Playing relaxing games is a fantastic way to develop your child's attention skills. It's also great for winding down energy levels towards the end of the day.
Some examples of mindful activities for your little one are sleeping lions, acting out being different animals or pretending to be a tree. When you're playing, use a soft voice and slow movements to encourage your child to relax.
Check out the video below to see how these games can help a restless child wind down before bedtime or naptime.
What are the benefits of mindful activities for young children?
- Playing mindful activities helps develop listening skills and concentration.
- These activities wind down energy levels and help young children regulate their emotions.
- Pretending to be a tree or an animal promotes creativity and imagination.
- Chatting to your child about whether they're feeling energetic or calm helps them recognise their emotions.
- Talking them through the activities gives them the tools to express their feelings and change them.
Relaxing activity ideas for young children
There are lots of games that can help bring your child into the present moment and calm them down. These are particularly useful before nap or bedtime, or after a tantrum.
Here are a couple of calming games you could try:
1. Sleeping lions
What better way to get your child to stay really still than with pretend play? Once your child lies down on the floor in sleeping positions, they can’t move. You become the hunter, walking around and trying to make the sleeping lions move.
Keep reminding your child to focus on their breath and keep still. Ask open ended questions and see if they answer you and fall for your "trick".
2. Pretend to be a tree
Ask your child to pretend to be a tree swaying in the wind. Can your child make a good tree shape? Ask them to describe what they're doing with their body and why they have chosen that position.
Sway with them - can they mirror your movements? This will help their focus and attention skills.
See how slowly your child can move back and forth. Is the wind gentle or strong? Use these words to increase and decrease your child's speed. To fully wind down at the end of the game, why not make them sway slower and slower until they come to a full stop.
3. Colouring
Colouring in is a great way to get your child focused on a task.
Asking them to focus on one colour at a time is a great way to help them wind down at the end of the day. Focussing on holding the pencil or pen is also really great for helping their concentration.
Ask them lots of open-ended questions about what they are drawing - perhaps this could form the basis for a bedtime story.
Check out this article for 8 more mindful activities to try with young children.
Image caption, Playing Sleepy Time games helps develop your child's attention skills and helps them learn to follow simple instructions.
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