Mindfulness Activities for Preschoolers: 8 Simple Ideas for Educators
Mindfulness in a childcare room does not look like silent meditation. For three to five year olds it looks like noticing: noticing the breath, the body, the sounds in the room and the feelings that come and go. Short, playful practices give children a way to settle themselves, and they give educators a calmer room without raising their voice.
Since 2019 Yoga Bears has worked with more than 600 early learning centres across Australia, and the activities below are the kind educators find easiest to slot into a busy day. Each one takes two to five minutes and needs little or no equipment.
Why mindfulness works for preschoolers
Preschoolers are still building the skills to notice and name what is happening inside them. Mindfulness gives them a simple routine to follow: pause, notice, choose. Practised often, this supports self regulation, attention and social skills, and it links directly to the EYLF outcome that children have a strong sense of wellbeing. To see how this fits your planning, read our guide to how kids yoga supports the EYLF and National Quality Standard.
Keep it short, keep it playful and repeat it often. Children learn mindfulness through routine, not through one long session.
8 mindfulness activities for preschoolers
1. Balloon breathing
Children place their hands on their tummy and imagine a balloon inside. Breathe in through the nose to blow the balloon up, then breathe out slowly to let it float down. Three to five breaths is plenty. Use it at group time or straight after outdoor play.
2. The listening game
Ask children to close their eyes or look at the floor and simply listen. How many sounds can they hear? A bird, a fan, a friend breathing. After 30 seconds, invite a few children to share what they noticed. This builds attention and is a lovely way to quieten a room before a story.
3. Teddy bear belly ride
At rest time, children lie down with a soft toy on their tummy and watch it rise and fall as they breathe. It slows the breath naturally and gives busy bodies something to focus on. Our post on 5 breathing exercises to calm children at rest time has more ideas for this part of the day.
4. Five senses walk
Take a slow walk around the yard and find one thing to see, hear, touch and smell, then finish with one thing to taste at morning tea. Walking slowly and naming each sense helps children arrive in the present moment.
5. Statue freeze
Play music and let children move. When the music stops, everyone freezes like a statue and notices their body. Is your heart beating fast? Are your legs tired? Can you feel your feet on the floor? This blends movement and mindfulness, and children love it.
6. Feelings weather report
Ask each child what the weather is like inside them today. Sunny, cloudy, rainy or stormy? This gives children language for big feelings without needing to explain them, and it is a gentle way to check in at the start of the day.
7. Glitter jar calm down
Shake a glitter jar and watch together as the glitter slowly settles. Explain that our minds can feel busy like the shaken jar, and slow breaths help them settle too. Keep the jar in your calm corner so children can use it on their own when they need a moment.
8. Body scan for little ones
At the end of a session, guide children to wiggle and then relax each part of the body in turn: toes, legs, tummy, arms, shoulders and face. Keep the language simple and your voice slow. One or two minutes is enough for this age group.
How to build mindfulness into your daily routine
Choose one or two activities and use them at the same times each day, such as morning group, before lunch and before rest.
Model it yourself. Children copy the calm they see in the adults around them.
Use visual cues, like a picture card for balloon breathing, so children can lead the activity themselves.
Keep it invitational. Some children will watch before they join in, and watching is still learning.
Celebrate noticing, not perfect stillness.
When to bring in a specialist
Mindfulness works best as part of a wider program of movement, breathing and play. A weekly kids yoga session gives children a predictable time to practise these skills with a teacher who knows how to hold the attention of toddlers and preschoolers, and it gives educators fresh ideas to carry through the rest of the week.
Yoga Bears teachers visit early learning centres in cities and regional areas across Australia. See how our childcare yoga programs work, or explore our kids yoga classes in Brisbane.
Bring Yoga Bears to your centre
If you would like playful mindfulness, breathing and movement in your rooms every week, contact Yoga Bears to book a trial for your centre.
