19 fun and easy mindfulness activities for kids

Breathing exercises are a tried-and-tested way to help an overexcited or anxious child calm down.

The main thing is to encourage your child to breathe out for slightly longer than they breathe in; this encourages the body to relax.

You could ask your child to breathe in through their nose for a count of three, then out through their mouth for a count of five or six.

Your child might enjoy sitting cross-legged in a yoga pose, but this is an activity that you can try anywhere.

This is a great relaxing activity for older and younger kids alike (you might even enjoy it, too!). Pick a day when there are lots of fluffy clouds in the sky and plenty of breezes to move them along.

If you're stuck indoors, you could just look out the window. Otherwise, get settled with a blanket on the grass, and spend a few minutes just watching the clouds pass by.

Point out how the clouds change shape as they move. See if your child can spot any particular shapes among the clouds – animals are always a favourite!

For older kids, you can discuss how clouds in the sky are like the thoughts in our minds. When we're feeling calm, our minds are like a blue sky. Thoughts that come along are like clouds; they soon pass by.

Can you watch the thoughts in your head and let them pass by just like the clouds do?

This is a great game to play when you're out and about, but you can also give it a go at home.

Make sure your child isn't too hyper the first time you try this. Give it a go when your little one is already fairly calm.

The aim of the game is simply to see how many different things you can hear.

Encourage your child to listen out for close-up sounds, such as the clock ticking on the wall, as well as far-away sounds, such as distant traffic or birdsong.

If you're playing this at home, try doing it at different times of the day, and asking your child to notice how the sounds around you change.

This classic mindfulness technique is a great way to persuade your kids to lie still for a few minutes, whilst helping them relax.

First, make sure your child is lying down somewhere comfortable.

Next, ask them to tense up the muscles in their feet while you count to five, then relax them as you count to 10.

Move slowly up the body, asking your child to tense their legs, then their bum, and so on, until you reach the face and head.

For older kids, you could also encourage them to breathe in as they tense their muscles, and breathe out as they relax.

The first step to helping children manage their emotions is helping them understand what they're feeling.

Taking some time to discuss different emotions is a fantastic way to help your child become a mindfulness pro.

Ask what it feels like when you're happy, sad, scared or angry. For older kids, you can talk about more abstract or complex emotions, such as frustration, excitement, or anxiety.

You could use flashcards showing different emotions, or discuss pictures in books, to see if your child can tell what the other person might be feeling.

You could also ask your child to compare feelings to other things, such as weather conditions (e.g. happy = sunny), or colours (e.g. angry = red).

This will help to expand your child's emotional vocabulary, so that when you ask them how they're feeling, they can give you - and themselves - a better answer.

This is similar to the classic don't-let-the-balloons-touch-the-ground game, but with a twist!

To encourage your child to be mindful of their movements, ask them to pretend that the balloons are fragile bubbles, so you can only touch them very gently.

If your little one gets overexcited, gently remind them that they should only touch the bubbles lightly. This will help them to recognise when their emotions are getting the better of them.

This is a sensory game that's perfect for younger kids.

Take a bag or box, and fill it full of child-safe objects with different textures.

You could include soft toys, smooth balls, crinkly tin foil, rough stones, fluffy cotton wool, rubbery erasers, tickly feathers ... the options are endless!

Then ask your child to feel inside the bag. No peeking!

Encourage them to talk about the different textures, and take a guess as to what the objects could be, then bring them out for the big reveal.

A lot of mindfulness activities encourage your child to think about what they can see and hear, but this one brings taste and smell into the mix!

Prepare a few different fruits and vegetables so they're ready for your child to eat (be sure to cut any small round foods in half for younger kids). If you're feeling brave, you could even try it with messier foods.

Next, have your child sit at the table, and blindfold them with a piece of fabric.

Now comes the fun part: let your child explore the foods, tasting each one in turn. Ask them to describe the smell and texture of each food, as well as how it tastes.

While mindfulness is usually all about focusing on the present moment, sometimes a little escapism can also help your child to calm down, and relieve any anxiety they may be experiencing.

With your child sitting or lying comfortably, ask them to close their eyes. Now imagine you're both somewhere beautiful, such as a beach or forest.

Describe your surroundings to your child in great detail, as if you were really there. As well as talking about the sights, also talk about how the air and the ground feel, and all the different sounds and smells.

With a little help from you, kids can start doing some basic yoga moves from as early as six weeks old!

Of course, young babies and toddlers will need your help to get them into the right positions. Even older children will benefit from being shown what to do, especially at first.

Yoga is brilliant for relieving stress and worries, and a powerful mindfulness tool for helping kids stay in the moment and focus on their bodies and breathing.

There are tons of videos on YouTube to show you the exact moves to try.

Not only does a glitter jar look gorgeous, it can also keep your child occupied for a surprising amount of time!

Show your child how to shake the jar to make the glitter swirl, then put it down and watch as the glitter slowly settles.

You can even use this as a way to talk about emotions. Thoughts and feelings can feel like they're swirling around in your head, but if you sit quietly for a while, the emotions can settle.

Find out how to make your own glitter jar.

There are loads of fab meditation apps with guided meditations designed specially for kids.

Here are some of our favourites:

Headspace

Smiling Mind

DreamyKid

Blowing bubbles is a timeless favourite, but it's also a great chance to practice mindfulness.

Ask your child to focus all their attention on taking a nice big, deep breath, then blowing out slowly to fill the bubble steadily.

Encourage them to watch the bubbles carefully as they form, then watch to see where they go.

This is a great way to show kids how their body responds to different situations.

First, choose a time when they're relatively calm. Show them how to put their hand on their heart, and encourage them to count their heartbeats.

Older kids can count how many times their heart beats in a minute, while younger kids can just notice the general rhythm of their heart.

Next, get them running around or doing jumping jacks to get their heart pumping. Then repeat the exercise, noting how much faster their heart is beating now.

Once your child is familiar with their resting heartbeat, you can also get them to check it when they're feeling excited or anxious, to see how it changes.

Another way to get your child out of their head and thinking about the wider world, is to encourage kindness to others.

Ask them to think of three people who they'd like to say something kind to. Then help them write messages - or even handwritten notes - to their chosen recipients.

This is a great sensory activity that's perfect for younger kids.

Made from cornflour and water, gloop is a magical substance that acts like both a solid and a liquid.

Make some with your child, then show them how to squeeze it between their fingers. Ask them to talk about how it feels, and the strange way gloop behaves when they play with it.

See our step-by-step instructions for making gloop.

Gather a selection of things from around your home that have strong smells. This could be food, perfume, deodorant, laundry detergent, flowers - anything with a distinctive smell will do.

Now ask your child to close their eyes, and present each object in turn. Ask your child to describe the smell, and take a guess at exactly what it is you're wafting under their nose.

For younger kids, bathtime is a great opportunity to experiment with mindfulness.

Encourage your child to focus on the way the water feels on their skin. Is it warm or cold? Does it feel different if you move your arm through the air vs. moving it through the water?

Bath toys like stacking cups and strainers will let your child play with the water, exploring how it flows and splashes.

Most kids we know love colouring in, but did you know that it can also help with mindfulness?

Colouring a simple pattern can induce a lovely state of zen, where the outside world simply melts away. It's a great way to help your child calm down and quieten their mind.

Be sure to let your child know that it's fine to colour outside the lines, and you're not expecting a masterpiece. That way, they can let loose and just go with the flow.