Mental Health Activities for Kids

I breathe slowly in,
I breathe slowly out. My breath 
is a pathway of peace
moving softly through me.
Each day I can breathe and be.  

Read the poem and ask the children how it makes them feel.  Engage them in a discussion of how breathing makes them feel. Have them write an “I feel…” poem.

Tell them to take a few minutes to think about each feeling.  With younger children, have them draw their feelings or look through magazines for pictures that illustrate their feelings. 

A wonderful mental health activity for kids is to go on a mindful walk. During the walk, take 1 minute of silence where everyone focuses on the neighborhood or park and have your children notice things they haven’t seen or heard before. You and your children will be surprised to see how many things you never pay attention to and how many sounds you previously ignored. This is a great way to teach your children how to be more aware of their surroundings.