During the past two months, my family has really experienced the effects of social isolation. In particular, my 4 and 2 year old have been waking more often at night and as a result, we are exhausted! During the day, we all need a break - A mental break to refresh us and help us be kind to each other. I wanted to share a few mindfulness activities that we have done or hope to do in the next few weeks. Mindfulness is the practice of paying attention to your feelings and how your mind and body experience them in the moment. Teaching mindfulness to children is a valuable tool to help young children process emotions. This will look different for all families since all our situations are unique. It is important to find what works best for you, but I hope I can provide some ideas with the activities below!
Mindfulness activities
Take a walk. Explore your surroundings and just be in nature together. When we begin to get grumpy, I pile them in the stroller and we walk a few miles to recollect. |
Write thank you cards together and mail them to family or neighbors. A great way to think of others and remember how grateful we are to have each other.
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Mindful coloring - print some pictures out and quietly color independently. Our butterflies came out of their Chrysalis today, so we printed Butterfly sheets to color! I put on some calming music and they spent 30 minutes coloring. My 2 year old needed a bit more guidance so I sat and colored with him. It was a great relaxing activity for me as well! |
Sit outside and paint. Watercolor is perfect for this! We have sat outside on the porch while it rained and have brought a picnic blanket to paint at the park. I encourage my 4 year old to be mindful of what is around her and paint what she sees. To the left, she is painting our front yard. To the right, she is painting the Observatory. |
Snuggle up and read a book together. Take some time to just enjoy each other. My four year old has been interested in chapter books this past year and I love to snuggle up and read with her!
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Use your five senses to explore what is around you. Try to stay silent for 5-15 minutes depending on your Childs attention span, then talk about what you noticed. My kids are fascinated with birds! After this particular quiet walk, my 4 year old decided she wanted to write a song and sing it back to the birds. |
Go for a hike. There are so many trails in Pittsburgh to explore. We are at Observatory hill here. I was surprised how far they walked and a lot of it was uphill. They both found walking sticks and as we hiked we took time to notice everything around us. Creeks, birds, animals, holes from animals, flowers, etc. These hikes help all of us recenter and enjoy time outdoors together! |
- A guided meditation from Cosmickidsyoga - thinking about love and kindness
- Lay down in a quiet, comfortable spot and watch the clouds together - talk about the different shapes you see
- Follow this tense and release guide for muscle relaxation
- Use this 5 senses worksheet from Positive Psychology to guide you and your child
- Create quiet time - everyone has space to themselves with quiet activities (start small if you have not done this before - 15 minutes, then add more time as you are successful). This is a great way to encourage imagination and independence as well.
- Sit down together and positively affirm your child(ren). During February, my family celebrated Valentine's Day by writing each of our names on our own pieces of paper. Each day leading up to Valentine's Day, we thought of something we loved about each other and wrote it on their piece of paper. My daughter still has this hanging in her room.
- Play Red Light, Green Light - this is a more active way of being mindful. Listening, reacting, and encouraging others throughout the game.
- Root to Rise: Moving Meditation by Mindful Littles
- Animal Yoga for kids - have your child imagine an animal and then to create a pose that animal may make. All together hold the pose for a few seconds. Continue creating new animal poses together. Here are a few examples of animal yoga poses.