5 Helpful Mindfulness Tools We Love for Kids (and How to Use Them)
At The Center for Family Well-Being, our therapists use all kinds of tools to help children slow down, reconnect with their bodies, and regulate when big feelings or busy brains take over. It can be helpful to have some of these mindfulness tools at home, too.
Try these items and activities with your children (or for yourself!). Many of these are free or things you may already have on hand:
1. Bubbles
Yes, bubbles! Blowing bubbles naturally encourages slower, longer exhales, which can help the body shift out of a heightened state of stress or frustration. Try making bubble-blowing into a game: Encourage your child to blow one big bubble slowly, rather than lots of quick ones. Here's a video on how it works:
2. Sensory Stickers
For kids who need something for their hands but can’t have a distracting fidget toy at school, textured stickers can offer a subtle way to channel restless energy. Kids can scratch, trace, or simply feel the texture while listening or concentrating. We especially love these reusable stickers that incorporate mindfulness exercises and encouraging language:
3. Brain Break Cards
Oftentimes a child doesn’t need a big intervention; they just need a brief change of pace. Brain break cards offer simple movement, breathing, and mindfulness activities that can be done when you have a few spare minutes, whether it's in the car or before bed. There are plenty of options at local bookshops, Etsy, and Amazon, but we appreciate these free printable cards, too:
4. Insight Timer for Kids
Insight Timer offers free, kid-friendly meditations designed for specific needs and moments, from calming down and managing big feelings to building confidence, falling asleep, or simply taking a mindful pause. Having a few favorites saved can make it easy to reach for the right practice when your child needs it.
5. Sesame Oil
High-quality sesame oil* and a few quiet minutes can become a soothing part of a child’s bedtime routine, and a nice way to connect at the end of the day. In Āyurvedic tradition, sesame oil is often used for massage before sleep, and we find that adding a drop or two of a gentle essential oil like lavender or chamomile can make this ritual even more relaxing. Try massaging the oil on the soles of the feet or ears, or, when time allows, make it part of a longer massage before a warm bath.
*Choose pure, high-quality massage and essential oils and patch test before using any oil broadly. For children with a sesame allergy or sensitivity, coconut or almond oil may be alternatives.
Need a Little Extra Guidance for Your School-Age Child?
Childhood is filled with big emotional and behavioral shifts — at home, at school, and socially. We offer individual therapy, age-specific In Tune group therapy programs, and parent guidance to help kids and teens build emotional awareness, self-regulation, and resilience. We also provide school consultation and advocacy, as well as parent coaching. Get the support you need today:
