MINDFUL TASTING MINDUP FULL

Even with five scents, the game was too short for my son.

What you need: Items with varying scents, small containers, optional a beanie/knitted cap for a blindfold ( not necessary if your kid agrees to keep eyes closed).Ĭhoose several items with different scents. Here it is: Mindfulness Activity For Kids: Smell & tell

MINDFUL TASTING MINDUP FULL

So, to help you expand the game, I made a list of smelly and safe ideas-and a full description of the game. I chose five familiar smells for this first game:īut to be honest, after that I was out of smelly ideas. She was even able to recognize the exact tea that I had chosen (Emperor’s Bride). It turned out my wife was really good at the game. I don’t think they do, but I like the idea. I like the idea of my socks smelling like cocoa. Luckily, he wanted to guide mommy through the game right away. I had no more ideas for new scents so I asked if he wanted to play with mommy. We did the same five scents again … and then he wanted me to come up with some more. We ended up having a blast, and he wanted to play again. The smells that were tougher to recognize (like cocoa) slowed him down too. I told him to take his time and to really enjoy the scents-feel the nuances. Okay … so it took a little while for us to slow down. Not what you’d think a calming mindfulness activity looks like :-) “Yesss! I know this … it’s COFFEE! NEXT SCENT.” This backfired a little since he was so excited after looking for the jars that he wanted to fast forward through all the scents as fast as he could. I did the hiding part to get him excited about the game. What I did was I hid five jars with different familiar smells. The idea is to let your kid smell different scents, with eyes closed or covered by a beanie. Knowing that my son likes sensory games, I introduced a new sensory game called “Smell And Tell.” When we play, we’re both calmer and there’s less fuss-and I get to go read my book sooner, too :) Smelly Mindfulness Games I wonder if anyone else has ever felt like that? -) This is awesome at bedtime since I’m often a little anxious to get my son to sleep so that I can finally go do my grown-up things. I feel less anxious when I play a sensory game, and my mental state is reflected by my son.Īnd truthfully, I enjoy the game as soon as we start playing.įocusing on my senses, even just for a minute or two, gives me a break from to-do lists, worries, and whatever it is I think I should be doing at that moment. Calm is contagiousĪs a big bonus, sensory games calm me down, as well. The games also develop concentration skills.Ĭalm is obviously pretty neat at bedtime.

Playing these simple games helps my son calm down. The results are always worth the small effort. … but then I suck it up because I know how beneficial it is. “Noooooo, the color game again!!! I want to go and read my book…” He usually asks me to play with him when he is sitting on the toilet after we’ve brushed his teeth. He likes to play “Find a color” and “10 sounds” when we’re preparing to go to bed. My son Anton loves to play sensory games.

Mindful tasting mindup