Incorporating Mindfulness into Your Child’s Daily Routine

Mindfulness is a skill that’s valuable at every stage of life – and introducing solid foundations during the formative early learning years is hugely beneficial. Much in the same way that the building blocks of education are stimulated by encouraging children to explore their natural curiosities, incorporating mindful activities into everyday life also creates a strong foundation from which to advance.

Parents, caregivers, early childhood educators and anyone responsible for the well-being of the future generation can play a role. Mindfulness at a young age isn’t so much of something to be ‘taught’ – it’s more a way of integrating pursuits and endeavours into regular life, and reaping the many, many benefits.

The following five activities aren’t just wonderfully mindful, they’re also great fun! As an added bonus, the benefits have no age boundaries - the adults overseeing and joining in also get to take advantage of the soul-soothing joy that being in the present moment truly brings.

1: Mindful Walking

It’s no secret that being outside is great for the mind, body and soul. Taking little ones out for a daily walk can easily be turned into a mindful activity – it’s far more than simply getting to a destination. Whether it’s in an urban or countryside location, you could pick a discovery theme that the child/children can look for. Birds, plants, water sources, items of a similar colour, five things with smooth surfaces… You get the picture.

Let the child choose the subject (with guidance if needed) and then let them simply enjoy the moment. It’s a great mindful activity that comes with multiple other advantages too, such as boosting the cardiovascular system, a daily dose of vitamin D (use sunscreen and hats as appropriate) and promoting the immune system, to name but a few.

2: Tai Chi and Yoga

Exercise of any kind is great, but the slow movements of these ancient arts are wonderful for children to explore how their body moves and reacts as they do so. Certain moves, such as the tree pose and warrior positions, are also great for honing balance – and they’re also truly fun to learn. Wobbles are good!

Learning about breathing techniques is also a big part of both pastimes – and this is a key underlying feature of mindfulness.

3: Doing Jigsaws

Age-appropriate jigsaw puzzles are something that can be dipped in and out of as you choose. Learning how to pick corner and edge pieces – not to mention puzzling out where the other ones fit – really focuses the mind on the here and now.

The benefits don’t end there. Picking up and manipulating the pieces helps the development of fine motor skills and also the basics of how things fit together. And all without a single screen or device in sight…

4: Get Crafting

Activities, such as card making or scrapbooking, are all about the creative journey. Yes, they’ll be a finished product, but enjoying the process is what calms the mind and helps your little one focus on the present.

There are endless ways to integrate crafting with other mindful enjoyment. How about picking a few wildflowers on your daily walk, pressing them and using them to create a masterpiece? Perhaps they could collect a souvenir from each walk to add to their scrapbook or maybe snap a picture of something outside that piques their attention. Your child can try to recreate the scene on paper using paints or crayons.

5: Gardening

Working with Mother Nature is a wonderful activity – and is truly a way to focus on the moment. Plus, what child doesn’t love to get down and dirty with their fingers in the soil…

If you’ve got a garden and the weather is kind, then you also benefit from the delights of being outside. But don’t let a lack of space stop you. You and your child could create an indoor herb garden or learn the wonders of planting some seeds and watching them grow. Caring for indoor plants is another option – whether it’s daily/weekly watering, repotting, spraying orchids or tending other needs, the joy of caring for nature’s rich tapestry of plants is something that many children love to do.

Mindful learning and activities play a massive role in the day-to-day life at Treasured Tots. From our Kindy program onwards, we embrace the Reggio Emilia approach that truly promotes and incorporates mindfulness.  

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