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The Ultimate Guide to Mindfulness for Kids Ideas & Resources

By 2 Comments Filed Under: Parenting, Special Needs Tagged With: This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure for more info.

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Mindfulness for kids is a trendy topic these days but oh so important. The idea that adults can nurture a life skill – like teaching mindfulness – to help kids relax their bodies, to be conscious of their relationship to the world, to breath through painful emotions, to be present, to be emotionally intelligent, in other words, to be mindful, is incredibly powerful.

Think about it.

Teaching a child to breathe through anxiety, frustration, anger, and many other emotions will help him be a better communicator and in the end a happier person.  And how lucky are we? We have ample resources and research supporting the fundamental fact that meditation is good for our bodies. I've listed several resources at the bottom of this post for you to explore. 

Mindfulness Activities for Kids

The research is in: mediation helps with focus, communication, social skills, conflict resolution, and mental health. There is nothing to lose with finding ways to bring meditation and mindfulness into your daily life. 

This post covers loads of mindfulness for kids' ideas and resources included guided meditations for kids, mindfulness youtube videos, mind games for kids, how to teach mindfulness in the classroom, and mindfulness activities for kids. I am so excited! So, let's dive in!

What is mindfulness? 

In my experience, mindfulness is being aware of your body within the environment. If you want a more concrete definition, the Oxford Dictionary includes this definition:

noun
  1. the quality or state of being conscious or aware of something.
    “their mindfulness of the wider cinematic tradition”
     
  2. a mental state achieved by focusing one's awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one's feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique.
     

So to put in everyday terms, mindfulness is bringing attention to the present moment. How does your body feel? What is around you and how is it impacting your body? What does a deep breath do for your mental state? 

How to Begin?

Honestly, at the essence, mindfulness must apply to each person as he or she feels. There is no “universal” definition of the concept. With that said, making sure kids understand what mindfulness is to them individually is key to the process. You want kids to naturally begin to practice without forcing them. One powerful way to get buy-in is to explain the concept to them.

Oh, and one more thing, practice mediation yourself. Be a model for the kids in your life!

How can you make meditation fun for kids? 

We don't have to be Zen Buddhists to bring this “education of the heart” into our homes and classrooms. AND we can make it fun in tons of ways. Below are activities to get you started. 

Kids looking at a pond

Guided Meditations for Kids

I am excited to share with you loads of guided meditations for kids. Most of you have heard of Headspace for Kids, which is a phenomenal resource that I highly recommend. However, there are other incredible tools out there to help kids with guided meditations.

Here are a few additional resources for you:

Below you will find many mindfulness videos on Youtube to help you get started on doing meditation with kids.

Mindfulness & Meditation Videos on YouTube

Just Breathe – Super Powerful

Rainbow Breath

3 Minute Body Scan

Breathing Exercises

Relaxing Music for Kids

Beautiful. I often put it on in the background to help my boys transition throughout the day.

Sailing Breathing Meditation

Practice Melting

I love it when my kids will sit and listen to this meditation. It is a good one!

If a child is by nature anxious or is having a difficult day, this music will calm him.

Any time of the day relaxing music for kids.

Morning Relaxing Music

Hot Air Balloon Ride: A Guided Meditation for Kids

Guided Meditation for Children | Your Magical Island

Sleep Meditation for Children

Ideas to Teach Kids about Meditation & Mindfulness

Mindfulness Activities for Kids

Here are a few ways of teaching mindfulness to kids can be part of your everyday life with children at home and in the classroom:

#1 – Books on Bring Mindful

The perfect way to introduce these concepts to a child. Begin and end each day together by reading one of these books.

#2 – Create a Peace Corner

Create stillness in your environment by creating a peace corner. This area can be a place where your child retreats when he is feeling stressed or upset and can be a place where conflict resolution takes place. Create it near natural light, add a plant, and possibly a peace rose.

