We are well in to the festive season now and as Christmas draws ever closer, the excitement levels increase. There’s no denying that Christmas is all about getting excited but there are those occasions when you need to bring a little ‘calm’ to the situation. 

We’ve teamed up with 5 Minute Fun to share with you 5 fantastic calming, mindfulness activities that will help your children and make sure you can maintain your sanity over the coming weeks. 

1) CALMING SNOWGLOBE

What you’ll need: an empty jar, water, a waterproof toy, glitter, glue/tape

• Help your child glue the toy to the inside of the jar’s lid.
• Fill the jar 3/4 with water and add the glitter. 
• Screw the lid on tightly and secure with glue/tape. 
• Now they can turn the jar over, shake and watch the glitter float around. Watching the glitter swirl around can be utterly mesmerising! 

2) COLOUR ME CALM

A simple creative colouring activity to keep kids quiet for a moment or two…

What you’ll need: colouring books (or plain paper), pens, pencils, crayons

• Find a nice quiet spot, and get your little one to focus on a colouring book page, or on drawing their very own picture!
• If your little one is struggling to think of picture ideas, write a few simple objects on scraps of paper and let them pick them up and draw them one by one!

3) MOVE TO THE MUSIC

Dancing fun to encourage kids to listen and move.

What you’ll need: any music you like!

• Play your little one’s favourite song, and ask them to listen to it carefully. Is it loud and headbangy? Or soft and floaty?
• Ask them to make up a dance, and bonus points if it suits the style of music!

4) MMM-MMM-MMMINDFUL SNACKS

A tasty guessing game to encourage mindful eating!

What you’ll need: An assortment of sweet and savoury snacks – aim for some different textures

What you do:

• Ask your little one to close their eyes.
• Give them a bite of each snack one by one.
• Can your little one guess what they’re eating? What does it taste like? What does it feel like on their tongue? Is it hot or cold? Does your child turn into a hangry monster after school? 

5) BREATHING BUDDIES

When it all gets a bit much, just stop and take a big deep breath!

What you’ll need: nothing!

• Get your little one to just… stop.
• Both close your eyes.
• Take a big deep breath in through your noses.
• Breathe out through your mouths.
• Relaaax.

So, hopefully these easy activities will restore some calm on those crazy afternoons. But if you and your little one are still manic, grab a duvet, a book and enjoy some quiet reading time.