With the arrival of Storm Eowyn tomorrow and schools closed, it’s the perfect opportunity to spend some mindful, calming time with your children.
Here are some activities to help ease any worries or anxiety and bring the family together. Many of these ideas can be tweaked if you have to work from home tomorrow too.
Thank you to my colleague Sinead from Relax Kids with Sinead - Belfast for compiling some of these suggestions and to the Relax Kids team for the lovely graphics and Free Resources that you can access here. https://relaxkids.com/product/the-wellbeing-pack-and-mp3s/
1. Create a Calm Corner 🧘♀️
Set up/ or ask your child to make a cozy corner with blankets/ pillows/fairy lights/calming items like books or cuddly or sensory toys. Invite children to use it as a safe space to relax, breathe, and feel secure during the storm.
2. Mindful Breathing Exercise 🌬️
Guide children through simple breathing exercises. Try this one:
Breathe in for 4 seconds through their nose (imagine smelling a flower).
Hold for 4 seconds.
Breathe out through their mouth for 6 seconds (as if blowing out a candle).
Repeat this a few times to help calm their nerves.
3. Weather Watching Meditation 🌧️
Sit by the window and observe the storm together. Ask them to notice the sounds, the movement of the trees, or raindrops on the glass. Encourage them to describe what they see and hear—it can turn their attention to curiosity instead of worry.
4. Gratitude Jar Activity ✨
Grab a jar or a box, and ask everyone to write (or draw) things they’re grateful for on small pieces of paper. Decorate the jar together while chatting about positive moments from the day.
5. Story time with a Twist 📖
Choose a favourite story or create one together about a storm. Include a brave character who finds peace and calm despite the wind. Let the kids use their imagination to steer the story!
6. DIY Sensory Bottles 🌀
Make calming sensory bottles using water, glitter, and food colouring. Shake the bottle and watch the glitter settle as a visual way to practice patience and mindfulness. (There are lots of ideas on google for these jars)
7. Guided Relaxation for Kids 💤
Play a relaxation script or audio designed for children. You could even record your own! Use soothing words to guide them into imagining a safe, happy place like a sunny meadow or a magical forest.
8. Stormy Artwork 🎨
Create art inspired by the storm. Use crayons, paints, or markers to draw the wind, rain, or how the storm makes them feel. Creative expression can help release any pent-up or big emotions.
9. Build a Family Fort 🏕️
Transform the living room into a cosy fort with blankets and chairs, cuddle up to watch a feel-good movie or share stories.
10. Mindful Colouring 🎨
Print out or use colouring books with relaxing patterns like mandalas or nature scenes. Sit together and colour mindfully, focusing on the colours and the movement of the pencil or crayon. This activity can be very soothing for both children and adults.
11. Positive Affirmations Mirror 🪞
Write positive affirmations on sticky notes and stick them to a mirror or wall. Have children say them aloud, e.g., “I am brave,” “I am safe,” or “I am loved.”
12. Family Stretch Session 🧘
Practice gentle stretches as a family. Poses like “child’s pose” or “tree pose” can be calming and grounding.
Story Massage - Listen to a song, I love Kira Willey's music like the one above and do the movement on each others back, if the children do Relax Kids with me in School, they will be able to show you.
14. Other ideas include jigsaws/boardgames/make a relaxing playlist/watch favourite funny movie!
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