The best examples of mindfulness exercises for kids: 3 fun activities they’ll actually enjoy

Let’s jump straight into what you came here for: examples of mindfulness exercises for kids: 3 fun activities that don’t feel like homework.

Think of mindfulness as noticing on purpose. Kids are naturally good at this when they’re curious and relaxed. Our job is to create small pockets in the day where that kind of noticing is invited and guided.

Below are three anchor activities you can use over and over. Around each one, you’ll find extra real examples and variations so you can keep things fresh.

Activity 1: The Glitter Jar Calm-Down – a visual example of mindfulness for kids

If you want a concrete example of mindfulness that kids instantly “get,” start with a glitter jar (sometimes called a calm-down jar). It turns big feelings into something they can literally watch settle.

How to do the Glitter Jar Calm-Down

You can buy a pre-made glitter jar or make your own with a clear plastic bottle, warm water, glitter glue, and extra glitter.

Here’s the simple script:

“This jar is like your mind. When you’re worried, mad, or excited, your thoughts swirl around like this glitter.”
(Have your child shake the jar.)
“Now put the jar down and just watch. Your only job is to notice the glitter as it slowly falls. If your mind wanders, that’s okay—just bring your eyes back to the glitter.”

You’ve just walked them through one of the best examples of mindfulness exercises for kids: 3 fun activities usually start with something visual, something movement-based, and something sensory. The glitter jar covers the visual part beautifully.

Make it playful with variations

To turn this into a set of examples of mindfulness exercises for kids, try:

• Color Hunt Jar: Use different colors of glitter. Ask, “Can you watch only the blue glitter for three breaths?” Then switch to another color.
• Feelings Jar: Assign each glitter color a feeling—red for anger, gold for happiness, blue for sadness. Ask, “Which feeling do you see the most today?” Let them share without fixing or judging.
• Countdown Jar: As the glitter falls, count down slowly from 10 to 1, matching each number with a deep belly breath.

Kids are practicing:

• Focusing attention on one thing
• Noticing thoughts and feelings without reacting
• Waiting and watching instead of immediately acting

These are exactly the skills mindfulness research highlights as helpful for kids’ self-regulation and emotional health. Early studies suggest mindfulness can support focus and emotional balance in children, though more research is still being done (NIH overview).

Activity 2: Five Senses Safari – one of the best examples of mindfulness exercises for kids

When people ask for the best examples of mindfulness exercises for kids: 3 fun activities, I almost always include a senses-based game. Kids live in their senses. A Five Senses Safari turns ordinary moments—walking to the car, standing in line, waiting for dinner—into a mindfulness adventure.

How to guide a Five Senses Safari

You can do this indoors or outside. Tell your child:

“We’re going on a senses safari. Your job is to be a detective and notice what your senses find. Let’s start with our eyes.”

Move through the senses one at a time:

• Sight: “Look around. Can you quietly find three things that are green? Now three things that are tiny. Three things that are shiny.”
• Sound: “Close your eyes if you want. Listen for three different sounds—near, medium, and far away. Tell me when you hear each one.”
• Touch: “What can you feel right now? Your feet in your shoes, your clothes on your skin, the air on your face?”
• Smell: “Take a slow breath. Can you smell anything? If not, bring your hand to your nose and see if you can smell your own skin or shirt.”
• Taste: “What does your mouth taste like right now—minty, plain, morning breath?” (Kids love this one.)

That’s a full-body, full-senses example of mindfulness that feels like a game, not a chore.

More real examples you can rotate

To keep this in your toolbox of examples of mindfulness exercises for kids, try these variations:

• Color-of-the-Day Walk: Pick a color before you leave the house. On your walk or drive, quietly notice how many things you can spot in that color. Share at the end.
• Sound Collector: Sit on the porch or by a window. Say, “We’re collecting sounds for one minute. Every time you hear a new sound, hold up a finger.” Then compare lists.
• Texture Treasure Hunt: Indoors, ask your child to find something fuzzy, something smooth, something bumpy, and something soft. Have them close their eyes and feel each one.
• Weather Check-In: Step outside and ask, “What does the air feel like on your skin—warm, cool, heavy, light?” This can become a quick morning ritual.

These are all real examples of mindfulness exercises for kids: 3 fun activities can easily expand into 6, 8, or more once you see how many small moments can be turned into a senses safari.

Activity 3: Balloon Belly Breathing – a movement-based example of mindfulness for kids

Breathing exercises can sound boring to kids—unless you turn them into a story. Balloon Belly Breathing is a kid-friendly example of mindfulness that connects movement, imagination, and calm.

How to teach Balloon Belly Breathing

Have your child lie on their back or sit comfortably. Place a small stuffed animal on their belly if you have one.

Say something like:

“Imagine your belly is a balloon. When you breathe in through your nose, the balloon fills up and lifts your stuffed animal. When you breathe out through your mouth, the balloon gets smaller and your animal sinks back down.”

Practice together:

• Inhale slowly through the nose for a count of 3–4
• Pause for a second
• Exhale gently through the mouth for a count of 4–5

Encourage them to watch the rise and fall of the stuffed animal. That visual focus turns simple deep breathing into one of the best examples of mindfulness exercises for kids because it anchors their attention in the present.

