Mindful Kids Cards: A Gift That Will Truly Change Your Child’s Life for the Better

When I first came across these mindfulness cards for kids, I knew I needed to have them.  As a long-time believer in the power of the mind, I try to model different ways to achieve inner calm and peace for my children as often as possible, but as in most aspects of parenting, a little help can go a long way—and I can honestly say that these cards are just the help I needed to help me jump start this in my own home with my own children. 

 I’ve spent many adult years working on strengthening my ability to “control my mind” and while I am lucky enough to grow up watching a mom who practices mindfulness in her own way, I think we’d both agree that introducing a tangible, understandable, and enjoyable way to practice this skill at a very young age—even just three years old—is not only beneficial, but arguably crucial to their social, emotional, and cognitive development.  

 As a teacher and a mom, I encounter children who grow entirely overwhelmed by emotion all of the time. So often, they are taught one way or another to push those feelings aside and move on.  For example, when they are disappointed in something and someone tells them to “get over it” or that “it’s not that bad.”  Or when they fall and hurt themselves and someone tells them they’re “okay” when they really aren’t feeling okay.  I also see this happen when children have so much “excited energy” and they have a hard time making good choices with their bodies and their words.  

 Oftentimes adults unknowingly send the message that they are uncomfortable with the child’s feelings and so children unfortunately do not get the opportunity to truly feel those feelings and work through them.  Part of working through emotions is learning to “sit with them” and part of learning to sit with them is mindfulness.

 Being mindful—fully and consciously present in the moment—is a gift we need to teach our children...and ourselves.  In my opinion, it is one of the most powerful ways we can show our children that we love them, because we are teaching them how to learn to embrace the life they are living—regardless of external circumstances. 

 This does not come easily, but it is possible.  And the intelligent design of these cards helps it to be so.  They are developed with different “pathways” to achieve true mindfulness - each one both relatable and achievable for children: breathing, movement, mantras, awareness, and meditation.  The variety here offers a multitude of opportunities for children to tap into their inner consciousness; if one way doesn’t quite work for them, maybe another will.  

 I recommend reading through the cards and thinking about when a realistic time to start implementing a short and simple routine could be.  Perhaps right before bed?  The meditation cards work well for this calming time of the day. Or just after nap time?  The movement cards can help to invigorate the body and mind. 

 Perhaps your child might not take to pulling out the cards in the middle of a meltdown (hint - almost none will at first!), but the process of slowly introducing different channels of achieving inner strength during regulated times (when your child is feeling “good” overall) will start to trickle over to those more challenging times. 

 My daughter (4) seems to fall on both ends of the spectrum—she loves the cards that tell her to lie down and close her eyes and the ones that ask her to move around like an animal.  My son (2) simply likes to follow every single thing she does when we have the cards out (or collect them all for himself!) But regardless of the card or activity, they are always focusing on the task at hand, and they’re never thinking about anything else.  This awareness is the first crucial step to achieving mindfulness and I feel good knowing that we are on our way! 

 I am grateful to Blake, the founder and owner of this company, for gifting us this blessing.  We are here to stay for this mindful journey!