Things have been a little strange lately, so to help your kids relax and rebalance, download these wellness and wellbeing apps specifically for children...
It goes without saying that isolating with the kids ain’t easy. Those sporadic temper tantrums, the never-ending complaints of boredom, and of course our own mum-meltdowns from juggling work deadlines and life admin with homeschooling. It’s a lot to handle. Luckily, our digitally-focused lives mean we’re now armed with plenty of zen-inducing wellness apps that teach us how to meditate our way through the mayhem. But what about the kiddos and their mental health?
Child anxiety is a real thing, as is stress, confusing emotions and lack of focus. And thanks to this pesky pandemic, these nasties are a whole lot worse. Thankfully, the benefits of mindfulness and meditation are as life-changing for adults as they are for children. So, some clever folk have created special mindfulness apps for kids designed to soothe their busy minds and those big scary feelings.
As you know, we’re all about nurturing happier, more relaxed households, so to help your child’s own mental wellbeing (and your own, for that matter), we’ve put together some our favourite mindfulness apps for kids that the whole family can get stuck into. From guided meditations to dream-inducing sleep stories, these apps will help you and your children de-stress, chill out, and tune into some much-needed rest and relaxation. Insert a long and blissful ahhhh sound *here*.
THE BEST MINDFULNESS APPS FOR KIDS
Headspace
Probably one of the most popular mindfulness apps out there, Headspace has an entire collection of meditations specifically for kids. Spanning five key themes, your kiddos can master the art of mental wellbeing and mindfulness through simple breathing exercises, focus-based activities, visualisations that teach kindness and openness, as well as a selection of quick wake-up exercises to squeeze in before the school rush. They even customise sessions for three age groups: 5 and under, 6-8 and 9-12 year-olds. And psst – they’ve recently partnered with Barbie, too!
Price: Download the free version or unlock all for $17.98 monthly.
Available on the App Store & Google Play
Moshi: Sleep & Mindfulness
If your little ones struggle to get to sleep, this dream-inducing app will help settle their busy minds and lead them into a peaceful slumber (hallelujah!). We love Moshi because this app is audio-only, meaning their mindfulness doesn’t have to rely on lots of screen-time. You’ll find more than 45 hours of lullabies, wondrous tales, meditations and enchanting music, specially designed to help them wind down, drift off and get used to the feeling of utter relaxation…
Price: Free to download, plus in-app purchases.
Available on the App Store & Google Play.
Calm
This is one of our absolute favourite mindfulness apps that we use on a daily basis – and the best bit is, there’s now a dedicated section for kids. While there are plenty of meditations, children’s yoga sessions, breath-work features and even calming sounds to listen to as background noise, our favourite bit about Calm is the incredible selection of kids’ sleep stories, most of which are narrated by famous voices. Listen to lullabies with Stephen Fry, gaze at the night’s sky with Matthew McConaughey, or doze off to the song of the Sunbird with Leona Lewis.
Price: Download the free version or unlock all for $12.48 monthly.
Available on the App Store & Google Play
Dreamykid
A mindfulness app specifically designed for children, Dreamykid manages to cover every single pillar of mental wellbeing for kids. There’s a selection of everyday meditations for when they wake up or go to bed, positive affirmations, guided visualisation that let children journey to different emotions, and even issue-specific healing for ADD, healthy eating, anger-management and so much more. We love the kiddie-friendly design too – it lets little hands take charge of their own wellbeing experience…
Price: Download the free version or unlock all for $12.48 monthly, or $123.98 annually.
Available on the App Store.
Smiling Mind
Smiling Mind is a 100% not-for-profit app that’s driven entirely by its impact on wellbeing within families. Its mission is to equip the little people in your life with integral skills they need to thrive: a calm mind, balanced emotions, openness without judgement and improved concentration, to name just a few psyche-superpowers. Mums and dads, you’re not off the hook here. Smiling Mind encourages parents to get involved with their kids’ inner development too, directly associating mindfulness and meditation with education and wholesome family growth.
Price: Free
Available on Google Play.
Super Stretch Yoga
Designed for kids yet perfect for the whole family, Super Stretch Yoga is a fun and interactive app that gets everyone moving and thinking. Using storytelling, animation, and video, kids can join the daily “Adventures of Super Stretch”. They’ll be practising poses, collecting stars and taking photos with Super Stretch and his friends – a team of good guys that teach how to use movement and breathing to make every day balanced. It’s so fun, the kiddos won’t even realise they’re exercising!
Price: Free
Available on the App Store & Google Play.
Stop, Breathe & Think Kids
The clue is in the name. Stop, Breathe & Think is a mindfulness app that reminds kids to take short breaks throughout their day to check-in with how they feel and fine-tune their emotions for whatever comes their way. Kids can embark on daily ‘missions’ that reward their progress and keep them engaged – all through fun games and bite-sized activities. The result? Quieter minds, increased focus and the kind of peaceful sleeps that most parents only dream of! And psst – there’s even an adults’ version, too.
Price: Download the free version or unlock all for $16.48 monthly, or $97.98 annually (all ages + kids bundle subscription).
Available on the App Store & Google Play.
Breathe, Think, Do with Sesame
If your littlies love Sesame Street, they’ll love this fun and colourful problem-solving app. Laugh and learn as they help a Sesame Street monster solve everyday challenges with the “Breathe, Think, Do” strategy. They’ll help him take deep breaths, think of plans, and try them out to solve his problems – all with silly animations and playful interactions. This one is perfect for toddlers and younger children up to five years of age.
Price: Free
Available on the App Store & Google Play.
Mindful Family
With a key focus on meditation, Mindful Family introduces both parents and kids to mindfulness through guided meditations. The meditations help kids gently process their experiences and emotions, encouraging parents to join in and support the journey. While there are some in-app purchases, the free features are a great place to start to get your family meditating.
Price: Free
Available on the App Store & Google Play.
Resilient Family: Happy Child
Mixing meditation with movement, this mindfulness app is perfect for kids who struggle to sit still or focus during meditations. Through shakeouts, dances, walks and breathing exercises, kids can rebalance and tap into their inner selves while still staying active thanks to the basic mindful movements.
Price: $1.48 (Android)/$6.98 (iOS)
Available on the App Store & Google Play.
