These 7 calming activities for mindful focus can help to support children and young people to practice the important skill of paying attention. If your kid struggles with distractions, just like mine, these are simple ideas that you can easily bring into the daily routine to improve mindful focus.
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What is Mindfulness?
When you deliberately slow down and decide to focus on what you are doing, you are being mindful. Its a simple idea but quite hard to do. We are all, including our kids rushing around to the next thing with a full mind.
When we are mindful we can take the time to quieten our minds and relax our bodies. Slowing down and focusing helps us to be mindful, so practicing the skill of mindful focus with our kids is a great life skill to instil, for them and us.
What is Mindful Focus?
Mindful focus is a thinking skill that improves concentration. It improves your ability to pay attention and recover from distraction. If you are trying to ‘multi task’ or keep getting distracted by other things, then it’s really hard to get anything finished.
My son really struggles with getting dressed in the mornings, he gets distracted by other more fun activities around him. When I remind him of the task he’s trying to do, he’s been completely side tracked and it takes him a long time to get the task finished. Often we end up running really late with me feeling frustrated.
I’ve explained to him that the mindful focus activities that we are practicing will help him to do one thing at a time and do it properly.
7 Calming Activities for Helping Kids with Mindful Focus
1} Hand Breathing
- Using the hands is a simple way to practice focussing. Plus we always have them with us which is handy.
- Ask your child to spread their hand like a star.
- They can begin by simply tracing each finger and noticing the sense of touch. This is especially a good technique for younger pre-schoolers.
- Then when they are ready, they can breathe in as they trace to the top of each finger then out as they trace each finger.
- After ask if they noticed anything.
{Related Post: Hot Chocolate Breaths – Playful Breathing for Kids}
2} Superhero Senses
Challenge children to be a a superhero and use their superpower of focus to engage their:
- SUPER SMELL – Place different smells in covered up jars, then get children to guess what each one is.
- HEROIC HEARING – With eyes closed make different sounds and get your children to guess what the sound is.
- TERRIFIC TOUCH – Put a item in a bag and then get your children to work guess what the item is using their sense of touch.
- SUPREME SIGHT – Try playing this memory game, collect 8 items and place a tea towel over the top. Reveal the items for a few minutes and really look at them. Then cover them up and try and recall what they are.
- TREMENDOUS TASTE – Cover your children’s eyes and get them to try a food and guess what it is.
3} Quiet Creative Time
Whether its colouring, drawing or Lego. Quiet focused creative time is great for practicing mindfulness and developing concentration.
3} Noticing ‘Wonder’ Walk
- Another useful technique for focus is using our feet to direct our attention to.
- Go for a walk and start by noticing the feel of your feet on the floor. Notice different surfaces and how they feel
- Then direct your attention out. What can you see, smell, hear, feel and taste?
- Change your focus from the big picture to focusing in on something small like a flower, leaf or bug.
- Children might enjoy using a camera too, teens could use their phones to take pictures. Younger children may enjoy a DIY Colour Walk and making an Adventure Kit
5} Morning Mantras and Affirmations
Encourage kids to start the day by focusing on what they want to achieve or how they want to feel. You could leave an affirmation card by their breakfast, pop in a lunch note or listen to Snoop Dogg Affirmation Song {Free Printable Affirmation List} on the way to school.
{Related Post: 26 Strengths Based Affirmations and Activities for Kids}
6} Visual Flash Cards or Task Chart
For our morning routine that I mentioned earlier, My boy and I created a morning routine chart. He picked the images and the order they went in.
Taking owner ship of his activity. This is so helpful for him and means he can look at this independently rather that me having to remind him. Use the cards to play a memory game, put them in order or even play snap. I love these ones!
7} Use a Calm Jar
Using a calm jar can help for kids to see visually what a busy and quiet mind looks like. It also allows them to practice focusing in and quietening their minds. Use my Easy Calm Jar Recipe {with no glitter or glue}.
Or simply fill a jar with water and glitter glue, then shake it. Ask children to notice the glitter swirling around. This is just like their thoughts. Then let the glitter settle and explain this is how their minds are when they are relaxed, focused and calm.
I hope you find some of these activities and ideas useful. All children are different, so it’s good to explore with them and see what works. Take care Emma x
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