EASY Mindfulness Activities To Do At Home!

For our last week of November, we focused on the topics of “My Body & Senses”, “My House”, Letter “Nn” as well as Relationships/Connections and Mindfulness in Positive Psychology!

Some of the activities included reviewing our 5 Senses as well as body parts, understanding emotions/feelings, breathing exercises, properly using household items, like kitchen utensils, and building with a variety of items, like blocks, boxes, and manipulatives.

Another fun things we did this week, Belly Breathing! The children were encouraged to bring in a special stuffed animal for this activity. This is an easy activity that you can do at home with your family!

Benefits of Belly Breathing:
• Automatically slows down the heart rate, helping to relax and calm
• Supports the life skill of relaxation
• Can boost energy levels with a few minutes of relaxation throughout the day
• Increased awareness of the breath and its effects on the body
• Emulates breathing during sleep, digesting food, and resting
• The most efficient and relaxed way of getting air into your lungs

Other Activities To Do At Home:

5 Mindfulness Activities for Children (and anyone else )
- “Just One Breath” Breathing Activity
  - Find a relaxing place, sit comfortably and set a timer for one minute.
  - Breathe deeply in/out while paying attention to any sensations you notice or sounds you hear.
  - Continue for that minute while imagine the air move into the lungs and back up.
- Create a Glitter Jar
  - Find a jar or plastic bottle and decorate.
  - Fill the jar up ¾ of the way with water. Next, add clear glue, food coloring and glitter then shake.
  - Seal the lid and you are ready to go.
- Heartbeat Exercise
  - Ask your child to either jump up and down or jumping jacks for one minute.
  - At the end of that minute, have them place their hand on their heart and pay attention to how their heartbeat and their breathing feels.
- Going on a Safari
  - Go outside on an exciting adventure; try picking up a small rock or touching a plant or flower.
  - Notice the bug or the birds. Take a moment to kneel down and touch the earth.
  - Walk mindfully paying close attention to everything. Make sure you walk in silence because you want to notice all those little details.
- Tense and Release Muscle Relaxation
  - Starting at the feet, gently squeeze the muscles in the feet by tightening them, then slowly releasing.
  - Next, squeeze the large muscles in the calves for 5 seconds, then gently release. Working your way up the body, squeeze the thigh muscles for 5 seconds then gently release.
  - Continue moving up the body for more relaxation.