How to teach mindfulness to kids: 4 tips and a 5 minute taste game
Keep it short, playful and together. Explain it as superpower training for your attention, let your child pick the activity, turn it into pretend play, and start with just a minute or two. A mindful tasting game with a snack is an easy first try: eat slowly and ask what they notice about the texture, sound and taste.
Mindfulness is exercising attention. Our minds wander a lot, and mindfulness practice helps you step back and notice your thoughts without diving into them, like sitting at the side of the road watching cars go by, except the cars are your thoughts.
So how do you get a kid to sit still long enough to notice their thoughts? You make it fun. And patience, lots and lots of patience.
Does mindfulness work for kids?
The research says it helps, with small to moderate effects. Across 33 randomized trials with 3,666 kids and teens, mindfulness beat comparison activities on mindfulness, depression, and anxiety and stress (Dunning et al. 2019). For kids under about 12, a 2023 review of 32 studies found benefits for attention, emotional and behavior regulation, and social skills (Journal of School Psychology). It works best when the grownups practice too (Burgdorf et al. 2019).
4 tips for mindfulness with kids
- Explain why. Kids like to know why. Present it as superpower training, because it kind of is one. Invite them to join, and don't force it.
- Let them pick. There are so many ways to practice: breathing, listening, tasting, smelling, kindness games. Letting them choose what sounds fun right now gets more buy in.
- Play pretend. Be an alien from space who has never seen a grape, or toes, or anything before. What does the alien notice? Everything is more fun as an alien.
- Keep it short, and it's okay if it flops. The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests a few minutes a day for preschoolers and 3 to 10 minutes for school age kids (AAP). If it isn't landing, try a mindful minute and build from there. Missed a day? Pick back up tomorrow.
A 5 minute mindful taste game
Use any snack. Crunchy or squishy works best. Have them eat it slowly and pay attention to everything going on in their mouth. Start by just holding it on the tongue, then one bite at a time. Ask the questions below, and tell them to think about the answer quietly and share after.
- Can you feel how rough or soft it is?
- Does it feel crunchy or squishy?
- What does it sound like when you bite into it?
- Is it sweet or salty?
- Can you feel the ridges with your tongue?
- What's something you never noticed about this food before?
If you're the nanny, jot down anything funny or interesting they noticed to share with the parents. It's a sweet way to show them what the afternoon built.
Where should we start?
With the breath. Slow breathing is one of the best supported practices for kids, and everything else builds on it. Try belly breathing first, then the taste game, and tie each one to something you already do, like snack time or bedtime.
Happy tasting!
Quick questions
What age can you start mindfulness with kids?
Around age 2 or 3, with a grownup doing it alongside them. Keep it to a minute or two, use one sense at a time, and make it a game.
How long should mindfulness be for kids?
The AAP suggests a few minutes a day for preschoolers and about 3 to 10 minutes for school age kids. Short and often works better than long and rare.
What is an easy mindfulness activity for kids?
Mindful tasting: eat a snack slowly and notice its texture, sound and taste. Belly breathing is another easy one that works from age 2.