3 Mindfulness Activities To Help Kids Reduce Stress
In our last blog post, we offered some simple mindfulness techniques to help you lower your stress levels during these uncertain times. Practicing mindfulness can also help children and teens, who are dealing with their own challenges and changes, relieve stress and improve their mental health. Since mindfulness is being focused on the present moment and whatever is happening in the present moment, it can be practiced almost anytime and anywhere.
Explore the Five Senses
The five senses exercise is an activity you can do at home with your kids or in your classroom with students. Begin by asking the children to name five things they can see around them. For a bit more of a challenge, you can ask them to try and pick out things they don’t normally notice. Then ask them to name four things they can hear. These can be background noises inside like the heater running or outside like the birds chirping. Next up, ask them to name three things they can feel (physically). It can be the texture of their clothing or their body weight in a chair. Then ask them to name two things they can smell. Encourage them to bring attention to scents they normally filter out. Finally, ask them to name one thing they can taste. This can be the current taste in their mouth, or they can take a sip of water and notice how it tastes. If tasting isn’t something that works for them, they can also take a deep breath or name one gratitude.
Take a Rainbow Walk
Have your children, students, or clients go on a mindful walk and encourage them to find each color of the rainbow in order. This walk can be done outside, if safe, in the halls of the building where you teach, or in a yoga room.
Make a Mindful Craft
At TIL, we love making mindful crafts with young people, especially mandala making. This activity is perfectly paired with a mindful nature walk to gather natural materials, but it can also be done with craft materials.
Here’s what you need to get started: rocks, sticks, leaves, flower petals, shells (nature), puff balls, pipe cleaners, beads (craft); you can use anything you want!
If using natural materials, have students gather materials on a mindful nature walk.
Show examples of mandalas and talk with them about why people make mandalas (be in the moment, creativity, healing, comfort, mindfulness).
Have students work together to create a circular mandala. Consider splitting students up into small groups to do this.
After, have the students view each other’s mandalas.
Have the students deconstruct their mandalas and return the supplies to where they go.* If students have a hard time or want to save, consider taking a picture and also talking about the concept of impermanence, if developmentally appropriate.
*Return nature materials back to where you found them. Have students accompany you to teach this lesson.
Looking for additional mindful activities to share with clients, students, or your own children? Download our FREE Mindfulness Cards!