By: Dominica Morris

Anyone who’s been around a toddler knows that they are the opposite of being calm and mindful. They are notorious for being loud, full of energy, overly emotional, and have a hyper sense of curiosity. Even after baby-proofing the whole house my son Carter seems to still find a way to get into things he shouldn’t. There’s never a dull moment with this little guy and it’s safe to say he keeps me and my husband on our toes. When we do finally get him to sit down and play with his toys, we have to deal with the incessant sounds they make. From playing music to talking, to flashing lights, kid’s toys can be overly stimulating. Speak of sensory overload! I sometimes notice that it can be overwhelming for Carter too, and this is when I’ve realized this was the time to add quiet and mindful activities into his play routine. We’ve been incorporating more of our mindfulness practice as a family, so it felt fitting to add mindful learning activities into Carter’s playtime. I did a little bit of research and digging and found some fun ones that he absolutely loves. If you are working on raising mindful kids or you want to raise mindful kids, these activities might be a good start to teach your child to be calm and in the moment.  

Creating Art

My husband is an illustrator and I’ve always enjoyed drawing myself. So naturally, we knew that we were going to expose our son Carter to art at a young age. As soon as he turned one, I bought him his first set of crayons and was so excited to see him use them for the first time. He loves coloring in his coloring books, and we’ve recently introduced him to finger paints. It’s a great way to teach him colors, but it’s also a fun sensory activity that keeps him focused on how the paint feels between his fingers and hands. Art can be a wonderful mindfulness tool too. My husband always says that when he draws time seems to stand still because he is fully present in the moment. It seems to have a calming effect on Carter too, he immediately starts focusing on the activity and he loves mixing the different colors.

Why creating art is important for early childhood development:

• Fine motor skills

• Problem-solving skills

• Sensory skills

• Relieve stress

• Language skills

Doing Puzzles

I was so excited when I found some simple wooden Montessori puzzles for young toddlers. I knew they would be a great quiet time activity, plus they could help Carter develop his hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills. We love pulling them out and playing with them on the floor.

Why doing puzzles is important for early childhood development:

• Patience

• Hand-eye coordination

• Fine motor skills

• Cognitive skills

• Problem-solving skills  

Sensory Bin Play Activities

I was going to get a big plastic bin and find different shovels to go with them until I came across this wooden bin on Amazon. It came with all of the different tools and jars and it was just too awesome not to get. I added some beans to it that he could easily scoop up and pour into the different containers. Carter also absolutely loves opening and closing all of the containers in the bin, some of them have screw tops and others have lids, I love that it helps him practice his fine motor skills.

Why sensory activities are important for early child development:

• Supports cognitive growth

•   Fine & gross motor skill development

• Problem-solving skills

• Develops visual-spatial skills  

Reading Books

Carter and I read books every single day. We cuddle up under the blanket on our couch and he gets to pick out his favorite ones. Some days we read 5-7 different books, other days he makes me read the same one over and over again, but either way, it’s a wonderful bonding moment. I realized that he would sometimes lose focus on longer books, so I started pointing at the pictures as we read that, way he can follow along easier and it keeps him focused on the story. Reading books and getting invested in the stories has always been a wonderful quiet time activity for me as a child and even now as an adult. My mother fostered this when we were little kids and I want to do the same for Carter.

Why reading is important for early childhood development:

• Develops language skills

• Reading comprehension skills

• Phonemic awareness

• Develops imagination

• Enhances focus and concentration

• Helps develop social and communication skills

• Helps children learn about the world

 Whether you want to raise a mindful child or you want to enhance specific child developmental skills these activities will are a great way for young children to learn simple mindfulness skills such as patience, how to focus, and be in the moment.