Fun variations kids actually like

Here are more examples of mindfulness exercises for kids built around breath and movement:

• Smell the Flower, Blow the Candle: Hold up one finger as a “flower” and another as a “candle.” Inhale as if smelling the flower, exhale as if gently blowing out the candle.
• Dragon Breath (for big feelings): Inhale through the nose, then exhale through the mouth with a long, slow “dragon fire” breath. This helps them release tension without yelling.
• Shape Breathing: Trace shapes in the air or on paper—square, triangle, star. Inhale along one side, exhale along the next. This is great for visual learners.
• Count-and-Squeeze Breaths: Inhale and gently squeeze one fist, exhale and relax it. Switch hands. Add counting to give their mind something to focus on.

Deep breathing like this is often recommended in child-focused mental health resources as a simple way to support relaxation and emotional regulation (CDC, Mayo Clinic).

Turning 3 fun activities into a daily mindfulness rhythm

You now have three core examples of mindfulness exercises for kids: 3 fun activities:

• A visual calm-down (Glitter Jar)
• A senses game (Five Senses Safari)
• A breathing/movement practice (Balloon Belly)

The magic isn’t in doing them perfectly. It’s in weaving them into the day in tiny, repeatable ways.

Simple ways to fit these examples into real life

Here are real-world examples include:

• Morning: Two Balloon Belly breaths in bed before getting up. Keep it light: “Let’s wake up our bellies with two balloon breaths.”
• After school: A 60-second Five Senses Safari in the car before talking about the day.
• Pre-homework: Shake the glitter jar and watch it settle together before starting assignments.
• Bedtime: One round of Shape Breathing or Smell the Flower, Blow the Candle.

If that feels like a lot, pick one moment in the day and start there. Consistency matters more than quantity.

Why these examples of mindfulness exercises for kids work (and what research is saying)

Mindfulness for kids doesn’t need to look like adult meditation. Short, playful practices can still support:

• Better focus and attention
• Emotional awareness (“I notice I feel mad right now”)
• Self-regulation (taking a breath instead of hitting, yelling, or shutting down)

Recent years (through 2024) have seen growing interest in school-based and family-based mindfulness programs. Early studies suggest that age-appropriate mindfulness activities may help with stress, anxiety, and attention in children and teens, especially when paired with supportive adults and stable routines. You can explore summaries and ongoing research through:

• The National Institutes of Health’s mindfulness resources (NIH)
• Child and adolescent mental health information from the CDC (CDC Children’s Mental Health)

The key takeaway: these examples of mindfulness exercises for kids: 3 fun activities are not just cute ideas—they’re small, repeatable ways to help kids build lifelong coping skills.

Tips for making mindfulness feel safe, not forced

Even the best examples of mindfulness exercises for kids can backfire if they’re used as a punishment or “fix.” A few guidelines:

• Invite, don’t insist: Try, “Want to try our glitter jar together?” instead of “You need to calm down and do your breathing.”
• Model it yourself: Kids watch more than they listen. If you take a Balloon Belly breath when you’re stressed, they’ll notice.
• Keep it short: For younger kids, 30–60 seconds is plenty. You can always repeat if they’re into it.
• Name the skill: Say, “We’re practicing paying attention on purpose,” or, “We’re giving our brains a little rest.”
• Celebrate effort, not outcome: “You really focused on the glitter, even when you wanted to get up. That’s practicing your calm superpower.”

These small adjustments turn simple activities into some of the best examples of mindful parenting moments.

FAQ: real-world questions about examples of mindfulness exercises for kids

What are some quick examples of mindfulness exercises for kids when we’re short on time?

If you have 1–2 minutes, examples include:

• One Glitter Jar shake-and-watch
• A mini Five Senses Safari (just sight and sound)
• Three Balloon Belly breaths with a stuffed animal
• Smell the Flower, Blow the Candle once or twice

These micro-practices still “count” as mindfulness.

Can you give an example of a mindfulness exercise for a very wiggly child?

For very active kids, a great example of mindfulness is Shape Breathing while walking: trace an invisible square in the air as you walk—inhale on one side, exhale on the next, and keep moving. You can also try a “sound freeze game”: dance to music, then pause the music and everyone freezes and listens for one sound before moving again.

Are these 3 fun activities enough, or do kids need more structured mindfulness programs?

For many families, starting with examples of mindfulness exercises for kids: 3 fun activities is more than enough. Short, consistent, playful practices often fit better into real life than long, formal sessions. If your child is dealing with significant anxiety or behavioral challenges, you might also explore school-based programs or guidance from a pediatrician or child therapist, who can recommend evidence-informed options (American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry).

What if my child refuses to do mindfulness exercises?

That’s common. Try:

• Offering choices: “Glitter jar or senses safari?”
• Doing the activity yourself without asking them to join
• Keeping it silly: use funny voices, stuffed animals, or pretend play

Over time, many kids warm up when they see these examples of mindfulness exercises for kids as play, not pressure.

Mindfulness for kids doesn’t have to be fancy or perfect. With these examples of mindfulness exercises for kids: 3 fun activities, you’ve got a simple, realistic starting point: something to look at (glitter), something to sense (safari), and something to feel (breath). From there, you can keep experimenting until you find the combinations that fit your child—and your life—best.