If you are searching for mindfulness exercises for kids that you can do at home, I found 10 great options for you to consider. I think during times of absolute high stress, uncertainty and chaos, we should all take a few moments every day to recenter and calm the frenzy.
These 10 mindfulness activities for kids are a great way to reconnect with your little ones during the day. You can choose to kick off your day with one of these processes, break up an afternoon, or close out an evening with a family bonding wind down.
After your daily affirmations for kids, be sure to include a few of these activities into your at-home curriculum.
10 Mindfulness Activities For Kids
Breathing With a Pinwheel
This exercise allows us to see how different ways of breathing affect how our mind and bodies feel.
Mindful Observation
Learn how Momentous School teacher used mindful observation with her fifth grade scientists.
How to Create a Glitter Jar for Kids - Mindful Daily Practices
The glitter jar represents the mind settling. It's a great afternoon activity that your kids can keep coming back to as a mindfulness practice.
How to Practice Mindful Listening
Giving someone your full attention in conversation isn’t easy, but it is a skill we can practice and hone.
Guided Meditation: Follow the Leader
This meditation works best for kids who are at least 5 years old. Ask your child to picture their best friend or a sibling—someone they do everything with or someone they look up to.
Learn Emotions with Story Stones
Learn about emotions with story stones!
Marble Roll: A Cooperative Game for Teaching Mindfulness
Marble Roll is a sample activity from the book Planting Seeds: Practicing Mindfulness with Children.
Hot Air Balloon Ride: A Guided Meditation for Kids
A beautiful 15-minute guided meditation for children at bedtime to help promote a night of peaceful sleep with restful dreams.
Blow out the Candles to Calm Down
Breathing naturally calms people down.
A One-Minute Grounding Meditation in Nature
Feeling frazzled? Nature can support us in settling down. Try this short grounding meditation practice with Cara Bradley.
Why Mindfulness?
Nowadays, there is so much focus on academics and sports. I’m not saying education isn’t important, but what I am saying is that the mind and well-being should also be a part of the puzzle.
We push and pull our children in a million different directions and expect them to be ok with all of this pressure that is thrown on top of them. At some point, there has to be a breaking point. Let’s avoid that if we can, right?
Mindfulness exercises for kids teach them to gain control of their emotions and their mental state before they lose their grip. Starting children YOUNG is a great thing. Giving them resources early on actually equips them with the right tools to figure out how to manage stress levels when they become out of control.
Related: 35 Encouraging Words For Children – Positive Things To Say To Kids
Of course, parents should still intervene and love and guide and hug and be there – every step of the way. But how wonderful that we are also giving them an extra advantage? A way for them to become self aware at such an early age! To be mindful.
Self regulating skills taught early on can do nothing but benefit our children in their everyday life. I am so happy that my town has started to teach these practices in our classrooms. Do your schools do the same thing? Would love to hear!