Key Stage 2 Creative Mindfulness Activities

Collect pebbles from the beach or buy from a garden centre.  Discuss with the children a range of positive words and write them on the board such as live, laugh, love, be happy, peace, strong, brave, kindness, grow, learn, love.  Ask the children to paint a pebble and paint on a word of their choice including some creative patterns around the edge for example rainbows, stripes, hearts or stars.

Benefits:

This therapeutic and fun activity develops children’s imagination and creativity, whilst promoting positivity.  This improves self-confidence, self-expression and reduces anxiety.

Resources:

• Pebbles
• Paint
• Paintbrushes
• Water
• Aprons
• Washable table cloth

Provide each child with a plastic cup, some stickers and a ribbon.  The children can decorate the cup with stickers and tie the ribbon around it.  Discuss with the children and write examples on the board things we are grateful for not only in our life such as health, family and food but things throughout our day such as a parent smiling at us, our brother giving us a hug or a friend helping us.  The children can then write down 3 things they are grateful for and put it into the cup.  The children can take them home, and each night before bed write 3 things they are grateful for that day.  Create a cup for the class for children to discuss and write what they have been grateful for that day before home time.

Benefits:

This creative activity allows children to express themselves and use their imagination whilst promoting gratitude.  Gratitude increases happiness by 25%.  By encouraging children to discuss and write down what they are grateful for creates a positive mind set.  This reduces anxiety and improves self-esteem.

Resources:

• Plastic cups
• Stickers
• Ribbon
• Paper
• Pen
• Scissors

Provide each child with a plastic cup, some stickers and a ribbon.  The children can decorate the cup with stickers and tie the ribbon around it.  Discuss with the children and write examples on the board things we do to help and care for each other.  Ask the children to write down each member of their family and a thank you message for each person on a piece of paper.  For example, “thank you Mum for making my tea”, “thank you Dad for helping me with my homework”, “thank you brother for helping me tidy my room”, “thank you sister for giving me a hug”.  The children can then take their cup home and ask all family members to write messages to say thank you to each other throughout their week.  At the end of the week they can read all the messages out to the family.

Benefits:

This creative activity allows children to express themselves and use their imagination whilst promoting gratitude.  Gratitude increases happiness by 25%.  By encouraging children to discuss what they are grateful for is getting them to focus on concentrate on what we have creating a more positive mind set.  This reduces anxiety and improves self-esteem.

Resources:

• Plastic cups
• Stickers
• Ribbon
• Paper
• Pen
• Scissors
• Whiteboard or IWB

Ask the children to draw swirls with a dark coloured felt tip pen around their paper.  Then using a range of colours, colour in the swirls to create a colourful piece of art.  Play some calming music to create a tranquil ambience in the classroom.

Benefits:

This activity allows children to be expressive using art as a form of creativity.

Resources:

• Paper
• Coloured felt tips pens
• Music

Take the children into the outdoor area and using natural objects such as stones, twigs, leaves, and grass create their own picture.  This could be a picture of a face, patterns and shapes, or anything of their choice.

Benefits:

This activity allows children to be creative using natural objects.  It stimulates their senses and imagination.  Allowing them to create in a natural environment.

Resources:

• Nature

Ask the children to create their own breathing picture. 

For example if we draw a square, we would move our finger across as we breathe in, move our finger down as we breathe out, move our finger across as we breathe in and move our finger across as we breathe out. 

If they draw a ‘S’ shape as they breathe in, they would move their finger up the ‘S’ as they breathe out they would move their finger down.

The children can use any shapes or pictures as a guide to breathe in and out through the nose.  Ask the children to then share with the class.

Benefits:

This activity is creative and fun allowing children to focus on their breathing techniques and how to manage slow breathing in and out through the nose.  It improves self-esteem, communication, and relaxation.

Resources:

• Paper
• Pens

Provide each child with a square patterned or plain piece of material, some ribbon and a cup of dried lavender. Ask the children to smell the lavender and discuss the smell such as do they like/dislike the smell? What does it remind them of? Does it help them feel calmer? The children pour the dry lavender into the middle of their material.  They then bring together the corners of the material together, hold and twist.  This should now look like a small bag of lavender.  Tie the ribbon around the twist to keep the bag secure.  Explain to the children that lavender has a calming smell.  If the children put the bag in their bedroom each time they walk into the room the smell will remind them to be relaxed.  Also explain that lavender is effective for children who struggle with sleep therefore putting the lavender bag near to their pillow at bedtime can reduce anxiety and help them sleep better.

