• Home
  • Meet Sarah
  • Free Starter Kit
  • Shop Resources
  • Search

How Wee Learn

Out of the box learning ideas, playful art, exploring nature, and simple living - that is How We Learn!

  • Quiet Time
  • Letters and Numbers
  • Art
  • Science
  • Get Outside
  • Shop

Mellow Mindfulness Activities for Kids

August 18, 2021 by Sarah 3 Comments

Something we are focusing on in our homeschool (well, our home in general) is increasing our mindfulness. Today I wanted to share with you a few of my favourite, go-to, basically prep free, mindfulness activities for kids.

Mindfulness is simply focusing on one thing and giving our full attention to it. It also means slowing down, and being aware of the what we are actually doing, taking our time, and being in a relaxed state.

Mindfulness happens each day in our house when we have our daily quiet time. My children dive into their focused quiet bins, settle their minds, focus on their activity, and relax those bodies. 

During that rest time, I used to have quiet, mindful time as well, but lately it has been my running-around-to-accomplish-the-world-in-one-hour time. The interesting thing is, though, I have found I am more productive and get more accomplished when I have this daily quiet, mindful time. 

Of course, and I am very sure you saw this coming, my first suggestion for mindfulness activities for kids is my quiet time bins. Setting up a rhythm to your day which includes a daily period for quiet, restful, independence is key for mindful children.

An entire year of busy bags and quiet time activities for toddlers and preschoolers! Perfect for non-nappers and rest time instead of TV. #preschool #toddlers #play #finemotor #momlife

I also wanted to share with you a few other mindfulness activities for kids we have been focusing on together. Like all things, it is wonderful to practice skills on our own, and important to spend time working on them together as well. 

Here are 3 Mindfulness Games you can easily enjoy with your children:

1 What is Missing?

This is a fun game that has been around for a long time. I remember playing it at a birthday party when I was young. The idea is super simple: Grab a whole bunch of toys, kitchen utensils, bathroom supplies, you name it. For younger children choose just 3-5 items, for older children choose up to 20 or more! Lay these items out on a table and have your child take 1-3 minutes of focused attention on the toys. This is wonderful to build mindfulness. Very young children will need to begin with only a few seconds of focused attention. Next, have your child close his or her eyes and you remove one of the items. Have your child open his or her eyes and try to figure out which item is missing.

2 Focused Breathing

This is another fun mindfulness activity which is great for all ages. All you need is some pompoms or cotton balls and a straw. You can also add in some little items to create an obstacle course on the ground. Painters tape works well, to create a maze, or you can add some blocks or little people. Have your child place a cotton ball on the ground and use a straw to blow that cotton ball! Young children can simply try to use focused breathing to blow a cotton ball off a table. Older children can use focused breathing to blow hard or soft, directing their cotton ball through an obstacle course.

3. What’s that sound?

Grab a few household items that make sounds. You can use shakers and musical instruments, or you can grab regular household items like spoons, cheese graders, or toys. Lay these items out on a table and have your child focus his or her attention on these items for awhile. Young children will only need a few items and a few seconds, older children can use many items and 2 minutes. Now, have your child close your eyes and make a noise with one or two of the items. Your child will use focused listening to try to recall the items and envision what could be making that noise.

And there you have it! Three fun and simple ways to enjoy mindfulness activities with your children. 

Just before we wrap up, why is mindfulness an important skill for children to develop? Mindfulness helps children to be calm and aware, focusing on the present moment. This is a wonderful skill to counteract anxiety or worry. Being mindful allows children to recognize the power they have over controlling their thoughts, which leads to an increased self-awareness and self-esteem. 

SO, if you ever felt guilty about your children having a daily independent quiet time, I hope this post made you feel much better. Not only is it healthy for children to have this time each day, it is setting them up for higher self-esteem as well.

What is not to love? If you want to learn more about how to make Quiet Time work in your home, fabulous quiet time activities, and more, be sure to check out the Quiet Time Section in my Shop!

I hope this post is helpful to you, sweet friend. Thank you so much for reading!

xo

Sarah

Love this post? Please Pin it!

Or pin this one!

Filed Under: All Ages, Quiet Time Tagged With: mindfulness activities, preschool, Quiet time activities, toddler

« Apple Unit Study for Kindergarten at Home
45 of the CUTEST Fall Crafts for Kids »

Comments

  1. lil munchkin says

    August 19, 2021 at 3:45 pm

    Wow, Thanks for sharing these helpful activities. Definitely gonna pin!

    Reply
  2. Theresa says

    August 22, 2021 at 9:18 pm

    Definitely gonna try this one at my next shindig! Haha, and of course I’ll make sure to invite you, too! We actually played a similar game some years ago at an adult birthday party but it was blind taste testing. I think these will be great activities to engage in with the kiddos. Once again, you nailed it on providing something fun. engaging, educational, and SIMPLE! Thanks for all you do!

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      September 6, 2021 at 9:40 am

      YES! Can’t wait for the party, Theresa! Ha! I am so happy these ideas work well for you and yours. Thank you for your thoughtful encouragement!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

The maximum upload file size: 512 MB. You can upload: image, audio, video, document, spreadsheet, interactive, other. Drop file here

Reignite a love of learning in your homeschool. Family Unit Studies Annual Sale: Save $80 Until July 1st

I'm Sarah, teacher turned homeschooling mom of 4, reading specialist, and curriculum creator. I share our adventures, crafts, and learning activities right here with you.

While you're here, grab my Learning Letters Starter Kit absolutely free! Teaching the letters in this special order allows reading to flow naturally.

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube
Step 1: Play into Kindergarten Readiness
Step 2: Kindergarten at Home
Step 3: Family Unit Studies
Step 4: Core Skills Coursebooks

Visit my Sponsor Oak Meadow

For every step of your journey
  • For Ages 2-3
  • For Ages 4-5
  • For Ages 6-8
  • For Ages 6-12
  • For All Ages

Shop Resources


Copyright © 2022 · How Wee Learn · Privacy Policy · designed by blogger boutique · Genesis Framework

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Read More

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT
900 shares
  • 2