Breathe, relax, repeat: mindfulness for mini-minds

Mindfulness is the simple action of becoming fully aware of what’s happening in the present moment. It’s something that children of all ages can benefit from to promote happiness, deal with stress and anxiety and develop focus.

It can help parents and caregivers too and be a fun activity to do together.

One simple way to help teach your child how to quiet their mind is to teach them how to pay attention to their breathing. It’s not about changing their breathing, but about observing what is happening in their body and their mind while they do it.

Breathe, relax, repeat with these simple mindfulness exercises for your 3-, 4- or 5-year-old.

How to move your attention to feeling your breath

For your 3-year-old:

Breathing using a prop

Lie down and put a fluffy toy on your stomach.

Watch how the toy goes up as you breathe in and down as they breathe out. Do this a couple of times.

For your 4-year-old:

Rainbow breaths.

Start with your hands next to your sides. Breathe in as your arms go up and out as your arms go down. Repeat 3 times.

For your 5-year-old:

Breath counts

Sit cross-legged, facing each other. Put your hand on your belly and inhale as you count to 3.

Hold that breath and exhale as you count down to 1. Repeat 3 times.