Looking for simple mindfulness activities for kids that actually work?
The good news is that mindfulness doesn’t have to mean sitting quietly for long periods of time. In fact, some of the best mindfulness activities for children take less than five minutes and can be done anywhere.
Whether you’re a parent trying to create calmer mornings, a teacher looking for a quick brain break, or a camp counselor managing a group of energetic kids, these simple activities can help children improve focus, regulate emotions, and reduce stress.
Why Mindfulness Matters for Kids
Children today are growing up in a fast-paced world filled with constant stimulation. Mindfulness helps children slow down, pay attention to the present moment, and develop important self-regulation skills.
Research shows that mindfulness can help children:
• Improve focus and concentration
• Manage big emotions
• Reduce anxiety and stress
• Increase self-awareness
• Build resilience
The best part? It only takes a few minutes a day.
1. Five Finger Breathing
Spread one hand wide.
Using the pointer finger of the opposite hand, slowly trace up and down each finger.
Breathe in as you trace up.
Breathe out as you trace down.
This activity is perfect for calming anxious or frustrated children.
2. Rainbow Walk
Go outside and challenge children to find something red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple.
This simple activity encourages observation skills and helps children stay present.
3. Listening Challenge
Set a timer for one minute.
Ask children to close their eyes and count how many sounds they hear.
Lie down and place a small stuffed animal on the belly.
Watch the stuffed animal rise and fall with each breath.
Children love this activity because they can actually see their breathing.
5. Mindful Stretch Break
Reach high like a tree.
Fold forward like a waterfall.
Stretch wide like a starfish.
Move slowly and notice how the body feels.
6. Gratitude Toss
Toss a ball back and forth.
Each time someone catches the ball, they share one thing they are grateful for.
Simple. Fun. Powerful.
7. Freeze and Feel
Turn on music and dance.
When the music stops, freeze.
Ask:
How does your body feel?
How is your breathing?
What emotion are you feeling right now?
Yoga Freeze Dance
8. Five Senses Check-In
Name:
• 5 things you see
• 4 things you hear
• 3 things you feel
• 2 things you smell
• 1 thing you taste
This classic grounding activity works for children and adults alike.
9. Kindness Challenge
Challenge children to perform one act of kindness today.
Helping a sibling.
Holding a door.
Writing a note.
Kindness and mindfulness go hand in hand.
10. One Minute of Stillness
Can your child sit quietly for one minute?
No screens.
No talking.
Just breathing and noticing.
Sometimes the simplest activities are the most powerful.
Bringing Mindfulness Into Everyday Life
Mindfulness doesn’t require special equipment, expensive programs, or hours of practice. Small moments practiced consistently can make a big difference.
The goal isn’t perfection. The goal is helping children develop tools they can use throughout their lives to navigate stress, build confidence, and find calm in a busy world.
That’s a skill worth practicing.
Want more fun ways to teach yoga and mindfulness to children? Explore our Kids Yoga and Mindfulness Teacher Training and discover engaging games, activities, and lessons that kids love.
Celebrate the Summer Solstice and International Yoga Day with Family Yoga Fun!
The official start of summer arrives with the Summer Solstice on June 21st! This special day marks the moment when the Sun reaches its highest point in the sky above the Tropic of Cancer, giving us the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
What makes June 21st even more meaningful is that it is also International Yoga Day. Since 2015, people around the world have come together on this day to celebrate the many physical, mental, and emotional benefits of yoga.
What better way to honor both the Summer Solstice and International Yoga Day than with family-friendly outdoor yoga activities?
Whether you’re a parent, teacher, camp counselor, or yoga instructor, taking yoga outside is a wonderful way to connect children with nature while encouraging movement, mindfulness, and fun.
Our Favorite Outdoor Yoga Activities for Kids and Families
Add excitement to your yoga practice with a beach ball! Write yoga poses, mindfulness prompts, or movement challenges on a beach ball. Toss it to a friend and complete whichever activity your thumb lands on. It’s a simple and engaging way to get kids moving and laughing while practicing yoga.
Can your toes do yoga? Toega is a playful activity that helps strengthen little feet while improving coordination and body awareness. Children love the challenge of using their toes in creative ways while developing important motor skills.
Turn a classic game into a yoga adventure! Write yoga poses on Jenga blocks and perform the pose shown on each block you remove. This game combines balance, movement, teamwork, and plenty of giggles, making it perfect for families, classrooms, camps, and yoga groups.
Benefits of Outdoor Yoga for Kids
Practicing yoga outdoors offers even more benefits for children:
• Encourages physical activity and healthy movement
• Builds mindfulness and focus
• Promotes appreciation for nature
• Reduces stress and anxiety
• Strengthens family and community connections
Do you love yoga and kids? Keep the fun of International Yoga Day going all year long! Introduce the joy and fun of yoga to children while instilling the benefits they will have for life. Enrollment is now open for our Kids Yoga and Mindfulness Teacher Training! Find out more here.
