Mindfulness for children is about focusing a child's attention in a calm and curious manner to the here and now. As adults, you may envision yoga and/or meditation, but children's mindfulness is a little different. It might translate to watching a teddy move up and down on their stomach as they breathe, listening to the sound of a ticking clock, or slowly noticing the taste of a single raisin.
In this guide, we’ll look at why mindfulness matters for children, the benefits it can bring, and simple ways parents and teachers can make it part of a child's daily life.
Table of contents
- Why mindfulness matters in childhood
- How parents can use mindfulness at home
- How teachers can bring mindfulness into the classroom
- Common challenges and how to work through them
- Advice for success
- When mindfulness may not be enough
Why mindfulness matters in childhood
With mindfulness as a wellbeing tool, the fast pace of daily life - schoolwork, changing friendships, social media - can be slowed down to a single moment, acting like a pause button whenever a child needs it.
Beyond that, here is why mindfulness matters in childhood:
- Better focus at school: Breathing or mindful listening helps children concentrate.
- Less stress: When children learn to pause, they can calm themselves during arguments, tests, or busy days.
- Emotional awareness: Naming feelings such as sadness or anger makes them easier to manage.
- Kindness to others: Recognising their own feelings encourages more patience and caring behaviour towards other people, their emotions, and their needs.
- Bouncing back: Children learn that feelings pass, which helps them recover more quickly from disappointments.
With these benefits in mind, parents and teachers can use mindfulness to support children and help them thrive throughout their young lives.
How parents can use mindfulness at home
Mindfulness with your child at home should feel completely natural. It works best when it feels like play, not homework or a chore. Below are some simple ways to try it. Experiment and see what your child enjoys most.
Breathing with a teddy
Ask your child to lie down with a teddy on their stomach. Get them to take notice of their breathing, and to focus on the bear rising and falling. You can say, “Let’s see if teddy can ride the waves of your breath.” This is a calming activity, perfect as part of a greater bedtime routine.
Mindful listening
Sit still and invite your child to shut their eyes. Then say, “What do you hear?” They may recognise a car outside, the fridge whirring, or birds chirping. There are no wrong answers here - the focus is observing the little things.
Gratitude at bedtime
Before sleep, ask your child to say three things they enjoyed that day. It could be something small, like playing with a friend or having their favourite snack. This helps train the mind to notice positives, helping with their emotional baseline state long-term.
Drawing emotions
Set your child out some colouring pens and paper and invite them to draw how they are feeling. Some will produce a “worry monster” or a happy sun. Either way, it's a wonderful opportunity to get them to discuss their emotions naturally - converting feelings into images makes them more comfortable and easy to discuss, creating a more natural and free flowing conversation.
Mindful walks
Movement can be a big help with mindfulness - it is not just about sitting still. On a walk, try the “5-4-3-2-1” game. Get them to point out five things that they can see, four things that they can touch, three things that they can hear, two things that they can smell, and one thing that they can taste. It helps keep them in the now and makes walks an adventure.
One way to engage your child is to participate with them. Doing these mindful exercises with your child will not only make them want to do them, and keep them up long-term, but can improve your own mindfulness too.
How teachers can bring mindfulness into the classroom
Schools are often lively places. Children may arrive carrying feelings from home or break time disputes - a few short mindfulness moments can help to reset the classroom.
Morning check-in
Begin the day with a minute of calm breathing. Ask pupils to place a hand on their stomach and notice their breath. This helps those who are excited about the day to calm down, and those a little anxious, to also get settled.
Mindful transitions
After lunch or break, take 30 seconds for silence or slow breathing. This simple pause helps children shift from play to focus. This should also be used if you’re moving on from a practical section of your lesson.
Mindful movement
Stretching or balancing can ground restless energy. If you find your pupils restless throughout a lesson, ask them to stand tall, feel their feet on the floor, and stretch slowly. This works well for younger children who find sitting difficult for long periods of time.
Story reflections
When reading aloud, ask pupils how a character might feel. Questions like “What could they do to feel calmer?” connect stories to emotions and allows them to use this advice on their own emotional wellbeing.
Mindful colouring
Offer quiet colouring time. Encourage children to notice the shapes and colours they choose. This calms the class and builds focus.
The Department for Education has funded research into mindfulness in schools. Results show it can help pupils manage stress, focus better, and get along with others. Teachers often report that classrooms become calmer and kinder.
Common challenges and how to work through them
Not every child takes to mindfulness right away - some may feel awkward, silly, or think as though it's a waste of time.
Here are a few common hurdles, and how to deal with them:
“My child won’t sit still”
Movement-based practices such as walking or stretching can help. These may work especially well for children with conditions like ADHD, where stillness can feel more difficult. Mindfulness does not have to mean sitting quietly.
“They laugh or get silly”
That is normal. Children may giggle at first, but with time they understand the exercise - this will also happen faster if you partake too.
“They forget”
Routine helps, so does your encouragement. A short practice at bedtime or at the start of the school day can really help to build the habit.
“I'm not trained”
Specialist knowledge is not needed for the most part. Simple exercises such as mindful listening and breathing are enough to begin with.
Remember, the aim is not perfection. It is simply giving children small tools they can return to when they feel like they need to.
Advice for success
The real aim is to help them understand mindfulness at a young age, and when it does become part of their daily life, they are more likely to keep using it as they grow older.
- Keep sessions short. Two to five minutes will be enough.
- Join in. Children copy what adults do more than what they say.
- Experiment and offer choice. If breathing is hard, try drawing or walking instead.
- Make it a regular thing. Small daily practices work better than rare long ones.
- Focus on effort, not the results. The goal is to guide their awareness, not to have them be in complete silence following a set of rules.
When mindfulness may not be enough
Mindfulness can give children simple tools to pause, notice their feelings, and manage emotions before they become overwhelming. Unfortunately, though, mindfulness is not always enough on its own. Some children may continue to struggle and require extra support.
We advise seeking help if a child shows signs such as:
- long periods of sadness or loss of interest in activities
- worries that interfere with daily life
- refusing school due to anxiety
- sudden changes in sleep, appetite, or behaviour
In these situations, professional help may be needed.
To talk privately and confidentially to one of our trained professionals about the support you or a child may need, contact us on 0203 326 9160 or request a call back at a time that suits you.
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