Six simple mindfulness exercises to try for free.

1) Body Scanning: This can be a great one to aid relaxation before sleep. Ask the child to lie on the floor, with their eyes closed if they are comfortable or they may want to look at the ceiling. Ask them to pay attention to their feet for 5 or 10 seconds. You then ask them questions such as – How does this body part feel? – Is it cold or warm? – Does it feel tight or relaxed? – Is all or part of that body part touching the floor? – Or clothing? – What does that feel like? After this, them move on to their toes, then ankles, then calves and knees. Continue upwards until you reach the head. Question how each part of the body feels to bring their awareness to their body in the moment. If they identify any tightness or stress, ask them to imagine breathing the stress out of that part of the body with each exhale.

2) Square breathing: This is such an effective breathing exercise that can be done in a short space of time; it is therefore ideal for moments when children become over stimulated, emotional and need something to help them calm down. The technique is easy to master as well as being simple to remember. Breathe in, to the count of four. Hold the breath for four seconds. Breathe out to the count of four. Wait for four seconds before taking in your next breath. To help your child keep track, show them how to draw a square in the air with their finger, taking four seconds on each side.

3) Cloud spotting: Keep an eye on the weather for this activity, as ideally you need partial cloud cover and a good breeze. Get the children to lie down outside and look up at the clouds (taking care not to look directly at the sun). If it's not appropriate to lie down, it'll still work in a seated position or sitting on blanket. Ask them to look out for shapes and notice how the clouds change as they move along. You can compare different ideas.

4) Mindful eating: Mindful eating can be done with any sort of food or snack (sugary ones seem to go down better in our house). Encourage children to use the 5 senses and practice small “mindful bites”. Below is a basic script for the activity.

See: What do you notice? What color is it? What shape is it? What stands out?

Feel: When you hold it in your hand, what does it feel like? Is it soft or hard? Squishy or rough?

Hear: Does it make any sounds? What about if you squeeze it between your fingers? (You can also revisit sound during taste) Smell. How would you describe the smell?

Taste: Invite children to close their eyes at this stage if they want to. Put the food in your mouth. Before you chew, what is the first thing you taste? Is sweet or salty? Sour or savory? As you start to chew, chew slowly and before you swallow, think about the change in flavor, texture and sounds. Does it change the longer you chew?

5) Five fingers of gratitude: I've definitely used this one a number of times with my two oldest children when I'm trying to remind them to pause and show thanks. It works well just before bedtime as a reflection exercise to end the day positively. The idea is simple: ask your child to count out 5 things they are grateful for on one hand. They may or may not want to close their eyes for this. In my experience, some children find this very tricky at first but with practice their responses begin to run a little more deeper and thoughtful than, "My Xbox," or "YouTube."

6) Heartbeats: Children place their fingers or hands over the part of their body where they can best feel their pulse.– on the side of their neck, under their jaw– inside their wrist– or, over their heart. Ask children to close their eyes and notice how quickly or slowly their heart is beating. Encourage them to think about their current state of emotion and consider if this might be connected to how quickly or slowly their heart is beating. They can then stand and jump up and down on the spot ten times. When they return to sitting and feel their heartbeat again, they should notice a change. Children may like to close their eyes and focus on their heartbeat until it slows back down.