Introducing easy and simple mindfulness activities for kids that work
We can all agree that, as parents, happiness is all that we wish for our kids bringing them into this world.
But, life often comes with its challenges.
It is important to bring up kids to become well-balanced adults by teaching them how to handle any challenges, manage anxieties, and to have a positive outlook.
This is exactly why mindfulness is an integral part of our lives!
Mindfulness is the practice of meditation that allows us to pay time towards listening to our thoughts, feelings, and the surrounding environment.
Mindfulness allows our bodies time to fully experience the present moment, without distraction.
As a parent, you know that being a mom can often feel like we’re juggling many plates at once.
Parents also need to focus, concentrate, and meditate on the present moment.
Practicing mindfulness activities for kids helps us not only to form bonds by spending time with them, but it helps us to feel in better control of our thoughts and feelings rather than life feeling like it’s in autopilot mode.
See, mindfulness isn’t just beneficial for the kids, but for the family as a whole!
Key Takeaway: Mindfulness is not only beneficial to kids, but it is also helpful to parents too.
Mindfulness activities for kids can help with baby brain development, as well! It assists their skills of concentration and focus, and how to manage emotions.
Wooden blocks, fort building kits, and kitchen play toys are just some of the amazing products on the market that can help with mindfulness for kids, and we’ll go into more detail about the sorts of ways to incorporate mindfulness at home later on.
Mindfulness: Why it is important?
Firstly, let’s look into the reasons why integrating mindfulness into the family is important:
- Improve sleep. As moms, seeing our little ones getting a lack of sleep can be a concern. Research found that even small moments of meditation can help to relax the mind, improving overall sleep quality and duration. The more sleep, the better kids generally behave throughout the day. (A big win for us!)
- Manages anxiety. Kids often develop different anxieties throughout childhood such as making friends, doing well in school, or learning how to become independent. Practicing mindfulness activities for kids helps them to deal with these anxieties by recognizing emotions, processing them, and reacting more rationally.
- Increased focus for learning. Baby’s brains are constantly learning new things and, as the brain develops, so too do its cognitive functions. Behaviors that benefit children from practicing mindfulness include increased focus and cognitive control, which can contribute to patience and decision-making skills as they grow older.
- Problem-solving skills. Mindfulness activities for kids have shown to support better concentration, self-control, and problem-solving for those with ADHD. Montessori toys such as fort building kits, wooden blocks, and kitchen play kits help children to focus on individual challenges and can be used both at home and in the classroom to improve self-esteem.
- Develops self-regulation. Kids often react impulsively to situations of frustration through tantrums or bad behavior. Mindfulness helps kids to regulate emotions by teaching how to manage feelings of frustration or anger through reframing thoughts and emotions.
Key Takeaway: Mindfulness develops focus and concentration which is essential in learning academics and life skills.
What mindfulness activities for kids I can do?
Montessori toys: wooden blocks, fort building kits and kitchen play
Montessori education is all about hands-on, practical learning. Montessori toys, including wooden blocks, stacking toys, fort building kits, and kitchen play encourage kids to be creative, problem-solve, focus their minds, and experiment.
Improvise in the house
Improvising fun and educational activities are part of being a parent! If you don’t have Montessori toys at hand, get the kids involved in watering your plants, or prepare dinner in their kids play kitchen. This kind of learning can be both calming and educational, not to mention a great bonding experience for you and your kids. There are lots of sensory experiences in each activity; for example, the smell of the grass outside when it’s freshly cut. or
Just build something together!
Blow the feather
This mindfulness exercise is all about getting in touch with your senses- sight, touch, hearing. Blow a handful of feathers with a long deep breath and watch how they take off from your hands into the air and fall gracefully to the ground. Pay attention to how they look and feel on your skin.
Plant seeds
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math activities) are all about kids learning through experiences. Plant a pea or bean seed in a jar with a wet paper towel and watch it grow over a few days. This one is a great activity for giving the kids a sense of achievement and can provide excitement watching their seed grow every day!
Mindful eating
Combine mindfulness with your child’s favorite treat! Whether that be chocolate, fruit, or sweets the key here is to encourage your child to slow down and focus on all their senses involved with food. Imagine an apple. How does it feel in your hands? Listen as you cut it into slices. What can you smell as it is cut open? Close your eyes as you eat and focus on the tastes and textures.
Yoga for kids
The great thing about yoga is that you can take it anywhere you like!
Practicing yoga as a family is an excellent calming activity, and thanks to Youtube there are lots of kids yoga tutorials available to learn from, for the youngest to the oldest members of the family.
Mindfulness bedtime
Practicing mindfulness before bedtime can be a great way to shake off any anxieties or stresses, to wind down and prepare for a good night’s sleep. A good activity to try is to ask your child to close their eyes and to focus on relaxing or ‘putting to sleep’ parts of their body. For example, get them to move their toes then relax them- doing this with each part of their body until they feel tired and ready to sleep.
Aside from the above activities, practicing mindfulness using Montessori toys is something to be encouraged: wooden blocks, fort building kits, and kitchen play kits are just some of the popular toys on the market that can help with baby’s brain and kid’s development.
Mindfulness practice may seem difficult at first. But incorporating it in our daily task will make it more easier and achievable.
Consistency is the key to practicing mindfulness.
Which mindfulness activities will you be trying as a family? Need more ideas? Visit our activity page, you’ll find fun games and play ideas to try with your kids.
Discover one perfect benefit of mindfulness, to teach kindness and inclusion even at a young age. If your child is 18 months old, there are simple mindfulness activities you can easily introduce and put into practice.
