Winter Mindfulness Activities for Kids
Winter can be a cold season. With holidays, snow falling and schools getting canceled, winter is a perfect time to learn and incorporate mindfulness into our routine.
What is Mindfulness
Mindfulness is a way of being present in each moment, noticing what you are experiencing—with compassion and without judgment. You can read more about the Benefits of Mindfulness here. Being mindful during a busy season, means that you can be fully present in each moment and engaged with whatever comes at you. This can allow you to savor moments and navigate challenges with greater clarity and compassion.
Benefits of Mindfulness in Children
Children who practice mindfulness will find it much easier to focus and actively engage in the classroom and at home. Practicing mindfulness and breathing exercises can be very powerful for kids as they grow and navigate the world we live in. Students in the classroom who use mindfulness will bring a sense of collective calm to the space as well making the learning environment more favorable for everyone. Incorporating mindfulness can be fun !
Winter Mindfulness Activities for Kids
Winter is a great time to teach mindfulness to children. Mindfulness should be practiced when kids are calm and ready to learn, and once they have practiced multiple times, it becomes easier to use and practice mindfulness in times of need.
Here are some winter themed mindfulness practices that don’t take up too much time and may even keep you cozy and warm!
1. Deep Breathing:
Deep breathing exercises are designed to support self-regulation, mindfulness and brain break needs.
Many times, kids can struggle at home and school with anger or frustration and they lack the coping strategies needed in those situations. They require tools to improve self-regulation. Children, like adults, experience worry and anxiety, fears and can be nervous in life situations and having simple strategies on hand can help them cope during the day.
One way to do this is to use mindfulness strategies like deep breathing exercises. Children who practice mindfulness will find it much easier to focus and actively engage in the classroom. Practicing mindfulness and breathing exercises can be very powerful for kids as they grow and navigate the world we live in. Students in the classroom who use mindfulness will bring a sense of collective calm to the space as well making the learning environment more favorable for everyone. Incorporating mindfulness can be fun !
Here are some fun and easy ways to incorporate deep breathing into winter:
- Hot Chocolate Deep Breathing
- Hot Soup Breath
- Get some heat in your body: Practice Snake Breath or Bumble-Bee Breath
- Yeti, Self Hug Breath
2. Winter Meditations for Kids
There are lots of benefits for meditation for kids such as improved sleep, increased focus, reduced stress and improved emotional regulation. In the cold winter months, you can get cozy or make a fort and get in some blankets to read out a meditation from below or play one online. When kids are practicing meditation, it may not look like an adult practicing meditation- they may not sit or lay still for very long. Its ok to let them be wiggly!
Here are some winter meditations for kids that you can try:
3. Winter Mindful Walking.
Getting outside and getting fresh air and sunshine is a great way to relax the body and calm the mind. It may be harder in the winter to get outside, especially if its cold, but getting outside can be a great activity when you’ve been inside for too long. This year, I introduced snow shoeing to my kids. Although they play outside all day when it snows, it’s usually sledding , building sculptures , snowmen or throwing snowballs. Going on a walk or a snow-shoe helps to slow them down, appreciate nature and get out for a walk.
4. Gratitude Practice
Using winter as inspiration, have children think of one thing they are grateful for in the winter. This could be the snow, a snow day with missed school, or watching cozy movies together as a family. You can talk about it, or encourage them to draw a picture or make a piece of art surrounding the thing that they are the most grateful for. Encourage them to focus on the process of creating art mindfully, paying attention to the colors, shapes, and textures they use.
5. Indoor Yoga
Practicing yoga indoors is a great way to be mindful. Leading children through simple yoga poses inspired by winter followed by getting cozy and intentionally resting and breathing is a great way to be mindful over the winter season. Here is a graphic below on some fun winter yoga poses for kids.
6. Sipping into Stillness
Drinking something warm on a cold winter day can be a simple yet powerful mindfulness practice for kids. Encourage them to hold their mug with both hands, feeling the comforting heat seep into their fingers. Have them take a deep breath, noticing the steam rising and the cozy aroma of their drink—whether it’s herbal tea, warm milk, or hot cocoa. As they take a slow sip, guide them to pay attention to the taste, temperature, and the way the warmth spreads through their body. This small moment of presence helps them connect with their senses, fostering a sense of calm and gratitude for the simple joys of winter.
Let me know if you have tried any of these, or have other ideas for winter mindfulness. I would love to hear from you!
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