#3 – Practice Yoga Together

The ABCs of Yoga for Kids Learning Cards are an excellent home and classroom tool.

#4 – Read A Pebble for Your Pocket

Go on a “mission” to find that pebble or stone for your child to carry with him.

#5 – Practice Mindful Eating

Before eating a snack, let's say an apple, pause together with your child and say out loud: “This is an apple. It grew from a seed into a tree. This apple was picked from a tree. The color is red. It is sweet and delicious,” or something like those words. Cut the apple open: “These are the seeds.” The point is to be more present with your eating, to appreciate food in all its goodness and the fact that, like us, it is nothing short of a miracle. 

#6 – Plant a Garden or Grow a Plant from a Seed

Touch the earth by planting a garden with your children, simply go on a walk and get your hands dirty or feel the grass. The book Planting Seeds: Practicing Mindfulness with Children is a nice metaphor and accompaniment to this exercise. 

#7 – Practice deep breathing exercises

It is important to practice daily and deep breathing exercises are a somewhat easy way to achieve this goal. A few great resources for you include My Magic Breath: Finding Calm Through Mindful Breathing, Alphabreaths: The ABCs of Mindful Breathing, and Breathing Exercises for Kids [FREE]. 

#8 – Integrate Guided Meditations into Your Day

Check out Sitting Like a Frog from Shambhala Publications. This book engages kids and they find it relatable. The website for the book is also a fabulous resource. According to its website Sitting Like a Frog includes “simple mindfulness practices to help your child (ages 5-12) deal with anxiety, improve concentration, and handle difficult emotions.”  

#9 – Bring Mindfulness into the Classroom 

I included loads for ideas for teachers in this post but you can certainly bring these activities into your home as well. This resource for bringing mindfulness into the classroom will help you. Ideas include making glitter jars, Montessori's silence activity, and yoga sessions.

#10 – Mindfulness Activities for Your Family

Learn the mindfulness techniques I put in my back pocket after attending a Mindful Family Retreat

#11 – Explore Headspace for Kids

You don't have to stop with the guided meditations I included in this post. Some of my favorites are on Headspace and there are many free guided meditations available online.

Resources to Help Teach Mindfulness to Kids

Mindful Magazine for Kids

Mindful Monkey Magazine is such a cool resource for families.

Cretan's Labyrinth

A must-have for any classroom peace corner or home stillness area!

Big Life Journal

THE mindful resources for kids. They offer journals, printables, ebooks, and so on. 

Mini Zen Garden

Children's Books to Teach Mindfulness

The Mindful Child

Mindful Games Book

Growing Up Mindful by Chris Willard

Stop, Breathe, Think Kids App

Research Articles

Ideas to Teach & to Learn Emotional Regulation

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I started an authentic parenting workshop this week. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, honestly. Much like “mindful parenting”, I feel “authentic parenting” is thrown around in a way that doesn't put many of us on the same page. 

Do you feel that way, too?

My guess is you probably have and that you probably have one extreme opinion or another on the term “authentic”.

Authentic Parenting 101: Learn Emotional Regulation Strategies for You & Your Child

What it means to you may mean something different to me so let's leave it to the experts.

Merriam-Webster defines it well:

authentic

adjectiveau· then· tic | ə-ˈthen-tik,  ȯ-

Definition of authentic 

1a: worthy of acceptance or belief as conforming to or based on fact paints an authentic picture of our society

b: conforming to an original so as to reproduce essential features an authentic reproduction of a colonial farmhouse

c: made or done the same way as an original authentic Mexican fare

2: not false or imitation: REAL, ACTUALan authentic cockney accent

3: true to one's own personality, spirit, or character is sincere and authentic with no pretensions

Authentic Parenting 101

I decided to take the workshop to connect and to discuss with other parents. I'm feeling stale in my parenting these days and with a soon to be middle school the anxiety of losing my kids, of missing out, of longing for the earlier days is becoming a daily experience for me. Who am I kidding? These anxious feelings happen many times throughout the day.

