need guidance to use speech-to-text if they're not familiar with how it works.

Paired with teacher communication and conversation, this tool may be especially beneficial for students who come to school with worries or stressors that hinder their learning.

Learning Rating

Overall Rating

Engagement

Vibrant, peaceful colors and a cute sea creature make this tool engaging for all ages.

Pedagogy

Breathing Bubbles draws on the therapeutic practices of releasing anxieties, collecting positive thoughts, and breathing deeply.

Support

A tutorial is available on the opening screen but would be more helpful if it were read to kids. The interface is easy to use and provides an appropriate level of support.

Common Sense reviewer

Ashley Kemper STEM Project Manager

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