- Consistency is important – making it part of a routine or tradition helps the child expect it and practice it more often
- Teach your child to associate deep breathing with big emotions (i.e., feeling mad or anxious), and practice deep breathing together to help regulate emotions.
- Remember that mindfulness doesn’t have to be a big production – it can be as simple as one minute in your day and it can be integrated into something you are already doing, like during dinner time (i.e., practicing being aware of tasting a part of the meal) or during bath time (i.e., practicing awareness of the sensations of the water – warmth of the water, the feel of the soap, the sound of the water, etc.)
- Model mindfulness for your child by practicing it alongside them and letting them see you doing it too!
Mindfulness practice ideas for parents and children
Looking for mindfulness activities that you can do with your child? These specific ones below were made for the parent-child relationship. Modeling mindfulness by practicing it yourself at home or alongside your child with these activities is so powerful because kids learn by watching you.
Together, take some deep breaths and pick one of the following activities to practice:
- Practice taking deep breaths before bedtime and make it part of the bedtime routine. You can place a stuffed animal on your child’s tummy, have them take a breath in and out and watch the stuffed animal move up and down on their belly.
- You can practice taking deep breaths together. You can model first and have them watch your belly move up and down with each inhale and exhale. Then they can practice, and you watch them and immediately follow it up with praise to help reinforce their practicing! An example of a labeled praise would be “Wow! Great job taking that deep breath to help calm your body!”
- Little ones tend to love blowing bubbles. Slow and longer breaths produce bigger bubbles! Show your little one that blowing bubbles without breathing in and out is hard. Bubbles need breath to make it work!
- You can have toddlers follow you as you do some little stretches like hands up high in the air, hands to the side, and marching. Combine these mini yoga moves with deep breathing.
- Mindfulness is awareness of the present moment. It doesn’t have to be a big experience, even just eating a snack mindfully is a start. Be aware of the sensations brought forth – what does it feel like, taste like, smell like? Snacks like a slice of an apple, a piece of chocolate, a tangerine or a raisin are fun to eat mindfully.
- Outdoor sound activity: Bring a paper and pen outside with you and take turns with your little one listening to a sound. Then, map where you think you heard the sound. Was it behind you? Did it surprise you? Was it in a tree? Is this a sound that you have heard before or is it a new sound? What did it sound like? Have your child practice making that sound if it sounded like an animal!
- Practice being different animals or insects. Take a deep breath in and then float like a butterfly around the lawn or buzz like a bee. Afterward, comment on what it felt like to release the energy and be fully aware of the moment as you practice your insect noises!