Benefits:

This engaging and creative activity provides children with a tool to help them feel relaxed and calm.  It reduces anxiety and reminds them to relax.  It helps children when they struggle with sleep as they focus their mind on their sense of smell before bed.

Resources:

• Square material
• Dry lavender
• Ribbon

Ask the children to write down a list of positive affirmations or words on a piece of paper.  Discuss the list with the class and write examples on the board.  Provide each child with a long piece of paper and some Sellotape.  Ask the children to create an affirmation bracelet writing down an affirmation of their choice on their paper such as I am strong, happiness, I am beautiful, peace.  When they have finished, Sellotape the bracelet around the wrist.  Choose some children to come up and share with the class.  Explain each time they feel sad or unhappy their bracelet will remind them to feel better.

Benefits:

This fun and creative activity allows the children to express themselves and use their imagination.  It promotes positivity and self–expression which reduces anxiety and stress.

Resources:

• Paper
• Coloured pens
• Scissors
• Whiteboard or IWB

Using a mindful colouring book photocopy some pictures and provide for each child with some coloured pencils.  Ask the children to sit quietly while colouring whilst playing some calming music.

Benefits:

Mindful colouring allows children to relax, reducing anxiety and relaxing the whole body.  This is therapeutic and calming activity that increases awareness, focus and concentration.

Resources:

• Mindful colouring book
• Photocopier
• Paper
• Coloured pencils
• Calming music

Ask the children to write down at the top of their paper I am ………… Ask them to write the alphabet down the side of the paper.  Discuss and write down on the board words we can use in a positive way, in alphabetical order to finish the sentence I am ……………….  For example, I am amazing, beautiful, caring and so on.  At the end of the session go around the class and ask each child to share a letter.

Benefits:

This is a fun activity that boosts self-esteem and confidence.  By asking the children to focus on all their good qualities about themselves they are focusing on positivity.  This develops speech and language and writing skills. 

Resources:

• Paper
• Pencil
• Board or IWB

Provide each child with a paper plate and coloured pencils or pens.  Demonstrate on the board or IWB how a mandala looks using patterns, shapes and colours.  Ask the children to create their own mandala using patterns and shapes moving around the plate.  You can either start from the outside or start from the middle and work your way out.  A mandala is developed through self-expression and creative art therefore it is the child’s own personal design.  Play some calming music to help the children feel relaxed when creating them and concentrate on themselves.

Benefits:

Mandalas are created through self-expression to express how you feel therefore it is the child’s own personal design.  By allowing children time to express themselves, develop their creativity and focus this will reduce stress and anxiety.

Resources:

• Paper
• Coloured pencils or pens
• Board or IWB
• Examples of mandalas for children to look at

Provide the children with a piece of paper.  Ask the children to place the point of their pencil in the middle and then draw a swirl, moving around and around until it reaches the outside of the paper.  Ask the children to slowly and mindfully use their finger to slowly draw in between the lines from the middle to the outside.  Then ask the children to use a coloured pencil or pen to slowly draw, from the middle to the outside, in between the lines without touching the sides. 

Benefits:

This is a calming, therapeutic, mindful activity helps children to relax and focus their mind.  It improves cognitive development, focus and concentration.  By drawing slowly and not touching the sides the children have to concentrate and take their time which increases patience and determination.  This also supports hand and eye co-ordination.

Resources:

• Paper
• Pencils
• Coloured pencils or pens

Provide the children with some wooden pegs, string, paper and coloured pencils.  Explain that they are making their own positive bunting.  The children can write positive affirmations with drawings to hang in their bedroom or around the classroom.

Benefits:

This develops children’s creativity and art.  It promotes positivity and improves focus and concentration.

Resources:

• Pegs
• String
• Paper
• Coloured pencils

Ask the children to keep a diary of their thoughts and feelings, what was their best part of the day, what are they grateful for and what have they learnt.

Benefits:

This activity promotes expression, creativity and gratitude.  To identify their feelings and share their ideas.

Resources:

• Journal
• Pencil

Draw a squiggle on the board.  Ask one of the children to finish the drawing.  Choose different children to come and draw the squiggle and to finish the drawing off.

Benefits:

This promotes creativity, art, imagination, turn taking and self-esteem.  It allows children to express themselves.

Resources:

• Board
• Pen