"Art is a natural way to practise mindfulness. The colors, textures, and sounds of creating pull us into the moment. You don’t need any previous training to meditate through art, just a willingness to draw like a child, with freedom and a sense of curiosity."
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Mindfulness art activities can be fun and easy to create! After all, mindfulness and art go hand in hand. Mindfulness is something that many of us would like to incorporate into our lives more, and we are beginning to understand the benefits it can have for our children. Gone are the days when you used to be outside amongst nature, socializing and playing with friends. Life for our children is much different now with the advancements in technology and education.
While there are some incredible benefits of this, It’s important for us to give our children quiet moments throughout the day, away from technology. Adopting a mindful practice allows us to do just that.
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What is Mindfulness?
Mindfulness is all about being in touch with how you feel; taking a moment to be aware of our bodily senses, our thoughts, and our reactions. Teaching our children mindfulness can benefit them greatly because they can use the skills they develop to navigate life as they get older. However, without pressuring them to be mindful, what can we do to help encourage mindfulness?
Look no further! Here are 20 of my favorite mindfulness art activities that I’ve completed with my children and students. These activities are fun, calming, and create beautiful results!
Related: 10 Kindness Crafts
List of Mindfulness Art Activities
1. Zentangle Art
I have always been obsessed with the Zentangle art form and I’ve written several blog posts about their amazing benefits. The word Zentangle originates from the word “zen” meaning calm, and “tangle” meaning a collection of overlapping patterns. Zentangle art not only promotes concentration and creativity, but it’s also known to increase personal well-being. You can follow along with one of our video tutorials to get you started and then use your patterns in a tangle starter. Click HERE to download our 10 free tangle starters. There is no right way to do this, which is one of the beautiful things about this art project.
2. Draw Your Breath
This is a simple exercise that can be a great introduction to meditation. Meditation can be hard to grasp when you start out, even for adults, so using this mindfulness art activity to help a child be more aware of their breath will help them to learn the gentle practice of meditation. Check out my guide on how to get started.
3. Fairy Glow Jars
The fairy glow jars are beautiful to look at, and can often be enough to hold the attention of little ones. Making them is a great mindfulness activity, but then take it one step further and encourage your child to take 3 deep breaths, asking them to notice senses like taste and smell. Find out how to make yours here.
4. Glitter Sensory Bottles
Sensory bottles are a great way to encourage mindfulness. Not only can making them be a great activity to encourage calm but using them as a tool for time outs and as a way to navigate anxious thoughts can help a child to be more mindful. I have a great post detailing how to make a sensory bottle.
5. Flextangles
A flextangle is a three-dimensional paper ring, which is composed of several connected pyramids. You take a flextangle template and then create a masterpiece using zentangles. More on that at the top of this post. It is all about the therapeutic nature of building the flextangle and the creativity. Find out more about it here.
6. Doodle Art
Doodling is something you might find yourself doing when distracted but it can also be very purposeful and mindful. When we focus on the art of doodling, independent of everything else, we can create a beautiful mindfulness practice. More information on this can be found in this blog post.
7. Splatter Art with Essential Oils
Art doesn’t always have to be specific, and often creativity can come in waves. This is where splatter art can help, but this version uses essential oils. Applying the paint using different tools to create interesting effects can be somewhat calming, and the essential oils give a more sensory experience. You can find out more about splatter art with essential oils here.
8. Blow Painting
This is a simple exercise to do when it comes to creativity and artwork. The process of blowing the paint across the paper is a great strategy for getting children to focus on their breath instead of their worries. You can use watercolor paint or watered-down acrylic paint. I have a post all about blow painting that will help you get started.
9. Mandalas
Creating a mandala is a spiritual ritual in Hinduism and Buddhism that reinforces the idea that everything in life is beautifully connected. Mandalas are considered to be a free form of art, which gives children the opportunity to express their creativity through their design. If you haven’t heard of mandalas before, here is a blog I created all about it with a chance to download free mandala tracers.
10. Mindfulness Coloring
We all know that coloring is encouraged when it comes to mindfulness, and in this blog post, I explain all about it. I also have a free mindfulness coloring book available for you!
