Mindfulness is so much fun! How amazing would it be if you taught your child or students these incredible mindfulness activities for kids at a young age so that they can carry them with them throughout their lives. Make sure your download your free printable list of mindfulness activities for kids to get the most out of this post.
30 Mindfulness activities for kids that are simple and fun
1. Yoga for kids
If you have been reading this blog for a while, you may know how passionate I am about yoga – for myself and for our kiddos. Yoga for kids is. great way to teach children to slow down and focus on breath and movement. I’ve used yoga in my autism classrooms with great success. You could also use one of these printable kids yoga posters to help your child or students do the poses.
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2. Play with play dough
Play dough is one of my absolute favorite mindfulness activities for kids. Use play dough activities with children with autism to provide sensory input, increase mindfulness and teach new skills.
Related product : Zoo Animal Play Dough Mats Bundle
3. Pinwheel breathing
I love this fun mindfulness activity for kids that encourages your little one to blow on a pinwheel using long, deep breaths. Very effective and so much fun.
4. Calming bottles for autism
I love incorporating sensory bottles into my programs for kids on the autism spectrum! They are easy to make and are a fabulous tool to help your child or students calm down, focus and practice mindfulness in the classroom or at home.
5. What are you doing? activity
This activity teaches kids to focus on listening and to be conscious of what they are doing in any given moment.
6. Take a walk in nature
Take your little one out for a nature walk! There are so many opportunities to be mindful in nature. Listen to the sounds of the birds, water, and wind, have your child or students look for particular items, such as leaves, stones, and butterflies or even have them work on their own field trip journal while you are out exploring.
7. Have some dedicated quiet time
Set up a comfortable spot and have your child or the kids in your classroom lay down and enjoy some quiet time. I love these kids poufs. You could also set up some books.
8. Use a sensory workbook
Set up a calming sensory activity using this workbook and you will guide your child or students into mindfulness right away. You will also have the opportunity to build language and communication skills with the activity – an added bonus!
9. Use a sensory box
Sensory boxes have so many uses for kids on the autism spectrum. They are a wonderful addition to any mindfulness program because they are easy to make and autistic learners tend to love them. Use them to help refocus your child on the present moment, fulfil your little one’s sensory needs and increase learning and fun at home or in the classroom.
10. Emotions Story Stones
These adorable build a face story stones help teach kids about emotions. Use them to teach your child or students to focus on feelings in the moment. You could also have a conversation about calm down strategies for when emotions get a little bit out of control.
11. Use a Calm Down Kit
Create your own Calm Down Kit for your child or students to help them focus on the present moment, center themselves and calm down. Some things I love to include in my Cal Down Kits are. feathers, puppets, bubbles, autism workbooks, dried pasta and autism chew toys.
12. Use sensory break cards
Each one of my printable sensory break cards includes a fun and calming sensory activity that you could easily incorporate into any mindfulness activities for kids program.
13. Mindful or Unmindful? activity sheet
If your child or students have a good grasp of language, you could use this worksheet that prompts kids to read a sentence that describes a behavior and circle mindful or unmindful for each activity. A worksheet like this can prompt interesting conversation around what is considered mindful activity and what is not.
14. Set up a cooking activity with a visual recipe
Cooking is a great activity for encouraging mindfulness. Prompt your little learner to focus on the task at hand, preparing the ingredients, mixing them one by one in the correct order, and waiting while the mixture bakes or cooks. Cooking activities have a lovely sensory component as well.
15. Squeeze slime
Set up a few jars of slime at the table and encourage your child or student to squeeze the slime. You could even have your little one squeeze quickly, followed by slow squeezing to reinforce being present and focusing on the task at hand.
16. Use positive affirmations for kids
Positive affirmations are a wonderful tool for increasing mindfulness, confidence and overall joy.
17. Listen to classical music
Classical music is a powerful tool to help children on the autism spectrum calm down. It will help your little one recenter and come back to the present moment. You could have classical music playing in the room or have your child or students wear headphones.
Related post : Homeschooling Your Autistic Child? These 10 Tips Will Help!
18. Make a kids smoothie
Like a cooking activity, this food prep activity will encourage your child or students to focus on prepping ingredients, adding them to the blender and waiting for the smoothie to be ready.
19. Take a sensory break
Sensory breaks will help your little ones stay calm, focused and happy throughout the day. They are also a wonderful way to incorporate mindfulness into every day whether you are using them at home or in a special needs classroom.
20. Freeze Dance Mindfulness
Have a fun freeze dance party in your autism classroom or living room to teach your kids about mindfulness.
21. Make gluten free play dough
Have your child or student focus on the present moment while preparing the ingredients to make play dough and mixing them together. This activity is highly sensory which will also offer your little one valuable sensory input that goes hand in hand with your mindfulness activity. (I love making gluten free play dough because a lot of my little learners have gluten allergies. The play dough recipes in the above post are entirely gluten free.)
22. Go for a rainbow walk
Talk your child or students for a walk and have them find something that matches each color of the rainbow : red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet.
23. Emotions Bottles
I love this emotions bottles activity the guides kids to explore their emotions based on prompts from the Pixar movie Inside Out.
Related Post : Light Table Activities
24. Emotion Changing Octopus Craft
Explore emotions with this quick and easy octopus craft. You will be able to use it again and again as part of your home or autism classroom program to discuss and identify emotions.
25. Make a Mindful Breathing Wand
This DIY project is adorable and will increase your little one’s awareness of their breath. If you are using these activity in a group of kids, you could have all the children do it at the same time or go around in a circle and take turns noticing their breath.
26. Mindful Journaling Prompts
These prompt questions will help you discuss mindfulness and become more conscious while journaling. (This would be best used with learners who have strong communication skills.)
27. Box Breathing
This simple breathing technique is fun and effective.
28. Gardening with kids
Gardening with kids is one of my favorite mindfulness activities! Teach your child or students to focus on the present moment, plant a seed or small plant, touch the dirt and water the plant each day. Use the five senses to fully explore the gardening activity.
29. Play with sensory toys
Sensory play provides numerous possibilities to be mindful. It also increases bodily movement. Encourage your child or students to spend dedicated time each day engaged in sensory activities to increase joy, to balance the sensory system and to decrease stress and frustration.
30. Raisin Meditation
Hand a raisin to your child, or hand out raisins to each of your students for this kids mindfulness activity. Practice observing it and interacting with it using each of the five senses. Use mindfulness to reduce stress and increase consciousness and everyday pleasures.
Download your free printable list of mindfulness activities for kids!
Step 1 – Download your free printable.
Step 2 – Print it out.
Step 3 – Put it in a place where you will see it and use it each day or add it to your child or student’s program binder.
Step 4 – Practice mindfulness every day!
More Autism Learning Resources
- The Successful Interaction with a Child with Autism Course – learn to better understand your autistic child or students with this complete course.
- Autism Activities Workbook Bundle – build communication skills, fine motor skills, sensory play skills and daily living skills, while helping your child or students to successfully manage any difficult behaviors, with these fun, educational, printable activities.
- Sensory Communication Workbook – Build communication skills with simple sensory activities.
- How to Make a Communication Binder Guide & Workbook – Learn how to create a Communication Binder for your child or student with autism using real photos. Follow my expert guide to learn how to use it to increase communication skills.
- Zoo Animals Play Dough Mats Bundle – use these printable play dough mat to work on the names of the animals, build language skills, and increase fine motor strength and precision in a fun, sensory way!
Mindfulness activities for kids
Use these simple mindfulness activities for kids to increase joy and harmony with your autistic child or students and decrease stress and frustration.
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