Mindfulness and Play—How Young Children Learn to Process Big Emotions

 

Mindfulness and Play—How Young Children Learn to Process Big Emotions

Young children experience emotions with their whole bodies. Joy, fear, frustration, and sadness often arrive quickly and intensely, long before children have the words to explain what they are feeling. This is where mindfulness and play naturally come together.

Play is a child’s first language. Through play, children rehearse experiences, express emotions, and make sense of their world. When mindfulness is woven into play—through slowing down, noticing sensations, naming feelings, and grounding in the present moment—it becomes a powerful therapeutic tool.

In Mindful Beginnings, a cognitive therapeutic approach grounded in mindfulness and play, children are gently guided to identify and process emotions in developmentally appropriate ways. This is not about asking children to “calm down” or “use their words” before they are ready. It is about meeting them where they are and co-regulating alongside them. The curriculum that can be used in classrooms, in homes and everywhere in between will be available in the fall of 2026. Mindful Beginnings will also be providing sessions for children to attend to help with behaviors, identifying feelings, and learning what to do with that information will also begin taking appointments in the fall of 2026. 

Mindfulness for children looks different than it does for adults. It may be pausing to notice the breath while rocking, naming the feeling during a game, or using imagination to explore what emotions feel like inside the body. These small moments build emotional awareness, resilience, and self-trust—skills that children carry forward for life.

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