11. Petal Art
Often mindfulness is associated with nature and being outside. Getting creative with things that we can find often helps to center your focus. This post from the blog Gin Gin and Roo shares a beginner’s guide to petal art.
12. Breathing Sticks
A pipe cleaner, some beads, and little twisting can create something very beautiful! Breathing sticks are a simple little tool that kids can make to help them reinforce the self-regulating power of their own breath. After students make their own breathing sticks, practice some mindfulness by taking a deep breath for every bead. Move all the beads to one end of the pipe cleaner. Invite the students to breathe in as they slowly move one bead to the other end of the pipe cleaner, matching movement and breath. On the exhale, move another bead. Repeat for the remaining beads, and if it’s going well, they can move the beads back, one by one, to the beginning. Check out localanchor.com for step by step instructions.
13. Miniature Peace Gardens
This is a lovely art project for children. It has two main concepts when it comes to mindfulness. The calm that comes with art and mindfulness and also the focus of energy into one project that requires creativity. These miniature peace gardens are little elements of inspiration, and all are unique. Find out more about them here.
14. Upcycle Jars
It is always a good idea to use what you have in your home for mindfulness art activities and if you do have mason jars, then this can be a great activity. Moms Crafters has created a blog sharing exactly how you can upcycle jars and they can be a great mindfulness activity for children as well as adults.
15. Butterfly Symmetry Painting
Butterfly Symmetry Painting. It is easy, and fun, and kids will love the unique result every time. There is something incredible about symmetrical art! Pausing to observe natural symmetrical patterns in our world, especially in nature, can make this a mindful activity. As an introduction to this art project, you can take a mindful walk in the outdoors with your students and try to observe real butterflies. To find out more about butterfly symmetry painting click here.
16. Mindfulness Rocks
Your kids can explore their creativity with this beautiful painting activity. This highly meditative craft allows you to use natural stone as your canvas to create tiny masterpieces. You can take a mindful walk in nature and try to locate smooth flat rocks that can be used as a painting surface. Here is a website that will show you how to transform your rocks. As an extension, you can hide your rock for someone to find and brighten their day. Or you can give it to someone special. You can visit kumarahyoga.com for a more detailed procedure.
17. Lemon Stamping
Art is perceptive, and so is mindfulness. This is why they are such a great combination. Using whatever you can to create art and have a sense of calm is very simple; lemon stamping painting proves just that. This activity also stimulates your senses! You can find out more about it here.
18. Scribble Art Collages
The secret here is that this is not about the art or even the “process” really. There are lots of details beyond the process to notice. You can use whatever scraps you have, whatever pens or flow you want to create. Nothing is wrong here, and the mindfulness approach helps you to focus more on your surroundings and how you feel. You can read more about scribble art collages in this blog post.
19. Tile Stencil Art
Using stencils can actually be very therapeutic. It gives you that moment to switch off and practice mindfulness through art without needing to overcomplicate. Stencil art is great for children. You can read more about it here.
20. Pointillism
Mindful art helps kids to activate all the senses and really gather their focus and attention in the present moment. There are multiple art activities that you can use as a mindfulness practice with your children. Pointillism is a technique of painting introduced by Georges Seurat, a 19th Century artist from Paris, France. You can use a breathing technique when creating a pointillism art piece. You can encourage your children to place a dot and breathe in slowly, place another dot and breathe out slowly. You can learn more about this art activity here.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, this has given you a lot of inspiration for mindfulness art activities that you can use with your children or students.
If your child or student has done a great job with a mindful art activity, you can give them a small reward or keepsake; something small and useful. For example, Custom Pins are a great option, and you can customize them with your child’s name on them. I’m sure that they will love this unique gift!
If you’re looking for more activities designed to encourage mindfulness and spark creativity, check out the printable resources in my shop!
If you try any of these activities, please let me know! I’d love to add your creations to our gallery, so upload your photos or send them directly to me at: [email protected] Thank you!
Don’t forget to download our FREE 15 page Mindfulness coloring book to help add a few mindful moments to your child’s day. Just click here or the image below!
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