2 Powerful Mindfulness Exercises for Children: Body Scan (Calm Anxiety) & Listening (Sustain Focus)
Mindfulness Exercises for Children: Body Scan Meditation & Listening Skills for Anxiety & Sustained Focus
Learn two powerful mindfulness exercises for children from Vida Lowe, a licensed psychotherapist in California. These fun, effective techniques are designed to help kids of any age become more mindful and grounded, empowering them to notice when they are anxious and calm their nervous system themselves.
This video features practices that improve sustained attention, build sensory awareness, and help children manage stress.
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Exercise 1: The Calming Body Scan Meditation (2-3 Minutes)
The body scan is a wonderful tool to use when children are going to bed or coming home after a hard day. This meditation acts as somatic body monitoring and sensation work.
• How it Works: Have your child lay down and get cozy—use fun language like, "You're a superhero and you're powering down for the night".
• The child should close their eyes or use a soft gaze.
• We start grounding from the top, noticing sensations like brushing hair, moving eyebrows, and puckering lips.
• Guide them to feel a warm, cozy feeling start at their neck, moving down their shoulders, arms, chest, legs, ankles, and feet, even wiggling their little toes.
• Benefits: This prepares kids to notice subtle body sensations, which is crucial for recognizing hunger, thirst, or anxiety. End the practice by telling them, "now you are all covered in calm". Older children can even incorporate brief breath work, like noticing their chest moving up and down, or using the 4-7-8 breathing technique.
Exercise 2: The Mindfulness Listening Skill
This is a fun mindfulness activity that can be done alone or with friends and family. It focuses specifically on improving sustained focus by listening to sounds in the environment.
• How it Works: Have the child sit comfortably. Use a bell, chime, or tuning fork.
• Ding the bell just once and instruct the child to listen to the sound until it completely goes away, raising their hand when they can't hear it anymore.
• Next, listen to other environmental sounds inside or outside the home—like a car, a dog barking, animals, or a fan.
• Benefits: Noticing these sounds helps children sustain attention and stay mindful. As they get older, you can build on the practice by introducing two different types of bells.
Help your child build their mindfulness practice today!
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