Animal mindful breath poster to help children with ADHD

A free poster of breath ideas to teach kids (with ADHD) mindfulness

I hope you enjoy this simple, mindful breath poster to help children reduce stress with mindfulness tools.

It is the inspirational work of one of our qualified Connected Kids Tutors – it was so lovely, we had to share.

““I began to teach TJ (age 6) to focus on his breath: the animal game.

I developed this game to spark his interest as I know TJ loves animals and thought it would also potentially keep his interest by turning it into a (mindful) game.

We threw the dice and practised the breath shown on the poster.”

Louise Lakey, Connected Kids Tutor – UK (Essex)

One of the difficulties many adults face is actually having a child try a mindful tool like focusing on the breath.

The tutor used a child-centered approach, combining his love of animals and linking it to different breaths. This boy has been diagnosed with ADHD and has found the lockdowns particularly difficult to process and cope with.

She also helped him feel invested in the practice by having him roll a dice so he could choose which mindful, animal breath they practised. This would give him a sense of participation and control, which is essential in helping teach young people meditation.

When you are working with a kid with ADHD, giving them a voice (a choice) is very important in helping them engage with the meditation practice.

Learning how to be creative

Adults can overcomplicate the process of teaching children meditation. Instead of assuming the teaching role, we can share the learning experience and be teachable.

Children’s creativity can be inspiring, as this young boy demonstrates.

“TJ said that his favourite part was the animal breathing – particularly the gorilla breath that he made up himself!”