What is “Mindfulness”? And How We Teach Kids to be Mindful.
What does silence mean to you?
I asked my daughter this question last night after reading The Sound of Silence by Katrina Goldsaito and Julia Kuo. The soothing children’s book story follows a boy who discovers the Japanese concept of ma, which is the silence between sounds. My daughter went on to say that silence for her was listening to the birds chirping.
Waiting for the school bus this morning, I asked her again if she could feel the silence as the fresh, light snow floated down around us. We looked at the snowflakes on my red mittens and compared the many different shapes. We were together in awe of the beauty of snowflakes.
What is “Mindfulness”?
So when people ask about what is mindfulness, this is it—being intentional about living in the present moment, without judgment, but with curiosity. The grandfather of mindfulness, Jon Kabat-Zinn, defines mindfulness as “paying attention in a particular way, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally.”
How do we teach mindfulness to kids?
The next question people ask is how we can teach mindfulness to children. Before we talk about mindfulness strategies, let’s talk about how we as parents and teachers can begin this lifelong practice of mindfulness, by noticing, getting curious, and committing to the practice.
First, we start by noticing how much our thoughts are running and when we’re not living in the present moment.
We take note throughout the day if we are or aren’t taking moments of silence to calm our nervous system. The Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu said, “If you are depressed, you are living in the past. If you are anxious, you are living in the future. If you are at peace, you are living in the moment.” I love that.
Second, we get curious about mindfulness.
You don’t have to necessarily read every book on mindfulness right away. Start by choosing a specific task you do every day, like cleaning the dishes, and try to do it more mindfully. Or take a nature walk and take time to listen to the sounds outside. Anybody can access mindfulness. It all starts with your breath. Your breath brings you back to the present moment.
Third, we commit to a mindfulness practice.
I’ve committed to a daily meditation practice, for example. If I miss a morning, I don’t beat myself up, I just do it later in the day. Another thing is that my daughter and I have been doing Three Deep Breaths during bedtime to bring a breathing technique into our lives and hopefully calm our “monkey minds.” Choose the practice that works for you and your children.
What are some go-to mindfulness strategies?
Now, to discover mindfulness strategies, I love incorporating the activities into these four groups:
- Breathing techniques
- Movement activities
- Sensory experiences
- Guided imagery
I’m super excited to share with you our Mindfulness Cards for Kids, which detail specific activities under each of these categories above.
These digital cards are easy to download, print, and play with in your home, classroom, and studio.
These mindfulness cards are a fun and accessible way to introduce the concept of mindfulness to children in the hopes that they, too, will find their own “silence.”
What are some of your favorite magical mindful moments with your children? Tell us in the comments below!
Check Out Our Mindfulness Cards for Kids
Explore 25 unique ways to help children slow down!
Help the children in your life slow down by practicing these simple and effective mindfulness exercises. This mindfulness deck is divided into four categories that you can chose from: breath, movement, sensory, and guided imagery.
Download these 60 digital cards to bring simple mindfulness practices to your home, classroom, or studio. Includes an index card, mindfulness activity tips, 25 Mindfulness cards with illustrations, and 25 corresponding description cards. The kids are multicultural from various countries.
Instantly download, print, and practice.
Age group: Ages 4+. Printing Instructions
Download you Mindfulness Cards for Kids here.
You May Also Enjoy Our Breathing Exercises Cards for Kids
DON’T FORGET TO BREATHE! HELP CHILDREN TO CALM DOWN AND FOCUS!
Practice any one of these thirty breathing techniques to release stress and tension. Help your children feel calm and focused with breathing exercises like Balloon Breath, Bee Breath, and Bunny Breath. Download these Breathing Exercise Cards (66 cards in total) to use in your home, classroom, or studio. Index, Breathing Exercise Tips, and Breath Instructions are included. Recommended ages: 4+
Download Your Breathing Exercises Cards for Kids here.
You May Also Enjoy Our Calming Coloring Pages for Kids – Animals
TWENTY MANDALA-INSPIRED DESIGNS TO INVITE CALM AND REDUCE STRESS.
Coloring has such a calming effect on children.
These fun and easy animal color pages were inspired by the calming nature of mandalas.
Choose from twenty playful animals including a sloth, a butterfly, and a hedgehog.
This handy digital format allows you to print them off and tuck them in your bag for travel or print off several copies for your classroom.
Recommended ages: 2+
Download Your Calming Coloring Pages for Kids – Animals here.
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