This mindfulness activity encourages your child to use movement to enhance their awareness of their body and breathing.
Learning Area(s): Social and Emotional; Physical Development
LET'S PLAY
Introduce the activity to your child by saying, “Today we’re going to play a game where we will pretend that we’re eagles [or a hawk, falcon, or other large flying bird].”
“First, we’ll spread our arms out wide.” Spread your arms out wide on either side of your body.
“Then, when we bring our arms up, we’ll breathe in through our nose.” Demonstrate this by slowly flapping your arms up and taking a slow, deep breath through your nose.
“When we bring our arms down, we’ll breathe out through our mouth.” Slowly bring both arms down and slowly breathe out through your mouth.
Have your child repeat this movement a few times until they feel comfortable. Then slowly “fly” around the room by flapping your arms, walking around, and deep breathing all at once.
After a few minutes, you can ask your child questions like “How did you feel when you were ‘flying’?” Prompt them to use words that express different feelings—examples could be good, calm, happy, etc. Be sure to share your own thoughts and feelings about the activity with your child.
TIPS
- This game will be easiest in an open area or outside but can be done anywhere. If “flying” in a small space, be sure the floor is free from clutter to avoid tripping and remove any delicate items that might break if accidentally knocked over.
- You can encourage your child to use their imagination during the activity. They can pretend to be flying over mountains, a city, or any other setting. Have your child describe what they “saw” when flying around like a bird.
- This game can be as long or as short as you and your child want. A maximum of 10 minutes or until your child loses interest would be ideal.
- For additional mindfulness activities, go to: