We all need mindfulness in our lives. In today’s society, it’s important to be present in the moment. We all are surrounded by screens, billboards, and all kinds of distractions. Constant stimulation is not great for our kids. That’s why it is important to start introducing mindfulness in the early years of your kids’ lives. This article offers simple ways how to practice mindfulness with a Toddler.
Benefits of Mindfulness for Toddlers
- Facilitating Emotional Regulation
- Improving Focus
- Developing Body Awareness
- Building Resilience
- Coping with Stress
- Building Confidence
- Learning Patience
How to Practice Mindfulness with a Toddler?
Model Mindfulness
Kids are great observers. They will watch you and repeat your actions. That’s why you need to practice what you preach. If you want your toddler to embrace mindfulness, start with yourself.
- Learn more about mindfulness, attend workshops, or read books to deepen your understanding of its practices
- Avoid multitasking when you’re with your child and give them your undivided attention.
- Practice presence in everyday activities. Make an effort to be fully engaged.
- Demonstrate calm reactions to challenges. Talk about your feelings and take deep breaths.
- Engage in mindful listening. Show your child you listening to what they are saying. Don’t interrupt and after they finish reflect on what they have said.
- Model mindful language. Remember to use a calm voice with words that promote positivity.
- Cultivate gratitude and appreciation. Talk with your children about what you are thankful for and try to encourage them to do the same.
Yoga for Toddlers
Practicing yoga is a delightful way to promote physical activity, mindfulness, and bonding. By adding gentle stretches into your daily life you help your toddler develop valuable skills that will be beneficial throughout their life. You can start with easy poses like:
- Tree pose
- Mountain pose
- Dog pose
- Butterfly pose
You can also attend baby and me yoga classes or watch some YouTube yoga tutorials for toddlers. This is one I’m using with my kid and he absolutely loves it.
Breathing Techniques
Introducing your toddler to breathing activities will help them self-regulate and be more self-aware in the future. There are a lot of easy breathing activities for toddlers which can be a playful and engaging game for them.
- Breathing friends. Tell your child to lie down and place a stuffed toy on their belly. Guide them to take a breath and watch the toy rise and fall with each breath.
- Smell the flower, blow the candle. Easy and playful breathing technique, perfect for little kids. They can use their imagination and pretend or you can use real objects like toys to make it more fun.
Sensory Play
Enhance sensory exploration and cultivate present-moment awareness with those simple ideas for toddler sensory play. Make sure you engaging the senses.
- Aromatherapy Play. Use citrus peels, or cinnamon sticks for toddlers to explore. It’s a great opportunity to practice deep breathing.
- Sound Jars. Fill clear jars with rice, or beans to create different sounds. It promotes focused listening.
- Calming Bottle. Fill clear bottles with water and glitter. Shake it and watch until the glitter settles down. It is a great tool for creating a quiet moment.
- Texture Bins. Create a variety of bins filled with different types of materials. Let your toddler explore the textures with their hands, noticing the different sensations.
- Taste Exploration with new fruits, vegetables, or snacks.
Guided Imagery Story
It’s a powerful tool for relaxation, mindfulness, and creative expression. There are a lot of resources on this topic. You can make your own story and tell it to your child every day during quiet time. How about “Imagine you are a colorful fish swimming in the ocean. Feel the gentle waves and see the colors around you. Can you see a dolphin and a turtle? How do you feel exploring this underwater world?” You can also use YouTube videos for children’s guided meditation like this one:
Nature Walks
Nature provides a sensory-rich environment that stimulates curiosity, encourages exploration, and fosters a sense of wonder. How to make walks more meaningful:
- Let your kids observe details of nature like patterns on leaves, the texture of moss
- Demonstrate to walk slowly and feel each step on the ground
- You can allow to walk barefoot in safe areas
- Help them use the senses: touch and feel the texture of moss, listen to birds, smell the flowers, and observe the shapes of rocks.
- Sit quietly, take deep breaths, and appreciate the beauty of nature together
- Let them collect stones, pinecones, and leaves
- Create nature art like mandalas
Mindful Eating
Promote a positive and intuitive relationship with food. Some of the kids may be picky eaters. Here are some practical tips for fostering mindful eating in toddlers.
- Establish regular meal and snack times
- Create a calm and focused eating environment
- Minimize distraction. No TV or toys while eating
- Don’t use food as a reward or punishment
- Model mindful eating
- Allow toddlers to explore and engage with their food by offering age-appropriate utensils and encouraging self-feeding
- Offer a diverse range of nutritious foods with different textures and flavors
Whispered Stories
Telling whispered stories is comforting for toddlers. They make bedtime or quiet times even more special. It helps them with focus and imagination. And whisper carries a sense of intimacy and closeness. You can also buy books about mindfulness and read them in a quiet, calm voice.
Meditation for Toddlers
Sitting still is not a toddler’s favorite thing to do. But they need it, and we as parents need it too. Taking a break mid-day to have a peaceful moment with your toddler will be a bonding experience. It will help you to recharge, be present, and feel calm. Try meditation with a cute monkey.
Emotional Awareness
You can lay the foundation of healthy emotional development and well-being very early. List of age-appropriate activities that help to recognize and express feelings, and understand the emotions of others:
- Emotion cards. You can create your own or buy a set of cards showing different emotions. Help your child identify and name the emotions depicted on the cards
- Read books or stories that explore different emotions and feelings. Talk with your toddler about the characters’ emotion
- Use a mirror to create different facial expressions representing various emotions. Encourage toddlers to mimic you.
- Play a game of emotion charades, show different emotions, and let your child guess how are you feeling.
- Have a conversation about emotions. Explore ways to recognize, express, and cope with specific feelings.
Takeaway
By implementing those mindfulness activities into your toddler’s routine you set a foundation for their emotional well-being, self-awareness, and overall development. You can guide them towards mindfulness and sometimes just let them be, as they have a natural ability to be fully present. In the comment section, please let me know what mindfulness techniques resonate most with your toddler.
