Do you want to practice mindfulness? Read this blog! Mindfulness is a huge part of my life as a teen and I’ve tried a lot of different mindfulness activities during that time. One of the most important things I’ve learned is that mindfulness activities are NOT just meditation, yoga, and journaling. In this blog, I’m sharing all the best mindfulness activities for teens.
Fun Mindfulness Activities For Teens
1. Dance Parties
Yes, a dance part is totally mindfulness! Just put on some of your favorite music and dance to the beat. Make it more fun and add in some strobe lights. You can do a dance party with friends and family or solo. Whichever one allows you to practice vulnerable expression and awareness for your body. The point is that you let loose and be mindful of how you feel as you dance. What is your favorite song to dance to? Why? How do you feel as you dance? What emotions are coming up?
2. Headstands or Handstands
Headstands and handstands are so fun to learn and are totally mindfulness! Get inverted
3. Dream Day Journaling
What would your dream day look like? When would you get up? What are you having for breakfast? Who are you with? What would you do? How do you feel on this dream day? Write this dream day down. Journaling your dream day is extremely beneficial and fun! It helps us become aware of what we really need to be happy and what we are shooting for. While you’re writing, notice if you really want what you are writing down. Is there something you are avoiding writing because you believe it’s “unattainable”? Dream big but dream real!
4. Find Your Passions
Finding your passions is an essential part of being mindful. Do you have something you are passionate about? Make time to pursue that passion today! And if you don’t know what your passion is, try new things today to find it!
Free Mindfulness For Teens PDF!
5. Mindful Dog Cuddling
This one was my younger brother’s idea. If you own a dog, give it a big hug or pet it and picture your dog’s love for you filling your body and being reciprocated as you send your dog your love.
Outdoor Mindfulness Activities For Teens
Outdoor mindfulness activities are the best mindfulness activities. These outdoor mindfulness activities for teens are great for everyone and make the outdoors super fun!
6. Watch Sunrise
I know what a lot of you are thinking. “Haha no, I’m not getting up that early.” But believe me, sunrise is the perfect opportunity to be mindful. Sunrise represents new beginnings and new life. Make yourself a cup of coffee, tea, or cocoa while you sit and enjoy the silence of the morning.
7. Fire Meditation
We are all pyromaniacs at heart. A great way to practice mindfulness is to have a campfire! This is an easy mini-meditation. Once you get it your campfire going, sit in silence for a few minutes just watching it burn. Notice all the colors of the flames, notice the smells, notice the warmth.
8. Walk or Hike In Nature
Being in nature is a necessary part of being mindful as a teen. When we are disconnected from nature, we feel sluggish, distracted, and disconnected. Reconnecting to nature is important for our physical and mental health. Maybe you live in a city and you don’t really have the option to go for a walk in the woods but nature is always near us in many different ways. This is a great exercise to add to your mindfulness practice.
9. Get Grounded
Depending on your circumstance, this could be simply digging your toes into some dirt in your backyard or it could be walking on the beach. It could also be gardening, laying in the grass, or climbing a tree. Doing these things are great for our health and our mindfulness.
10. Stargaze.
I think we can all agree that stargazing is a wonderful experience. And it’s mindfulness when we don’t even realize it! Just like how watching sunrise is mindfulness, snack in the silence of the night and appreciate the stars. If you live in a city this one might be a little hard.
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11. Anxiety Cleanse
Whether it’s the ocean, a waterfall, a river, or just the shower/bathtub. Doing water cleanse is an amazing mindfulness practice! Imagine all your fears and worries washing away with the waves and you are a new person after. (Bonus points if you go cliff jumping. Might give you anxiety before the anxiety cleanses though.)
Related Blog: How To Overcome Anxiety As A Teen Using Mindfulness
Classic Mindfulness Activities For Teens
12. Meditate
Meditation can be intimidating but there is no reason to be. It’s the best thing we can do for ourselves. However, there are some things we should all know so that our practice is both successful AND enjoyable. Meditation teaches us to make space for important thoughts to come out, this is why meditating is essential. When we sit in silence, we allow any deep-rooted problems, emotions, thoughts, and more to come out of hiding to be healed.
Related Blog: 15 Best Meditations For Teens
Are You An Anxious & Stressed Out Teen?
Get my free mindfulness journal prompts that will help you eliminate anxiety!
