Fun Grounding Exercises for Kids

To be grounded means to be in the present moment, not staring middle-distance and living in your head. If your kids know how to identify a birdsong or remark about the smell of charred burgers wafting in the air, you’ve got some grounded-minded ones. But how do we get more kids out of their heads, phones, headphones, and into the now? Here are a couple of sensory exercises:

Sensory Exercises

Find tastes that have power. Sour candy, wasabi, and cilantro offer an excellent reset button to be present in the now. Many have a visceral reaction to at least one if not all the flavors. Imagine a sample platter of intense flavors and the conversation after each taste? Offer these as a fun experiment (blindfold even, maybe)?

Take the senses for a walk. While walking, encourage them to label a sound, a sight, and a smell. If their mind wanders, it’s okay, guide them to start over. It isn’t easy to have a conversation in your head when you must pay attention to what’s going on around you.

Photograph only one color. It’s simple and attention-grabbing. Make prints of color-targeted photos and create a collage for a photo wall.

Meditation & Breathwork

Meditation. Depending on your little one’s attention span, meditation can be as short and simple as…