Yvette Salvaris
The world can be a confusing place, especially right now. Its only natural that children feel unsettled and a bit out of sorts. Many children are being home schooled due to COVID and this has resulted in more screen time. Outside time has been limited due to playgrounds being closed and the simple enjoyment of just being a child has almost vanished. That’s why its so important that children are given a change to reset and relax in a mindful way.
Mindfulness is best described as giving your full undivided attention to something. Its the time where you give yourself the chance to slow down and really take notice of what you are doing. Its not about multi tasking or rushing. When your being mindful you are focused and relaxed. Mindfulness helps you to pay attention, learn more and stay calm. Teaching your child to embrace mindfulness is not that hard and can be done easily everyday.
- Meditation tent
This one is easy to set up and kids love it. In a comfortable space or even outside in the back yard, set up a tent. In this tent you can put cushions, colouring in and anything else that you feel will help your child to relax. This then becomes a safe and relaxing space to chill out.
- Name 3 good things
This a great habit to get onto and something that can be done as a family. Each person has to come up with 3 good things that happened to them that day. This is also a time to check in on your child’s feelings and remind them that its ok if sometimes you feel sad and happy. Its also a time to see if anything is bothering your child and turn a negative into a positive.
- Safari
The Safari exercise is a great way to help your children learn mindfulness. This activity turns an average, everyday walk into an exciting new adventure. Its also a fun way to get your child away from their screens and to soak up the fresh air and sunshine especially coming into the warmer months.
Tell your children that you are going on a safari. While in safari each person has a goal to see how many birds, bugs, insects or anything else they notice. You can extend this activity by getting your chid to draw what they saw or their favourite object that was discovered on the walk. Get them to think about the colours, the shapes etc.
- The Mindful Jar
This activity teaches children how sometimes the strongest emotions can take hold of your and make you feel a bit sad. It’s a mindful way of teaching how to find peace when these strong emotions feel overwhelming.
First, get a clear jar (like a Mason jar) and fill it almost all the way with water. Next, add a big spoonful of glitter glue or glue and dry glitter to the jar. Put the lid back on the jar and shake it to make the glitter swirl.
Explain to your children that the glitter is like your thoughts when you get upset. When they swirl around its hard to see clearly, but they soon settle down and things become clear.
Let your child shake the jar and experiment with how the glitter moves. This also helps to open up any conversations about emotions.
Hopefully these activities have given you some ideas on how to practice mindfulness with children. The main aim is to give your child a chance to relax, chill out and reset. Who knows maybe you might gain some mindfulness from these activities too.
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