My 4 Favourite Ideas On How to Add Calm To a Kid’s Day

Big Little Minds
Jul 23, 2017 · 4 min read

So here we are, we are going to do this. Starting this week we are all going to try and implement 5 minutes of calm into our children’s lives.

When I thought about this project, I didn’t think that it was going to be about grand acts. The most important thing here is sustainability, otherwise we will do this for a couple of days and then give up.

I wanted to share with you 4 of my favourite tried and tested things to do with kids to get them to be calm and aware for 5 minutes:

  1. Smell the Flowers

This can work well on the path on your way back from school or if you have flowers in our garden (neighbour’s garden is fine too) – the important thing here is not to rush them, I suggest you try this when you don’t have to be back home by a certain time.

Every time you see flowers, get your child to smell them, then ask them to describe what they feel. Ideally we should stay away from judgement (“smells good”) but don’t worry if they do. They can describe their colour and if the smell reminds them of something else.

Try not to tell them when is time to stop, I promise they will move on eventually

2. Spot the difference

Another one to do on the way back from school – get them to find at least 3 things on the way home they never noticed before. If you have a toddler you could point out to them things you never notice before and describe them.

This is great for making them aware of their surroundings and teaching them to be present in the moment. I’m always surprised at how many times I walk home and don’t even remember how I got there because I didn’t pay attention.

3. Just Listen

A walk in the woods or a quiet park is ideal for this, but it can be done in many other places. Ask them to listen for as many sounds as possible.

Sometimes we get so caught up in talking all the time, or looking at phones that we don’t pay attention to the sounds around us. Just by typing this I stopped to listen and I can hear at least 3 different birds around me.

They could listen for anything really, trains, cars, planes, birds, dogs barking – I’m sure you can find at least 2 different sounds wherever you are at the moment.

4. My Life in Photos

I’d like to say I came up with the idea for this one, but actually it was my 2 year old who did. Once upon a time I had a little bit of time in my hands to print photos of special moments. That has resulted in us having a few photo albums in the house.

Whenever he wants to have a quiet moment, he picks up the albums and wants to name every person on it. Recently we started adding another feature to this, naming the emotion we think the person on the photo is feeling. If they are smiling- happy, if they are frowning- worried or angry and so on.

This has not only helped with adding calm to his day but it also helps him to recognise feelings and emotions, which is such an important skill for toddlers.

If you don’t have printed photos, don’t worry, I have used magazines at doctors offices to do this exercise and it works great. Obviously he wouldn’t be able to name the people in them (unless Postman Pat makes an appearance) but he can name animals, places, objects, and he can still read the emotions on people’s faces.

I hope these simple tips help you add some calm to your lives. Don’t forget to follow us on social media and let us know how up are doing by using #5minutescalm

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