Mindfulness activity for kids is something that changed my family's mornings. Over the years I have implemented easy and little things into our mornings, well....To be honest, into our whole day ( remember, I told you about that in a different post).
Back to the mornings - it's little things that make the morning more calm. To help me be calm, and to give my kids a calm start on their day, where they are as much connected within themselves as possible. It really important before they go to daycare, kindergarten or school. So, here it is, a path toward calm mornings with kids using these 7 mindful steps.
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How Mindfulness activity for kids came to my mind
So, there I was. Wishing for a calm morning at the breakfast table, trying to calm myself from not screaming AHHH! Every piece of my whole body wanted to shout out loud; “Just eat that cereal and be quiet!” Okay, it may sound like just me telling my kids what to do, but I can assure you, that inside my head it didn’t sound all that sweet.
That was me years ago. Mornings with me counting to 10 more than once. Kids wanting a different breakfast, than the one I had put out. Put out, do you hear that… Me serving my kids. Couldn’t they have set the table with you, you may think. To tell you the truth, it was the easiest for me, to simply set the table and have it all ready before I woke them up. Tell me, what does your mornings look like? Calm? Chaotic? A mix of both?
Mindfulness activity for kids
One of the first mindfulness activity for kids I implemented is candle blowing. I find a candle and have one of my kids light it, and we all look at it and then my kid blows it out. It’s a simple and very powerful mindful activity. It gives you 10 sec of quiet and calm here and now. And maybe more importantly, it teaches your kids, and yourself to step away from the loud chatter from your thoughts and to connect within.
Here is your Mindfulness activity for kids Playtivities way
The step by step plan that takes you to mindful parenting:
- Find a candle and one set of matches. If you are a big family you may want two candles.
- Place the candle in the middle of the table.
- Choose one kid to light the candle (Each morning a new kid or parent lights the candle).
- Everyone looks at the flame, where it turns orange, for 10 seconds.
- The kid who lit the candle, blows it out.
- Look in the eye of each of your kids and smile, and take their hand and give it a little squeeze.
- Continue breakfast.
The Mindful Kid Talk
To ease out the start of such mornings, you need to lay some grounds. What you tell your kids the first time you introduce the mindful activity is really important for a good habit.
Tip: Use a soft, warm voice and talk a bit slower than you normally would. It calms the nervous system and makes it easier for your kids to find calm.
Play around
with the words yourself to make it fit your family. Kids name = X
“X1 and x2, look at this. (you show them
the candle).
Today….. I would like you X1 to light the candle…… and then tomorrow x2…….you
will light it…….
When x1 in a moment lights the candle…….we will all be quiet….. and look at the
match being lit……the light being lit and…..
We will look for the spot, where the flame turns orange…..and keep looking at
that orange spot, until I tell x1 to blow out the candle…. Simply look at the
orange spot in the flame.
X1, you may take the matches and light the candle.”
The Mindful Parent Talk
My best tip for making this a success is to simply do it. And repeat it again and again. All kids will react in different ways to a mindfulness activity. Some are instant quiet and some find it hard to sit still. It is all perfect. Let your kids be the way they are and help them find calm. I’ll give you more tips in the upcoming mindful blog posts.
Don’t judge how it went based on the activity itself. In fact, when your mind starts to judged, do the mindful candle activity to step away from your thoughts. Your mind WILL judge. It’s what it does.
I tell you though, the success will show in your life, when you repeat the activity. The benefits of mindfulness for kids are huge. You are training your kids nervous system, creating new paths in their nervous system and in their brain. You are creating the best foundation ever for your kids, when you make finding calm an automated pattern, just like learning to ride a bike. It’s all about repetition.
Go find a candle and place it on your breakfast table. Are you ready to enjoy your calm mornings as a mindful parent?
