Mindfulness for children is a practice that helps them to focus on their thoughts and feelings. By incorporating mindfulness into your child’s daily routine it can have a positive impact on their mental, emotional, and physical well-being – so it’s never too early to start!

Here are some effective methods you can use:

 

Breathing exercises

Simple breathing techniques can help children to calm down and manage their emotions. A great way to demonstrate how to take deep breaths by inhaling through their nose and exhaling through their mouth is by using a balloon as a visual aid.

 

Mindful movement

Introduce yoga, dancing, or other mindful movement activities. We recently wrote about the benefits of Yoga for children, you can guide your little ones through simple yoga poses, like tree pose or downward-facing dog, or put on some music and encourage them to move their bodies mindfully.

 

Mindful storytelling

Try reading a story to your child and asking them to really pay attention and listen to the words. After you’ve finished reading, ask them questions about the characters and what happened in the story, and encourage them to think about the themes and lessons from the book. Not only will this help them to foster their mindfulness it will also help them with their storytelling experience.

 

Gratitude practice

Create a gratitude jar and encourage your little ones to express gratitude for the people and things in their lives. Get them to spend time thinking about it and then to write it down and add it to the jar.

Remember that mindfulness is not a one-time practice, but an ongoing journey, so try to be consistent and patient in your approach. Here are some great wellness tips and activities you can try.