Mindful Kids: 50 Mindfulness Activities for Kindness, Focus and Calm (Mindful Tots)

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A valid and reliable measure of mindfulness in children and adolescents was developed by researchers Greco, Baer, and Smith (2011), a measure which correlates as expected with the quality of life, academic success, social skills, somatic complaints, internalizing symptoms, and externalizing behavior problems. The balancing relay game is good for children 5 and older. If you’ve ever seen or participated in an egg and spoon race, you’ll recognize this game. Notice how your breath moves your body; does your chest and/or your belly rise and fall as you breathe?

This game is good for children 3 and up and can be played one-on-one or with a group. All you’ll need to play is a penny for each player and a basket. Children should find it easy to understand what mindfulness is based on this definition, but you might need to discuss it with them to make sure they have a good grasp on it—especially if they are young. Practiced for thousands of years, yogic breathing is a powerful technique for improving focus and choosing where our attention sits.The program is offered by the nonprofit Youth Mindfulness, a charity that is devoted to boosting mindfulness in children, adolescents, and young adults. The One Year Youth Mindfulness Program is “ an in-depth comprehensive learning experience, training practitioners to teach mindfulness from a place of compassion, authenticity, and confidence.”

To teach your children about mindfulness, you might want to try a video. Videos can be more engaging than simply listening to someone talk about a topic, and mindfulness is no exception. Godfrey, K. M., Gallo, L. C., & Afari, N. (2014). Mindfulness-based interventions for binge eating: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 38(2), 348–362. Semple, R. J., Reid, E. F. G., & Miller, L. (2005). Treating anxiety with mindfulness: An open trial of mindfulness training for anxious children. Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy: An International Quarterly, 19, 379-392.Youths are more likely to manage challenging emotions when they have a plan in place to deal with them. This exercise involves creating a mindfulness plan to anticipate and manage their anxiety triggers. If you’re looking to teach mindfulness to children in your kindergarten class (or to children around kindergarten age), try these four tips: If you want to empower your clients and enhance your therapy practice, try Mindfulness X, which offers a comprehensive eight-week training template to transform your approach to mental health and wellbeing. As a result, mindfulness-based treatment protocols have been integrated into DBT and ACT for clients with depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues (Hofmann & Gómez, 2017). There are many toys available that can help children learn about mindfulness, cultivate mindfulness, and practice and maintain that mindfulness.

Looking for mindfulness exercises for anxiety or for kids? Then you'll want to try this STOP mindfulness technique. Be sure to grab the free printable mindfulness cards and poster too! The penny game can be played with other objects too; the important part is that the children playing are able to focus in on something and pay attention to detail. 4. Balancing Relay This simple exercise will help your child focus on their breath and stay fully anchored in the present (Roman, n.d.). More findings are coming out on mindfulness in children all the time. Some of the latest and most influential studies on the subject have found that among other things:

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Depression can be accompanied by feelings of anxiety. Both can benefit from cognitive and behavioral treatments, particularly when advanced by the application of mindfulness (Hofmann & Gómez, 2017). This fascinating exercise uses the power of teaching to help the child learn and practice mindfulness before sharing with others to form a deeper understanding. This is a valuable exercise for a more informal mindfulness practice involving three steps: stepping out of autopilot, becoming aware of each breath, and expanding awareness outward. Mindfulness can be defined in simpler, easier-to-understand terms for children. For example, mindfulness expert David Gelles defines it as “ the simple practice of bringing a gentle, accepting attitude to the present moment” (n.d.). This script walks you through a classic mindfulness meditation called the “body scan.” As you might guess, it involves doing a mental scan of your body to note any areas where you are holding on to tension or storing your stress.

As is the case for most traits, habits, and skills, the best way to instill mindfulness in children is to start early. Mindful children grow to be mindful teenagers, mindful adolescents, and mindful adults. Mindfulness Mantra Cards– Each of these cards contains several positive affirmations for children to recite. Put them in your jar of mindfulness cards, or pin them up on your bulletin board for easily reference. Improves attention skills and focus in the classroom, thus helping children to learn faster and more effectively. Mindfulness-based interventions for children are not only feasible, but seem promising in their impacts as well (Burke, 2009; Greenberg & Harris, 2011).Here’s a list of 15 such apps that can help kids deal with anxiety and stress and become more mindful: Bergstrom, C. (2017). 5 mindful games – mindfulness for kids and teens. Blissful Kids. Retrieved from https://blissfulkids.com/mindful-games-mindfulness-for-kids-and-teens/