Here at China Blue, we understand just how important good mental wellbeing is, from practising self-care to dealing with anxiety and stress. You may believe that mindfulness is only for adults, however it can be a very helpful tool for children and young adults to learn about emotions, communication and dealing with confusing or negative thoughts.
There are lots of different ways to practice mindfulness, but for those who don’t quite understand what this is or for those who struggle to express how they’re feeling in words, creative mindfulness - or art therapy – can be incredibly helpful.
This is why we have put together Creative Mindfulness Week! We have come up with seven days of fun, arty activities that can benefit the whole family.
DAY 1 – SENSORY JARS
Sensory jars are designed to allow children to develop their senses whilst their brain is making important connections. They can also be used to soothe and calm, perfect for times of anger or upset.
All you need to begin with is a jar or bottle that is watertight, what you put inside is completely up to you! Here are a few ideas to get you started:
Image sources:
DAY 2 – SURPRISE RAINBOWS
Rainbows have recently been used to spread hope amongst the community (you may have seen some on your walk or even have one up on your window!) Surprise rainbows are a fun new way to showcase your support, as well as providing mindfulness through colour and activity.
Method 1
Image source:
Method 2
DAY 3 – POTTERY PAINTING
Painting is a great form of mindfulness, as it allows the painter to express themselves through colours, brush strokes and patterns. It is also something that the whole family can do together, and is suitable for all ages.
However, for a change from paper or canvas, why not give one of our Paint at Home Ceramic Kits a try? We have put together a pack of everything you need to paint your very own ceramic, with a choice of shapes available. Not only will it provide a calming and mindful activity, you will also be the proud owner of your very own decorated ceramic!
Paint at Home Kit
Mug
Shop here >>
Mini Dog Money Bank
Zebra
DAY 4 – EMOTION TRACKER
Sometimes it can be difficult to express how you’re feeling in words, and this can be even harder for children and young adults. Learning how to communicate how you’re feeling is an important step in practising mindfulness, but there are some tricks and tips to make this easier for the young ones, and more fun for them too!
We have created an Emotion Tracker worksheet for you to download and print off. Whilst this worksheet has been designed to be child-friendly, there is no reason why you can’t try it too!
Download and print the worksheet here >>
DAY 5 – MARK-MAKING
We have already explained how painting is a great tool for mindfulness for all ages. This method focuses your, or your child’s, mind on your immediate environment which is helpful for grounding, but also develops experimentation and creativity.
By using various household items to paint with, you will end up with a funky fine art piece for your house that is tonnes of fun to do!
DAY 6 – SCAVENGER HUNT
A very useful technique when practising good mental health is to ground yourself by focusing on the five senses, finding things that you can see, smell, hear, touch and taste. It helps you to familiarise with your environment as well as become more aware of your body’s sensations. This is often used by people who suffer with anxiety, but it can also be suitable for young ones to help them make connections with what they’re experiencing in the moment.
For this task, we have tweaked this principle and created a worksheet for you to download and print, which adds an element of creativity and fun to the exercise.
DAY 7 – CONFIDENT LION
This task is based around self-care and remembering to be positive about yourself, which is something people of all ages should be practising! Writing down positive words and phrases can help reinforce them, and gives you something to look back on when you’re feeling low.
This worksheet for you to download and print has been designed to be fun through the action of colouring in, but has a deeper meaning by asking the person to write down kind words about themselves, so that they can be as confident as a lion!
If you are unsure, or are struggling to think of positive words, here is an example to get you started:
We really hope that you and your family find these creative mindfulness tasks helpful. If you feel your work is personal and wish to keep it private that is absolutely fine, but if you are okay to do so, please post on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages so that we can all share our creativity together!