So, I went in search of ways to circle back to the moment in all it's good, bad, & ugly glory & triumphs.

So, what did I learn?

That I'm not alone (always a good reminder). That is a big one. 

Related Read: How to Stop Tantrums & Live Happily Ever After

According to research, parents of “secure” infants (defined as a child who perceives his parents as emotionally available, consistent, attuned, collaborative, and responsive) readily adapt their own caregiving style to that of their child “in a fashion that was apparently ‘good enough', the behavior of these parents tended to reflect sensitivity rather than misattunement, acceptance rather than rejection, cooperation rather than control, and emotional availability rather than remoteness.”

In other words, I need to stop caring about what others think about me, my kids, and my parenting style. My child often has trouble getting along with his peers. So this point is a particularly important one for me to keep in mind. I need to embrace my a la carte parenting approach and simply accept who I am as a mother. 

Easy, right?

All of this means that we need to journey inward to find our authentic parenting persona. Does that make sense?

Maybe this quote will help…

“How we have come to make sense of our lives, how we tell a coherent story of our early life experiences, is the best predictor of how our children will become attached to us.” ~ Dan Siegel

Furthermore…

“Reflecting on your childhood experiences can help you make sense of your life…A deeper self-understanding changes who you are. Making sense of your life enables you to understand others more fully and give you the possibility of choosing your behaviors and opening your mind to a fuller range of experiences… Changing attachment status as we develop (earned security) is quite possible.” ~ Dan Siegel

From there I thought about my relationship with my mother (my father died when I was a baby, thus I was raised by a single mom) and how it changed over time. I thought about how my mother parented me and my siblings. I thought about how my mother communicated with me.

Then I thought about what pieces of my mother I carried with me into my parenting…

…and what I hope my kids will learn from their life being parented by me.

Heavy stuff but kind of fun, too.

Ideas for Emotional Regulation

Most recently, we discussed emotional regulation strategies for children & parents. The content was amazing. So, I obviously have to share a bit with you!

The instructor shared a Victor Frankl quote (I am a huge fan of this man's work) that resonated with me big time.

“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth & our freedom.”

Powerful, right?

I view a goal for myself and my children to find a way to expand that space to choose a response.

Here are a few ideas to make emotional regulation a reality:

  • Practice reflective thinking by being receptive and thoughtful about our internal states AND the internal states of others
  • Be curious about your child's thoughts, emotions, motivations, intentions, & subsequent behaviors
  • Identify your triggers & your child's triggers. Literally, make a list and try to stay one step ahead of the triggers. (Proactive vs. Reactive)
  • Teach your child about emotional regulation by discussing & creating “anger rules” as a family
  • Be an emotional regulation model for your child
  • Talk about high, low, and amazing points of the day
  • Learn together to pause, breathe, respond, and then reflect

What do you think? How do you maintain authenticity as a parent? What are your strategies for teaching emotional regulation?

By the way, if you're looking for a nice little back to school activity, these All About Me Activities are great!

8 Things I Learned at a Mindful Family Retreat

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“Mom, where is the tv?” my son asked as we entered our room at the Shambhala Mountain Mindful Family Retreat. We were going to learn mindful activities for kids and we were going to love it.

“There isn't one,” I answered matter of factly.

“Well, can we at least watch something on  NetFlix?” my sons chimed in together.

“There is no wi-fi, guys.”

The air sucked violently out of the room. Suddenly it was as though my kids couldn't breathe on their own.

“Guys, we're here to spend time away from all that noise and to be together without all the distractions,” I explained.

My 7-year-old proceeded to tear the room apart while my 9-year-old quietly wept sitting on the edge of the bed.

I worked hard to keep my eyes still and not rolled back up into my head.

