Mindful Games Library

Mindfulness activities and games are practices designed to promote full attention and focus on the present moment.

These activities are planned to be done mindfully, with intention and without judgement. They can be adapted for children, young people and adults, offering a variety of benefits for mental and emotional wellbeing.

Resilience

They help children develop the ability to deal with challenges, adversity and change in a calmer, more balanced way. Mindfulness activities encourage acceptance and adaptability in the face of circumstances.

Focus

Mindfulness games and activities encourage children to concentrate on the present moment, developing mindfulness skills and training them to focus, which can be useful both at school and in other daily activities.

Self-awareness

They invite children to connect with themselves and explore their thoughts, emotions and bodily sensations. This promotes self-knowledge and self-esteem, helping children to develop a healthier relationship with themselves.

Manage anxiety

Providing children with tools to deal with stress and anxiety, through breathing, relaxation and emotional self-regulation techniques, allows children to identify and respond in a healthier way to challenging situations.

Interpersonal relationships

When performed in groups, they promote connection and respect among children. They can learn to listen and communicate more consciously, to show empathy and compassion for others, which strengthens interpersonal relationships.

Emotional growth

They help children develop a greater awareness of their emotions and cultivate the ability to observe and accept feelings without judgement. This can strengthen emotional intelligence and the ability to deal with emotions in a healthy way.

Games

My Emotions

Material: clay (or other molding material)

Imagine you could see your emotions (anger, fear, joy, sadness), what would they look like? Would they have legs, arms, a human form or other?

Use the materials available and your creativity and create your emotions!

At the wheel of my life

Material: sticks, clothes pegs, or other available material and twine

When we want to reach a goal we have to steer the boat of our thoughts. To steer our boat, following the waves of thoughts we want, we must have a rudder. The rudder takes us, guides us and lets us choose the path.

Each child builds their rudder with popsicle sticks, wooden clothes pegs or any other material available.

Can you guide your thoughts? How did you feel steering your boat? How did you feel?

Breathing Bracelets

Material: string, coloured beads or beadings

Follow the colour scheme you have chosen to practice deep breathing. On your wrist, move each bead sideways.

To build it follow the scheme: two beads to inhale, two to keep the air in your lungs and one to exhale.

The lion and the gazelles

Material: mandalas, bell

On the savannah, gazelles can be relaxed and alert at the same time! They are doing their activities in a relaxed way, but whenever a lion appears they put themselves in safety! Today you are the gazelles and the facilitator will be the lion.

The gazelles will be having a great time painting mandalas. But sometimes the lion appears! When the lion roars, the gazelles jump up and down, then go back to their task!

Volcano of emotions

Material: vinegar, sodium bicabornate, liquid detergent and red colouring

Sometimes our emotions are so intense that they feel like an explosion, the whole body becomes activated and the energy has to leave so that you can return to calm! We are like a volcano erupting! With clay build a volcano.

Start by building a volcano with the clay and place it on a flat surface.
Fill the volcano mould with vinegar.
Add 4 drops of red colouring to the vinegar and mix it with the clay.
Then add a spoonful of liquid detergent and mix well!
Take a portion of bicarbonate of soda, count to 3, add to the solution in the volcano mould and mix.