12 Ways To Teach Children Mindfulness While Having Fun

Mindfulness is one of the buzzwords of today and there’s little doubt that it plays a valuable role in bringing restorative calm and cognitive focus to our buzzing minds and bodies. And it’s not just for adults.

Mindfulness is also really good for kids – helping them calm down when they’re experiencing strong negative emotions, enabling them to choose more appropriate responses and make better decisions and helping them to improve their concentration skills. It supports their social and emotional learning, helping them to improve their self-management, be more patient and happy and develop a sense of appreciation, gratitude and contentment.

And while that may all sound too good to be true, it’s not. There’s a growing body of research to indicate that mindfulness really does have positive outcomes and many child health experts and educators agree that it should be a regular feature in our everyday lives.

Teaching children about mindfulness

Teaching children about mindfulness isn’t complicated or difficult and it can be so much fun. The important thing to remember is that it’s not meant to be a chore. It’s a gentle focus on the here and now with no right or wrong, no end-game, no judgement and no expectation.

Here are some of our favourite ways of getting the whole family involved in mindful activities – so why not have a go!

12 imaginative and fun ways to introduce mindfulness to children

Arm yourself with some good resources to give you helpful guidance and inspiration. Some of our favourites are:

‘What Does It Mean To Be Present?’ – an easy-to-read book from award-winning author Rana Diorio and illustrator Eliza Wheeler.

The audio CD, ‘Mindful Moments for Kids’ from acclaimed children’s music artist and yoga teacher, Kira Willey contains 30 simple and versatile one-minute mindfulness exercises

‘Sitting Still Like a Frog’ by Eline Snel introduces the basics of mindfulness to children in an easy-to-understand and playful way and includes guided exercises.

Teach by example. Young children are like sponges, so they’ll emulate adult behaviour. If you model mindfulness, they will follow your lead. Describe how you are practising being mindful in simple, easy-to-understand terms. Talk about your own process of acknowledging a certain feeling or emotion and using your breath or your focus to calm down. For example, you could say ‘I feel confused right now. I am going to walk away and find a quiet spot where I can take a few deep breaths.’ Thereafter, you should affirm that you are feeling calmer and more peaceful.

Take frequent breaks with your child to acknowledge and observe your surroundings. For example, when you’re preparing a meal, pause to tune into what’s going on around you and name your sensations, for example ‘I like the way the food smells’ and ‘I can hear the bubbling sound of the soup in a pot on the stove’.

Do a ‘noticing’ mindful walk with your child in the garden, park or nature strip. Let your naturally curious child direct the pace of the walk and lead the lines of enquiry. Have times when you are completely silent so you can notice all the sounds you hear. Share your experiences and bring your own sense of wonder to what’s going on around you.

Share a mindful snack together. Pay close attention to all your senses and take slow, deliberate mouthfuls, noticing what the food looks like, how it smells and tastes, what texture it has and how it feels going down your throats into your tummies.

Look for opportunities for children to talk about noticing their thoughts, articulating how their bodies are feeling, what they are hearing etc. You can help children by naming your own sensations and feelings such as ‘my heart feels happy when I smell this flower’ and ‘I like the way my skin feels when I tickle it with this leaf’.

Practise deep breathing with your child. A close hug is a good way of really feeling the sensations of breathing. Take three deep synchronised breaths together and share the benefits of a close, calming embrace

Do some belly breathing. Get your child to lie down, place their favourite soft toy on their bellies and ask them to take some slow, deep breaths while they watch their toy go up and down.

Do mindful stretches or yoga with children. Ask them to hold their poses, notice how their bodies are feeling and to be thankful for what their bodies are capable of doing.

Listen to a bell. You can use an actual bell or chime or use one of the many apps on your smartphone to make a ringing sound. Ask the child to listen carefully to the sound until they can no longer hear it and tell them when you are starting the process. Keep this going for 30 to 60 seconds.

Create a mindful bedtime ritual. When your child is lying down, ask them to close their eyes and bring their attention to their body. You can then calmly and quietly say the name of each body part, starting from the tips of their toes until the top of their heads, pausing for a moment in between to give your child time to focus on each one.

Introduce a ‘weather report’ for feelings. This concept is discussed in Eline Snel’s book ‘Sitting Still Like a Frog’ which we mentioned earlier. It can be hard for children to name their emotions, so articulating them in terms of weather is a great alternative. ‘I feel sunny and happy’, ‘I feel cloudy and rainy in my heart but I can picture the sun coming out to shine soon’. They can’t change the weather, but they can change how they respond to it and things will change.

Some final thoughts on mindfulness for children

There are many opportunities where you can practise mindfulness with your children, including these simple mindfulness exercises, but always keep things fun and simple. Some things will work, others won’t – so use your imaginations and experiment and remember, there’s no right or wrong!

Mindfulness is also becoming an increasing focus in school curricula around the world as an important way of teaching important values, stimulating learning, creativity and compassion, regulating emotions and improving the way children treat others and how they feel about themselves.

It certainly has a place at our Treasured Tots childcare centres and is part of our daily curriculum at our wonderful centres in Mandurah, Bibra Lake, Fremantle, Piara Waters, Hamersley, Bennett Springs and Bicton. For more information, please contact us or book a tour to ensure our management team is available to show you around and answer any questions.