“The greatest glory of a free-born people is to transmit that freedom to their children” —William Harvard
There is no other symbol of our freedom than that of the American Eagle! Try practicing Eagle Pose with your kids. It is wonderful for balance, core strength and detoxing as you hold this twisty tricky pose.
How to Hold Eagle Pose
Begin in a standing position. Cross your right thigh over your left leg.
Try to tuck your right foot behind the calf of your left leg.
Bring your arms straight out in front of you, and then cross left arm over your right arm at the elbows.
Bend left arm at the elbow and bring palms of hands together. If palms do not touch, then have the backs of hands touch.
Bend your knees and hold your arms out in front of you with fingertips toward the sky.
There are several ways to practice breath and being mindful with your kids, but the main goal is to make children aware of how they are feeling while slowing down their bodies and noticing their calming breath. Does their breath become short, shallow and fast when they are getting worked up or nervous about something?
The following is a simple sequence that allows children to practice becoming aware of their breath and it helps them focus and calm their nerves before a test, presentation, game, recital or anything that they are feeling anxiety or stress over.
How to do Calming Breath (and Teach Your Kids)
Find a seated position comfortably with your hands resting open on your lap.
Sit up tall, close your eyes.
Breathe in for a count of five and out for a count of three through your nose.
Repeat for five to seven rounds.
Open your eyes and see how you feel. More peaceful and ready to take on the world?!
Help your kids practice this simple calming breath technique and it will become a tool that they will always have with them to use and find success with.
Part of the fun of introducing children to yoga is teaching classes and leading events. I do both of these on a regular basis and understand that while they are both important, they are both completely different in terms of how to teach kids yoga.
I am the type of person that likes to try to be prepared in all that I do. When I plan for my kids yoga classes that I teach regularly, I already know the ages and number of children ahead of time. This allows me to select age appropriate themes, yoga poses, props, and prepare an engaging lesson plan.
When leading those one time (medium or large sized) kids yoga events such as at bookstores, stores, parks,schools, libraries, and expos, there are different ways to go about planning and preparing. To see where Go Go Yoga for Kids has been recently, check out the links above.
Embrace the Unknown
There is definitely an element of the unknown to consider. How many kids will actually show up at the event? Will there be that large of an age range for children there? How to teach kids yoga? What other distractions and varying surroundings are there to think about such as the weather, other people, and surrounding noises?
All of these unknowns can make planning difficult, but I have come up with a few guidelines that help make these large group kids yoga events go smoothly.
Over Pack and Plan
I know my children and husband would agree that this is one of my biggest talents (or burdens as they usually help lug all of my props and materials). Every class I teach I bring extra mats for kids that don’t have one. I also bring seasonal or theme related props such as beachballs, snowballs, Easter Eggs, etc). See some of my favorite props here. These props are also great for attention-getting in a busy setting. I also have a lesson plan in mind that I want to use with 1-2 additional activities such as related partner poses, marker board, or read aloud books for just in case.
Arrive Early
This is a biggie. No matter how early I arrive at an event, the time always flies before the class starts. Allow yourself time to check in with the organizer and thank them for inviting you, check the sound system/speaker for your music, and set up/organize any materials and resources. I also like to welcome the kids and help get the mats or beach towels appropriately. I like to have my classes begin in a circle and is helpful for you to help lay down the first couple of mats so others will get the idea.
Keep It Moving
My recommenced class time frame for an event is for 30-40 minutes. Since you are unsure of the actual numbers and ages of children that will show up, it is better to have your class time be filled with movement, poses, and games and Stillness and Savasana at the end. Your job is to introduce children to yoga. Of course safety is a priority, but during an event is not the time to be sure that every child’s leg is in a perfect 90-degree angle in Warrior 2.
Be Thankful
At the end, be sure to thank the kids (and adults who brought them) for coming and give them any additional ideas and resources for continuing to practice yoga at home. Many times, this may be a child’s first interaction with yoga so be proud that you helped introduce them to this practice and the life long skills and benefits that accompany yoga.
Check out our fun Kids Yoga in the Park event here.
There are several ways to practice breath and being mindful with your kids, but the main goal is to make children aware of how they are feeling while slowing down their bodies and noticing their calming breath. Does their breath become short, shallow and fast when they are getting worked up or nervous about something?
of children ahead of time. This allows me to select age appropriate themes, yoga poses, props, and prepare an engaging lesson plan.
Embrace the Unknown
n event, the time always flies before the class starts. Allow yourself time to check in with the organizer and thank them for inviting you, check the sound system/speaker for your music, and set up/organize any materials and resources. I also like to welcome the kids and help get the mats or beach towels appropriately. I like to have my classes begin in a circle and is helpful for you to help lay down the first couple of mats so others will get the idea.
minutes. Since you are unsure of the actual numbers and ages of children that will show up, it is better to have your class time be filled with movement, poses, and games and Stillness and Savasana at the end. Your job is to introduce children to yoga. Of course safety is a priority, but during an event is not the time to be sure that every child’s leg is in a perfect 90-degree angle in Warrior 2.
