Mindfulness for Children - Exercises and Big Questions to Explore

Mindfulness isn’t just about sitting still and breathing deeply, it’s about learning to notice what’s happening in the moment - both inside and outside of ourselves. 

For children, this practice can become a playful and powerful way to explore their thoughts, feelings, and experiences. When combined with gentle philosophical discussions, mindfulness becomes an invitation to ask big questions about life and identity, and what it means to live well.

Mindfulness can be seen as a way of nurturing curiosity as much as calm. By pairing simple exercises, like listening closely to everyday sounds or breathing deeply before bedtime, with open-ended questions, children can begin to build focus, resilience, and self-awareness while also developing their natural sense of wonder. 

In this blog, we’ll provide practical activities and thoughtful questions you can share with your child to make mindfulness meaningful and engaging.

Understanding Mindfulness

Mindfulness can be introduced to children as a kind of detective work, where they pay close attention to what’s happening in their mind and body without needing to change anything. 

A simple way to start is with mindful breathing. For older children, encourage them to sit comfortably, close their eyes, and focus on the rhythm of their breath. They can try counting slowly as they inhale and exhale, or imagine tracing the outline of a square in their mind - breathing in on one side, holding, breathing out on the next, and so on. This turns breathing into a structured yet engaging exercise in awareness.

Another helpful practice is the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding exercise. This includes naming five things they can see, four they can hear, three they can touch, two they can smell, and one they can taste.

Alongside these mindfulness exercises, you could ask: 

• Where do thoughts come from? 

• What does calm feel like in your body?

• Can we catch the moment before a thought appears?

• How do we know what’s real?

• Can we notice small things around us that we often miss?

• How does it feel to sit still and just listen?

These questions spark curiosity and remind children that mindfulness is about noticing, exploring, and wondering.

Body Awareness

Mindfulness can also help children tune into their bodies, noticing sensations and movement in playful, imaginative ways. A body scan can be introduced as a storytelling adventure, meaning you could ask your child to imagine being a tiny explorer travelling through their body, describing what they notice along the way. 

Simple yoga poses, stretching, or even a “statue game” (freezing in different positions) can also encourage awareness of how muscles feel, whether relaxed, tense, or energised. These activities help children connect physical sensations with emotions, such as how the body feels when they’re excited versus when they’re tired or worried.

To deepen the experience, try inviting reflective questions, like: 

• Are you your body? 

• What makes you “you” - is it your body, your thoughts, or your memories?

You could also ask “The Ship Question”, which comes from an old story called the Ship of Theseus: 

• If you replace every cell in your body over time, are you the same person?

This kind of mindfulness for children encourages them to explore identity and selfhood in a way that’s both accessible and thought-provoking.

Recognising Emotions

Helping children recognise and name their emotions is an important part of mindfulness. One simple activity is the “Emotion Weather Report,” where feelings are described as weather, like stormy, sunny, cloudy, or calm. This makes emotions less intimidating and easier to share. 

You can also use “feeling faces” cards or mimic expressions together to practise identifying emotions in others. Another useful tool is “emotion breathing,” where children try different breathing patterns for different feelings, noticing how breath can shift their mood.

Pairing these exercises with thoughtful questions will help children see emotions in a broader light. For instance, you can ask:

• Are some feelings better than others?

• Is sadness always bad, or can it sometimes help us?

• What makes something good or bad?

These conversations remind children that emotions are natural visitors that come and go, and that reflecting on them can build empathy, courage, and resilience.

Training Attention

Mindfulness also strengthens a child’s ability to focus by turning attention into a playful exercise. You can try “mindful listening,” where your child notices one sound at a time, such as a ticking clock, birds outside, or even their own breath. 

Another activity is the “attention spotlight,” where they deliberately shift focus from one object in the room to another, almost like moving a flashlight beam. Even mindful eating, like slowly tasting a raisin or piece of chocolate, noticing texture, flavour, and smell, can train patience and presence.

To expand these practices, you could invite reflection with questions like:

• When is it easy to pay attention, and when is it hard?

• What does it feel like when your mind wanders compared to when you’re focused? 

You can also explore bigger ideas, such as: 

• What makes a good life? 

• What is friendship? 

• Should we always try to be happy?

Daily Life Applications

Mindfulness for children becomes most powerful when woven into everyday life. It’s important to encourage children to practise daily activities mindfully, such as brushing their teeth, walking, or even doing homework with full attention to each step.

A simple gratitude practice, which is naming three good things from the day, can also nurture positivity and perspective. When challenges arise, you can teach “mindful problem-solving,” such as pausing for three deep breaths before responding. This helps children act thoughtfully rather than react quickly.

These practices open the door to deeper reflections. You can ask: 

• How can mindfulness help when things feel overwhelming? 

• What’s the difference between reacting and responding? 

• What makes someone wise? 

• Is it knowledge, kindness, or something else?

In this way, mindfulness can be turned into a guide for living wisely and compassionately.

Tips for Mindfulness & Philosophy Sessions with Children

When sharing mindfulness and philosophical discussions with children, the focus should be on curiosity rather than “right answers.” You can start by asking open-ended questions like “What do you think?” or “How do you know that?” to spark reflection.

Let your child’s ideas guide the conversation, then follow their thinking and build upon it with gentle prompts. It’s also important to embrace uncertainty, so when your child says, “I don’t know,” celebrate it as a moment of discovery rather than a gap in knowledge.

You can also encourage them to connect ideas to real experiences: “Have you ever noticed…?” or “When has that happened to you?” This makes discussions personal and meaningful.

By focusing on exploration rather than instruction, you’ll nurture your child’s natural curiosity while helping them build confidence in their own voice. 

Our tutors adapt to each child and family, drawing on approaches that align with your preferences. Whether that includes mindfulness, philosophy, personalised learning strategies, or a purely academic focus, the tutor we match your child with will match your family values.

Whether it’s mindfulness, philosophy, or personalised learning strategies, the tutor we match your child with will meet them where they are and support them in reaching their full potential.

If you’re curious about how Witherow Brooke can support your family, explore our homeschooling services and book a consultation today.