13 Meditation and Mindfulness Apps and Techniques for Kids, under $5.

Mindfulness and Meditation for Kids

We have a lot to think about these days. I don’t even think I could list all that’s wrong with the world right now. For one, it’s too depressing. It’s completely natural to feel overwhelmed right now. And, as parents, we often cannot let our true feelings show because we’re keeping up a brave face for our kids.

Our kids are watching. Unless you don’t own a TV or any devices, no doubt your kids have seen some of the chaos. They also are out of their normal routines since most schools, ESY and summer camps are still not operating as usual. But easy solutions are within our reach.

The Best Free Mindfulness App

Have you seen that commercial with the green circle, and it just tells you to “do nothing for 15 seconds?” I think it’s for the app called Calm. Anyway, I took that idea and personalized it. I went to a local state park that we enjoy. I filmed the babbling creek for 20 seconds. Now, whenever I need to center myself, I can go to my phone and watch it. And then I put it on a loop for one minute.

The following are some mindfulness and meditation ideas that can be implemented by people of all ages and abilities.

Moving Past Negative or Anxious Thinking

• Move past or through Negative Thinking: Here are two ideas to get past negative thoughts or anxiety. Most importantly, you don’t want to feed the anxiety. So you can either keep going with the feelings until they pass and talk your child through them. Or, if they have a tendency to get stuck, you can interrupt the thought pattern. Substitute negative thoughts with positive thoughts or activities, no matter how simple. Some ideas that cost you nothing could be: coloring, throwing a toy/ball to your dog, or revisiting a happy memory like a birthday party or funny moment.
• Gratitude Moments: Write down just one item of gratitude each day. Studies have shown that gratitude journals do work to change thinking. If writing is a struggle for your child, consider starting a gracious moment every night before you go to bed. “Before you go to bed, what’s one good thing that happened today? Or what is one thing that made you smile today?” Over time, one’s thought process becomes more positive. And, you can find notebooks and journals at Dollar Tree for $1, but you probably have one lying around the house somewhere.
• Meditation and Mindfulness Apps: There are literally thousands of apps online, so find one that you like. Or, as I said above, make your own. I like it because we can also talk about all the times we’ve visited that state park which can derail negative thoughts.
• Mindfulness Techniques: I have a separate list of 17 Mindfulness Activities for Kids | Music | Books for you to get your child started in mindfulness activities. Most of the things you can do together.

Mindfulness and Meditation Apps for Kids

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