8 Mindful Activities for Kids I Learned at a Family Retreat

Mindful Activities for Families

I left the room and went for a walk. The property is beautiful, 100s of serene acres about two hours away from Boulder. The wind was warm and gentle on my skin and my hair.

I breathed in deeply and then exhaled…this is exactly where we need to be.

8 Mindful Activities for Kids I Learned at a Family Retreat

We spent three magical days at a Mindful Games Family Retreat. Although the beginning was rough going, we accepted that stepping out of your comfort zone always is difficult.

And my kids and I had become too comfortable in our little bubble. It was time to rustle things up.

I learned many things about my kids and myself over the weekend. I picked up techniques, exercises, and activities to integrate into my everyday family life so that we're able to better manage stress and feel the joy in our lives through awareness.

I decided I needed to share a small list of the things I learned over the weekend.

How to Bring Mindful Activities for Kids into Your Family

#1 – Embrace the Backwards Law

Pushing through the chaos and allowing for the discomfort will reap huge rewards. This idea is all about “the harder we try, the less likely we are to succeed.” The Backwards Law, as explained by Susan Kaiser Greenland, is powerful within the context of parenting. I highly recommend checking out this meditation led by Susan demonstrating the power of the Backwards Law.

#2 – “I've Got This”

Pretty simple exercise: your child is having a “moment”. Stop, breath in and say “I've Got This”, breath out and say, “May he have wise patience.” You can also do this exercise for yourself.

#3 – Participate in the Joy

Next time your kids are “overly excited” instead of telling them to calm down, jump in…

#4 – Let the Pink Balloon Go

My 7-year-old responded to this visualization exercise beyond my wildest dreams.  When he was upset yesterday, I held him close and said, “Now close your eyes and imagine we're walking along a warm beach together. You're holding a pink balloon. This balloon is your “upset” and your “anger”. Now, let the balloon go and watch it float away. Wave to it until it disappears into the sky.”

#5 – Put on the Magic Glue

Kids love this mindfulness activity. Simply pretend to slap “magic glue” onto the bottoms of your feet. Now your feet cannot move but the rest of your body can. Encourage your kids to shake their bodies while staying grounded to the floor. Then once 10, 20, or 30 seconds (or whatever time period you choose) is up, place your hands on your belly and take a deep breath in, hold it for a few seconds, and then exhale.

#6 – Visualize Your Happy Place

My mom used to do this exercise with me when I was a child. So, that fact alone brought great joy and warmth to me. When you begin to feel upset, when your heart starts racing, or when the butterflies envelop your belly, close your eyes and imagine a place that brings great joy to you. This place is happiness to you. For me, as a child, it was watching my brother's football games. A bit odd, right? Well, it is where I felt at home and at ease, with my community, watching my brother do something he enjoyed and at which he excelled.

#7 – Use Your Cow Eyes

I love this phrase and the concept. During the retreat, we did a prompt exercise and paired up. One person talked while the other listened…but I cheated, I nodded my head, I placed my hand on the person's arms, and I spoke with my eyes. My body language communicated all I needed to during that exercise and I was satisfied. Then, our fierce leader reminded us of Cow Eyes, to listen without nodding and without body language and with big eyes. Give this approach a try! It is difficult but ridiculously effective at actually listening. I realized how much of a conversation I drove with my reactions and responses that may or may not have been relevant to my partner's words.

#8 – Love, Kindness, & Compassion Pour

One big take away for me was to allow space and time in my life for self-compassion, kindness, love towards myself. As parents, we are so hard on ourselves. So this point hit me.

Susan introduced us to this exercise and I absolutely fell in love. It is one of the few exercises I was able to integrate immediately and seamlessly into my life once the retreat ended. The exercise is actually sourced from Thich Nhat Hahn.  When he was in Vietnam, he recalled extremely hot days where he and the other young monks would escape to the forest for some relief from the heat. They would walk to a large barrel of water that had been collected by the rainfall, take a ladle, and pour the water over their heads.