13. Create A Mantra
Having a personal mantra is a must! Whether you want to feel more present, safe, confident, empowered, beautiful, or brave, a mantra will train your brain to believe any positive thing about yourself and undo those negative beliefs.
14. Yoga
Ahhhh yoga, is the spiritual juju activity that all of us have heard of by now. regardless of its trendiness, yoga at its core is a great mindfulness practice. A big part of being mindful is having body awareness and getting movement. Without movement, our energy is stifled and we can’t expect our minds to feel clear enough to be mindful. There are many different forms of yoga and you don’t have to go to a class to practice yoga either.
15. Breathwork
Breathwork is an easy and fun mindfulness activity to utilize. Not only does it benefit our minds very much but it also is great for our bodies. Breath is a powerful tool for calming and energizing.
Creative Mindfulness Activities For Teens
While meditation, yoga, and journaling are all great mindfulness activities, we shouldn’t limit our mindfulness to these things. These are the best creative mindfulness activities for teens that will help you become self-aware and keep your creativity flowing!
16. Poem Writing
Write a poem about something that is on your mind or to express how you feel. There are unlimited possibilities as to what you could express and it feels mentally good to get your thoughts out with such fluidity. Reflect on what you expressed afterward.
17. Gratitude Letter
Get some note cards, letters, or a piece of paper, and write a letter to someone expressing your gratitude for them. Gratitude is an essential part of being happy and it spreads happiness to others.
18. Mindful Music
Put on a pair of headphones and play a variety of songs. As you listen, write down how each song makes you feel and if you can figure out why that emotion is coming up. This helps us become mindful of emotional triggers and repressed emotions.
19. Mindful Drawing
Get out your favorite coloring book or a white canvas. Ask yourself “What am I feeling right now?” “How can I express what I am feeling using color and paintbrushes?” Notice your thoughts as they come up and feel free to use the color code below! Each color symbolizes a different emotion.
- Red = Angry
- Orange = Inspired/Creative
- Yellow = Happy
- Green = Loving/Loved
- Blue = Sad
- Purple = Frustrated
- Pink = Excited
- Black = Confused
- White = Clarity/Peaceful
- Indigo = Afraid
- Dark Green = Disgust
- Brown = Unstimulated/Bored
Psst. If you so desire, I also have FREE Mantra Coloring Pages that you can check out my clicking here.
20. Gratitude Tree
This exercise may seem a bit childish but if you’re a creative type like me then you’ll love it! You’ll need these supplies! String or ribbon, paper, scissors, twigs/tree branches, some stones/marbles (to fill your vase/pot), and a vase/pot
- Cut out leaf shapes on your paper then write things you are grateful for on those leaves you cut out.
- Cut a piece of string and tape it to each leaf.
- Put your stones/marbles in your vase and stick the tree branches/twigs in the middle.
- Tie the strings with the leaves onto the tree and behold your gratitude tree!
- Continue to add to your gratitude tree throughout the next few days, weeks, months, or even for the entire year!
Mindful Eating Activities For Teens
Mindful eating is a powerful practice that can transform our physical health. Not only is mindful eating well for you but it is also so easy to introduce! These are the best mindful eating activities for teens that every teen should try!
21. Mindful Cookies
Do you love cookies? Of course you do ;). Bake some cookies and mindfully eat them afterward. Notice the different flavors and how the cookies make you feel. Soak in gratitude for the cookies.
22. Emotional Awareness Cookie Decorating
This mindful eating activity is great in moderation. Bake some sugar cookies and decorate them to match the emotions you are feeling. I.e put a happy face on it if they are happy or a sad face if they feel sad or use a lot of colors if they feel energized or a grayish color if they feel “meh”. Make a variety of different colored icings and label them as different emotions i.e yellow is happy, blue is sad, pink is hyper, black is frustrated, etc.
23. Hot Cocoa Meditation
Hot cocoa meditations are a great way to start off meditating. Make yourself a hot cocoa, set a timer for 10 minutes, close your eyes, and bring all your awareness to every aspect of your cocoa for the entirety of your meditation. What does it taste, smell, and feel like? Notice all the details.
Download my FREE Mindfulness Journal Prompts.
Related Blogs:
- Complete Guide To Mindfulness For Teens
- Overcoming Stress & Anxiety As Teens Using Mindfulness
- 39 Journal Prompts For Teens With Anxiety
- Beginners Guide To Meditation For Teens
Save These To Your Teens Mindfulness Boards!
