We hear a lot from health experts, wellness coaches and the media about mindfulness and its benefits. With an increased push for mindfulness in schools, how can parents help their children further develop mindfulness skills for their wellbeing?
With an increased push for mindfulness in schools, how can parents help their children further develop mindfulness skills for their wellbeing?
We hear a lot from health experts, wellness coaches and the media about mindfulness and its benefits. With an increased push for mindfulness in schools, how can parents help their children further develop mindfulness skills for their wellbeing?
There are a lot of apps that can be used by parents to help guide their children through mindfulness activities and provide further education and information. Below I will review five apps, outlining their benefits, limitations and uses, to help you make an informed choice of what would work best for you and your child. All the apps reviewed are accessible on both Apple and Android devices.
The Smiling Mind app includes a range of guided meditations and activities for different purposes and ages, including sections that connect specifically to the school curriculum. Use of the app is free; however, a user account needs to be created. Each category of meditation is split into modules to allow the user to develop skills associated with a category progressively. For example, in the ‘relationships’ module, users are guided through meditations and activities about the relationship with self, with partner, with child, with family, with friends and with colleagues. The download feature enables the user to download meditations to use when offline. The app contains appealing graphics and has the ability for the user to change the voice of the meditations. At the beginning of each activity a voluntary “check in” process occurs, inviting the user to reflect on how they are going in that moment. We recommend this app for all ages, with younger children requiring assistance from parents to use appropriately.
The Headspace app offers a large range of mindfulness activities. The app is split into sections that contain guided meditations, specific mindfulness activities, sleep wind downs, sleep stories, sleep music/radio, guided mindfulness workouts, focus music and meditations. The app contains a specific kid’s section as well as a section specifically focussed on study and exam stress that directly targets older children and youth. The app also contains specific courses, short videos, and guidance for parents. Either a weekly or monthly subscription fee is required for the app however there is a free 7-day trial available.
Super Stretch Yoga is a free app designed for children ages 2-6. It guides children through a series of yoga poses and teaches them through animation, storytelling, and short videos. For every 12 poses a child completes, a photo of the child completing a yoga pose can be taken. Each video demonstrating the different poses provides an easy-to-understand explanation of how to perform the pose, its benefits and when it is best used.
Breath, Think, Do with Sesame is a free, evidenced based app targeted at children ages 2-5. The app uses a Sesame Street Monster Friend to help children learn and identify coping strategies during challenging circumstances and moments of frustration. The app has a specific parent section which provides further tips and information as well as a specific breathing practice activity for children to undertake. The app also can be personalised through recording positive thinking strategies using your own or your child’s voice.
Breathly is a free app for all ages that provides visual and audio assistance with guided breathing exercises. The user can either choose from five guided breathing counting techniques – ujjayi, square, pranayama, deep calm and awake or customise their own counting sequence. The app displays visuals of inhaling, exhaling, and holding to assist with breath work. The user is also able to set a timer or turn on guided breathing audio mode.
There are a lot of ways that we as adults can support children to participate in mindfulness. I invite you to trial the apps suggested above but also consider that there are many other ways to practise mindfulness that don’t require apps. I invite you to read our previous blog post “Mindfulness… Decrease Stress and Increase Happiness” or discuss further with one of our Occupational Therapists for further suggestions.
Breathly n.d., Breathly App, Breathly, viewed 22 March 2022, <https://breathly.app/>.
Department of Education South Australia 2021, Wellbeing for Learning and Life framework, Department of Education South Australia, viewed 22 March 2022, <https://www.education.sa.gov.au/schools-and-educators/strategies-and-initiatives/wellbeing-learning-and-life-framework>.
Headspace Inc. 2022, Headspace App, Headspace, viewed 22 March 2022, <https://www.headspace.com/>.
Jessica Rosenberg 2021, The Adventures of Super Stretch App, The Adventures of Super Stretch, viewed 22 March 2022, <https://adventuresofsuperstretch.com/>.
Sesame Street in Communities n.d., Breathe, Think, Do!, Sesame Street in Communities, viewed 22 March 2022, <https://sesamestreetincommunities.org/activities/breathe-think-do/>.
Smiling Mind 2021, Smiling Mind App, Smiling Mind, viewed 22 March 2022, <https://www.smilingmind.com.au/>.