Try this mindful activity for kids: Close your eyes, imagine walking into a forest towards a barrel of water. Take your hand to the ladle, dip the ladle in the water, and fill the ladle with water. Lift the ladle up over your head and pour it onto your head. Imagine the water as love, as kindness, and as compassion.

Additional Mindful Activities for Kids Resources

Related Reads on Mindful Activities for Kids

Special thanks to Susan Kaiser Greenland and the Shambhala Mountain Center for being my muse and inspiring so many to realistically live more fulfilled and joyful lives.

I will share more soon on mindful activities for kids. There is so much to share and to learn.

Marnie

What It Might Take to Slow Down as a Family

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The wind whipped the roof of the athletic center.

I was working out.

Trying to take the time to take care of myself when I got the call.

“Umm…Marnie, the power just went out and we can't get out of our road because a tree is down.”

My babysitter was trying to get my son to me.

I stopped my workout and headed to my car. A branch smacked the side of my face. 40mph winds were in the works. The wind's gusts had to be stronger.

I drove home considering my options for getting to my house. Not a problem. Park on the side of the road and walk down my street. Trucks were already removing the large branch blocking our road but I found it soothing to stroll down the road with eyes shut taking in the wind and all its force.  Deep breaths, feeling how tiny I really am in this giant, powerful world.

I got to our home and let our sitter go for the night.

No power made for problem-solving around dinner.

I started to cut vegetables. I took out bread, ham, peanut butter, jelly…no problem.

I headed out the door with my 3-year-old to pick up his older brothers at the bus stop.

Immediately upon hopping into the car, “Mom, can we play with our [amazon_textlink asin='B01MUAGZ49′ text='Nintendo Switch' template='ProductLink' store='blogpost' marketplace='US' link_id=”] tonight?” I knew it wasn't charged and they knew the rules.

“What needs to happen first?”

“Homework, dinner, clean room, PJs, and brush teeth,” they recited to me.

I nodded and then explained that the power was out.  They thought that was cool and fun.

When they arrived home, they dug out the headlamps we use for camping. We opened all the shades as the sun was beginning to descend the sky.

Our school night routine proceeded as usual.

The power wasn't returning…

We all got into our pajamas and climbed into bed. It was close to 7 pm.

The natural light projected through the window blanketing us as we cuddled together, headlamps ready, under blankets, reading…together…as a family.

Soon we fell deeply into sleep.

The silence.

The natural light.

The together time.

The real books.

We woke up this morning, no one on the wrong side of the bed (which says a lot if you know my 7 and 3-year-old sons).

Contentment.

They ate breakfast, grabbed their books, and headed to the couch.

This time we piled together enjoying the morning sun.  We all read our books.

“Hey, mom did the power come back on,” my 7-year-old asked.

The power came on in the middle of the night. The lights we failed to turn off and the [amazon_textlink asin='B06XCM9LJ4′ text='Alexas' template='ProductLink' store='blogpost' marketplace='US' link_id=”] beamed their “Hellos” to us, thankfully not disturbing my boys' sleep.

I have been a mom for 9 years and I have never felt such joy, peace, and calm in my home.

Losing power was a defining moment for my family. I long for simple parenting but it is a challenge.

No distraction. Natural light. Being together.

I can't wait to lose power again.

Bring it mother nature.

Simple Ways to Find Your Way Back to Mindful Parenting

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“Mindful parenting” sounds attractive, right? Sure, I want to be a mindful parent but what does that phrase actually mean?

John Gottman defines “mindful parenting” as the ability to respond and not react. He goes on to discuss finding ways to control our own emotions:

Managing our own emotions and behaviors is the key to teaching kids how to manage theirs. It is the reason airlines tell us to put our oxygen masks on before you can put on your child’s mask. You need to be regulated before you can model regulation for your child. Unfortunately, when you’re stressed out, exhausted, and overwhelmed, you can’t be available for your child.

