Homeschool Friday - Breath as Prayer for Kids

Homeschool Friday is a feature here at Somewhere Only We Know that showcases books my family reads during homeschool and provides a mini-review for each.

Breath as Prayer for Kids

By: Jennifer Tucker

Publication: November 10, 2026 by Tommy Nelson

32 pages

Genre: Children, Picture Book, Christian

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Help young children navigate emotions and find peace through prayer with this comforting guide written and illustrated by Jennifer Tucker, bestselling author and artist. When big feelings flare up, breath prayers prompt kids to self-regulate as they take a deep breath and recite simple prayers of love and encouragement.

I read Breath as Prayer by Jennifer Tucker and loved it. So when I saw Breath as Prayer for Kids available, I snatched it up quickly. I was so excited to get this book for my kids. The copyright page does list this book as for kids ages 4 to 8 years old. And I guess overall, I was a little disappointed with Breath as Prayer for Kids. I think the concept is great, but I was disappointed in the execution. The breath prayers that were included in this book weren't Scripture. I mean the ideas come from Scripture, but I expected to see Scripture turned into prayer in as simplistic a way as possible. Even in Breath as Prayer (for adults), "Inhale: The Lord is my shepherd Exhale: I have everything I need" is pretty basic, if you ask me.

My son when he was 2 years old could get himself calm if I told him "Remy, you need to get calm." And he could also quote several Bible verses in their entirety at that age. I think sometimes we dumb things down for kids way too much. And this felt like one of those opportunities that were missed as a means of simplifying for children. But then I had to remind myself that prayer isn't only repeating Scripture back to God. We can pray using our own words, and so it isn't wrong to use non-Scripture as breath prayers for kids. That isn't wrong at all. But not using Scripture does feel like a missed opportunity.

Either way, I love this method of getting calm using breath prayers. Our breathing is such an easy method to use to attack those big emotions. My older son frustrates me because any time I tell him he needs to take a deep breath, he always replies, "I don't want to." He then follows that up with telling me that deep breaths are for babies. And a kids' book about breath prayers isn't going to change his outlook, but it can be helpful for my other kids.

Another comment is on the page about feeling overwhelmed; the page is so visually overwhelming that it feels counterproductive.

Breath as Prayer for Kids still gets 4 Stars. Even though I thought the publisher/author missed an opportunity to use Scripture for the children's book the same as the adult's book, I still love the message and method behind this, and parents can use this book as a guide to tweak the breath prayers in their own ways. Have you or your child read Breath as Prayer for Kids? What did you think? Let me know!