Mindful Play: Five Ways
By Angelique Loverso for Oskar's Wooden Ark | October 08, 2021
In celebration of World Mental Health Day on the 10th October, we have partnered with Guest Blogger Angelique Loverso of Head, Shoulders, Knees to bring you some ideas for magical mindful play. Angelique is a teacher and Mum to two lovely boys. She is passionate about early learning, play and and conscious parenting approaches and she shares her knowledge on a variety of topics on her Blog and Instagram account. Today, Angelique is sharing some wonderful mindful play ideas for helping little ones engage in a calming and thoughtful activities and play.
It has been a challenging season for all of humanity, and parents everywhere are looking for ways to keep a sense of calm and peace for their children. If mindfulness is the ability to accept the present moment, then getting lost in mindful play is the perfect tool - especially for our children. When our kids get deeply engaged in play, craft or reading, they are showing strong mindfulness skills; skills that keep them present and prevent them from getting lost in worries or overwhelm.
Sensory Nature Walk
Nature is a playground for the senses; a place full of wonder and curiosities. A great way to engage the senses is to do a Sensory Nature Walk. We grab a clipboard and pencil and write down (or draw) all the things we find for each of our senses. It’s a great way to keep our children aware of their surroundings and focused on the present moment.
Breathing to Ten
We guide the boys to take big breaths when they are feeling upset or overwhelmed. The great thing about the breath is that it is always there. It never leaves you. It is a tool we can use in any place and anytime if we need it. When we are at home, we like to pair our breathing with the Treasures by Jennifer Tracing and Number Counting Board. We trace the numbers slowly using the wooden stylus, dedicating one full in/out breath per number. Our son also enjoys using the wooden balls to trace each number. It has been great for his fine motor skills and has a calming effect on his mood.
Threading
Threading has been a go-to calming activity for us since forever and the Grapat Rings have made it more accessible for our toddler. One by one, threading the rings onto a Sarah's Silk is very calming. We sometimes make patterns with the rings and then hang them in our son’s bedroom as a decoration.
Express Yourself Through Art
There’s plenty of research to suggest that creating something from scratch
(artwork, craft, a healthy meal, cakes etc.) is very therapeutic and can be a key
stress preventer. For our children, it’s another beautiful way to get lost in the
present moment and express their feelings. We like to use our Kitpas crayons on
the windows to create artwork that makes us feel happy.
Get Lost in Mandala
A new addition to our mindful play tools has been the Grapat Mandala pieces and Grapat Construction Mandala Base. We play instrumental music in the background to provide that extra sense of peace and calm, then we get lost in creating patterns, designs and pictures with the loose parts. We can be designing and creating for hours.
A deep connection to the task at hand gives our minds a break from our day to day worries and challenges. A small reprieve from the uncertainty that we’re all facing at the moment and, most importantly, pockets of joy for our children. We feel that play is by far the greatest and most effective way to learn and engage our children’s brains. When they play, they are mindfully engrossed in their activity, and so finding more and more ways to encourage this type of play is a must for peaceful and thriving minds.