What is Mindful Parenting?

You can tell that this idea of “parenting with presence” is significant to me.

On this early morning, I can't sleep. So, I am up writing to clear my head. As I sit in a rocking chair staring at my two sweet boys and asleep in my bed, about the reasons why I can't sleep.

My inability to sleep usually leads back to worry or regret. In this case, I had an “angry” day. I was short with my boys. I raised my voice too much. I moved my body in ways that were too swift and curt.
How to Find Your Way to Mindful Parenting

My husband is on an extended work trip. The boys are happy and well adjusted but are needy, especially at night.

I haven't slept well and, to be honest without sounding like I am complaining (because I love my job), I haven't been able to breathe my own breath too much the past week if that makes sense.

Mindful Parenting Feature

Yes, these types of days make me very sad.

I don't wallow though…

I can't.

So I am up thinking about what I can do to make sure to mitigate these types of days and to find clarity in the muck. Below is a simple and what may seem like an obvious list of things I'm planning to do to shift my days and my mood.

14 Simple Ways to Find Your Way Back to Mindful Parenting

  1. Drink more water and less coffee
  2. Eat less sugar, including carbohydrates, and more protein and iron
  3. More fresh air and outdoor time, generally
  4. Move my body. Endorphins are good.
  5. Put my devices down and rest my mind with my boys and for myself
  6. Write more but find a time for myself to write in peace
  7. Read for pleasure, even if I choose Fifty Shades of Grey
  8. Spend more time alone with my husband
  9. Call an old friend to reconnect
  10. Write a letter of gratitude
  11. Listen to music
  12. Write a story, a poem or a song with my boys
  13. Family dinner
  14. Purge and declutter an area of our home

Parenting mindfully isn't easy.

Sometimes when we feel off our game, stepping back to the basics is the answer.

Take what need from this list and make it work for you and your family.

I have found that simple and small adjustments, like drinking more water, have a profound impact on our overall happiness as a unit and individually.

Mindful Parenting Resources

What to do if your child is the bully & is better than that

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“Do you have a minute to chat?” my son's teacher asked me waving me to come into her classroom.

My stomach dropped as I managed a smile, “Sure!”

She began to tell me a story about a tribe of four boys picking on another, smaller boy in their class.

My son?

Part of the tribe.

My heart sank because I know that behavior would not make my son feel good and because the boy being picked on is a friend.

Social pressures of boys are tricky especially as they are trying to figure out how to navigate the friendship terrain. What feels right may not feel good and fear, as well as panic, overcome kids trying to understand how to like and how to be liked…a child might make a bad decision but that doesn't mean that she is not kind and compassionate. Precisely the opposite, a moment like this one provides an opportunity to teach a child what it means to be a friend and to be empathetic.

So, what is a mom to do when she is told HER son is the one bullying?

Related Read: What You Can Do about Bullying

I slept on it. I waited for the right time to talk about the situation in a way that was non-threatening and relevant. I didn't want him to be defensive.

Related Read: A Simple Change in Verbiage Made All the Difference

I needed to gather information and needed him to open up to me.

Then I needed to find the right words.

What To Do If Your Child is the Bully

My Main TakeAways from Being the Parent of the Bully

  1. WAIT for the right time to have a conversation within context and relevant
  2. ROLEPLAY various social scenarios
  3. GATHER information with lots of “what about” questions a la Dr. Ross Greene's collaborative problem-solving approach.
  4. ASK questions such as, “What would you do if you were Billy?” Boys are more likely to respond with more words than if asking “How would you feel if…” Read Leonard Sax's Boys Adrift for more insight into that science.
  5. IDENTIFY role models in your child's class, in books you're reading, and in your family. Toss aside books that degrade the characteristics such as caring about friends, about your family, and about your school life.
  6. BE the model by being kind and being the one who stands up for the “smaller” child. Even if you have to exaggerate this modeling, the lesson will still be there…