Mellow Mindfulness Activities for Kids

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.

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

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