On My Desk – Benefits of Mindfulness for Kids

There are many benefits of MINDFULNESS for kids but one of the best ones is a feeling of relaxation. An easy calm down exercise to remember is to ‘Smell the Roses’ and then ‘Blow Out the Candle’. Breathing in deep through your nose for a few seconds and then blowing out slowly through your mouth for a few seconds. Breathe In – Breathe Out. It’s an easy visual for kids to remember too!

Breathing Had Benefits

Breathing deeply in and out has many health benefits, but mainly it’s a great calm-down strategy. This empowers kids to stay in the moment and not worry about the past or the present. The benefits of mindfulness for kids include reduced anxiety, coping with stressful events, improved concentration, better focus, and helps to regulate their emotions.

Modeling Mindfulness

Modeling mindfulness is important for adults to do too. Kids learn from watching family members and caregivers, including educators. The benefits of mindfulness for kids from having an adult that stays in the moment are many. It’s not always possible to put that phone down or to stop making a meal to listen to a child, but striving to stay in the moment is important for them. A way to remember this is by the acronym STOP.

S – Stay in the moment.

T – Take a breath.

O – Observe what’s going on.

P – Proceed after taking your moment to check in with yourself.

Mindfulness Videos

Because there are many benefits of mindfulness for kids, I’ve created some videos for kids that focus on MINDFULNESS exercises. You’ll find one down below, but others can be found on my website @gracelynkeyskids.com/videos#mindfulness. There are also resources that parents, caregivers, and teachers can use along with each video. These include discussion questions, exercises, and other activities that compliment each video. Just click on the Resources button near each video to access them.

What ways are you practicing mindfulness today?

#wishingyouhealthandwellness