It seems silly but we need to help our children daydream, goof off play and enjoy quiet. Summertime is the perfect opportunity to foster an environment where children can revel in absentmindedness and fantasy. Here are some simple and fun ways we can downtime activities for kids to try out:
Watch the clouds
Some of my best memories when my kids were small were when we would lie in the grass and just look at the shapes of the clouds and decide what they looked like, a dinosaur, a chicken, or a dragon. You can also just lay back in your yard on a picnic blanket quietly and see what happens.
Watch bugs
This is from a course that I wrote Anxiety in Kids, Children are fascinated by bugs, and it can be particularly fun to look at ants. They are interesting creatures and are generally safe. I am not such a bug person, but ants are pretty tame and if need be I can check them out from a distance. I remember dropping crumbs as a child just do see ants carry them off. Checking out spiderwebs is kind of cool too, although spiders definitely do creep me out.
Visualization/ Guided Imagery Exercise
Mindfulness techniques actually encourage daydreaming. Visualization/Guided Imagery is one of the best ways to practice Mindfulness with children. You can
Have children select a special memory that they have of a time when they were happy and really felt good about themselves, for example, when they hit a home run in sports, had a special time with their grandparents, got a dog, or enjoyed a holiday. Ask them to remember as many details as they can:
a) “What were you wearing?”
b) “How did the air smell?”
c) “What could you hear?”
d) “How did you feel?”
e) “What did you see?”
Try to teach them to do themselves.
Other Downtime Activities for Kids
Other downtime activities include:
- Reading together
- Puzzles
- Playing with Legos or Magnatiles
- Coloring books
- Journaling
Just let your children be
Take your children outside or to the park and just let their imagination take over. Get them a bean bag chair and make a calming jar with them. Explain to them how important daydreaming and silence is important for their mental health and their learning.
Create Your Own Downtime
Adults also need to daydream. When you go to sleep at night or when you are just waking, take some time for yourself, to just dream. Take walks in nature without your music playing in your ears. Some of my best ideas for articles have come up on solitary rambles in my neighborhood. Mundane, repetitive tasks like gardening, cooking and folding laundry, can all be used as a springboard for letting your mind wander.
Daydreaming is a lost art in the modern world. Let’s bring it back for ourselves and our kids. We will all be happier for it.
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