Mindfulness ideas for kids

Mindfulness is a bit of a buzzword in society today. Most people have heard of it, but many are confused about what mindfulness really means. It’s common to think it’s only about meditation, but in reality is simply means focusing your awareness on the present moment; calmly noticing your emotions and physical sensations without judgment as you are doing whatever you happen to be doing. You can be mindful as you do just about anything from sitting quietly and breathing, to drawing, eating, or playing in the sand.

Because our kids are more stressed than ever, they need our help by giving them tools to cope with their challenging lives. Prolonged and/or intense stress takes a toll on a child (and adult) causing anxiety, depression, acting out, physical illness, and learning issues—good reasons to mitigate stress early using a variety of forms of mindfulness.

Mindfulness creates resilience because it promotes an understanding of one’s emotions, the ability to control emotions, and a deeper sense of knowing what we are fully capable of.

The trick for parents and teachers is taking time to consciously infuse mindfulness into your day and/or evening. When you do, you will see the changes in yourself and your child—building resilience all around.

Working as a School Social Worker we have seen a huge increase of stress levels and anxiety with our students. Here are some mindfulness activities and websites for students (k-12) as well as teachers.