3 Mindfulness Activities for Tweens and Teens
Tweens and teens have a ton of stuff going on their lives and are so busy, as any parent of one knows! Between their brain going through another phase of development (again), their increasing responsibilities, and their hectic schedules, tweens and teens are exhausted and thus, often act and do things without much thought or intention. On top of it all, mindfulness is a skill and state of being that we must practice ourselves so that we may teach it to our growing kids. And we often don’t. Instead, we repeat, “please be mindful!……” So how can we actually help our tweens and teens develop this skill? There are a ton of ways, some more complex than others, but we’ll start with more simple ones!
Planning. Get that favorite planner and encourage your tween/teen to write in it at the beginning of the week. Have them fill in their chores, their homework, their extracurricular activities, and their social fun stuff. It doesn’t have to be super in-depth nor “set in stone” but by planning what they are doing, they pay more attention during the week to their learning, when they get home, chores, etc. It also is a great way for them to visually see where they could be utilizing better time-management skills while helping them realize that they will soon be responsible for all aspects of their life.
20 Second Time-In. Take twenty seconds when you notice your child/student begins looking overwhelmed. Have them write down on this worksheet in twenty seconds or less every thought that comes to mind and every feeling that arises. Eventually, you may use the visual aid without having them write, but at first, it is a good idea to get it on paper. Encourage them to resist the urge to erase, cross out, ignore, or “correct”. Just get it out!
Walking meditation. Get outside if possible! Go to a grassy, sandy, or even rocky area. Take off your shoes and feel the earth’s unique textures under the soles of your feet. Notice every sensation as you walk, and guide your tween/teen to do the same. If your child/student has sensory issues and doesn’t want to remove their shoes, direct them to notice the trees, mountains, water, animals, etc. In all instances, talk about the way the air/wind feels on your skin and notice if there are scents in the air. Be sure to leave phones if you can and suppress the need to be on a time limit. Talk about the experience and compare notes.
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