How Mindful Play Learning Can Benefit All Age Groups

Every parent and caregiver knows that as kids get older and progress through different stages, their needs change. The ways we go about helping them develop change and progress as they get older. One way to positively help your children grow and their minds to develop, no matter their age, is yoga and mindfulness.

Mindful Play Learning is a program that encourages the use of mindfulness and yoga to promote social-emotional learning, support cognitive development, and enhance creativity for early learners. Implementing this program and these strategies can be beneficial to the development of kids of all ages.

The lessons within this program are each themed and set up as a circle-time format as a fun way to keep children engaged and learning at the same time. The program can also adjust any of the activities to the age range of the children so it can work with every child’s needs!

Baby Buddies:

The Mindful Play Learning program identifies four age groups that lessons can be directed toward, the first being Baby Buddies, children up to 12 months. Children in this age group have a very small attention span and lessons are modified to their skill set. Music and stories are the most essential components with less of a focus on crafts and games that they may be unable to participate in at this age. Sensory activities with baby-safe items are also a great technique that will be used often.

Toddler Buddies:

The second age group is Toddler Buddies, children aged 12 months to 30 months. Toddlers have growing attention spans so lessons include lots of movement and sensory activities. Lessons for this age group also include games with rules and simple crafts to strengthen their newly developing fine motor skills. 

Preschool Buddies:

The third age group the program identifies is Preschool Buddies, children aged 30 months to five years. Children in this age group should be able to participate in the entire lessons without modifications as they have longer attention spans. They are better able to follow and take part in games with rules. Having games with no winners or losers is important. They can also do crafts that include items such as pencils and scissors as their fine motor skills are further developed by this age.

Primary Buddies:

The final age group is Primary Buddies, children In Kindergarten and First Grade. Children up to 8 years old are included in the Early Childhood Learning category and can benefit from the program in their curriculum. They have longer attention spans and developed fine motor skills that allow them to do a variety of crafts including cutting projects. They can also play all games in the lessons including ones that may be more challenging.

The Mindful Play Learning Program can be helpful to the development of young children in all age groups. By changing up the lessons depending on the development and skill levels of the children, mindfulness and yoga can be easily introduced to any of your children. This kind of knowledge can provide a multitude of benefits to the creativity and cognitive development of children.