Kids Mindfulness: Calm Compilation
In this video, strengthen your superpower of calm with four mindful games: “Bulldog Finds His Quiet Place,” “Butterfly Body Scan,” “Rock-a-bye” and “Imaginary Hugs & Peaceful Place.”
These mindful games are a great way to support calm by guiding you to take big, slow breaths, relax different parts of your body, and imagine comforting scenes. Try them when you feel upset, overly excited or want to wind down. We also recommend playing these mindful games when you feel calm as well, so you already know what to do when you need to chill.
“Bulldog Finds His Quiet Place” begins with Bulldog looking for a quiet place to relax. Inside the house, his brother is practicing drums; his sister is talking and laughing with a friend, and the phone is ringing in his parents’ room. Bulldog heads to the front yard to see if it is quiet there, but the neighbors are having a party with lots of music. Bulldog goes to the backyard, where he climbs into his tree house, but it’s not quiet there either, as he can hear birds chirping away and all the sounds he heard before. So, Bulldog decides to listen to his breath, and the more he focuses on his breathing, the more quiet he feels on the inside, even though the sounds around him are noisy on the outside. Find your quiet place as you take deep, relaxing breaths with Bulldog.
In “Butterfly Body Scan,” you’ll use your imagination to boost your superpowers of focus and calm by relaxing each part of your body with the help of a magical butterfly. To play this mindful game, find a comfortable place to sit or lie down. If you decide to sit, try sitting with your back straight and your body relaxed, resting your hands on your knees. If you're lying down, lie on your back with your legs flat on the floor and your arms by your sides. Once you’re nice and cozy, think of a butterfly, and picture it in your mind. It can look exactly like you want it to. Pretend that your butterfly has special powers because it helps you relax different parts of your body when it lands on them. Then, imagine that the butterfly lands on your forehead, your shoulders, your knees, and then your toes. Wherever the butterfly lands, that part of your body feels warm, comfortable and relaxed.
In “Rock-a-bye,” you’ll boost your superpower of calm by pretending to rock a stuffed animal to sleep on your belly to relax your body and quiet your mind. To play this mindful game, you’ll need a small stuffed animal and a comfy place to lie down, like a bed, but you can also lie down on a couch or the floor. Lie on your back with your legs stretched out flat and your arms by your sides. Once you are nice and cozy, place the stuffed animal on your belly, and notice what it feels like to breathe in and out, moving the animal up and down with your breathing. For a few moments, just relax and breathe, feeling the stuffed animal move up and down with each breath as if you are rocking it to sleep. If your mind is busy, that’s OK. Try silently saying the word “up” when the animal moves up and silently saying the word “down” when the animal moves down.
In “Imaginary Hugs & Peaceful Place,” you’ll use your imagination to picture yourself in a peaceful place where you are happy and having fun. Then, you’ll imagine that you are giving a hug to someone you love. To play this mindful game, imagine a peaceful place that you would like to visit with friends and family. It can be a place you know, like your backyard, or a place from your memory. Once you’ve pictured your peaceful place, imagine that you are standing there, and notice all the things you can see, hear, smell and feel that are unique to your peaceful place. Then, give yourself a big hug and friendly wish like, “I hope I have a great day.” Then, imagine someone you love is there with you in your peaceful place. Reach out your arms, and pretend you’re giving them a hug and that they are smiling. Imagine that you're hugging each other, and silently say something like, “I hope you are happy and have a great day, too. I hope you have what you need.”
