Health Journal Online

Tag: Children

  • Calming Hands: A Mindfulness Practice for Kids to Ease Difficult Emotions

    Calming Hands: A Mindfulness Practice for Kids to Ease Difficult Emotions

    Try this creative, calming mindfulness practice for kids and families, designed to help ease difficult emotions and manage stress.

    Key Points:

    • When children feel anxious or overwhelmed, mindful breathing and counting can help them feel safe and calm.
    • Engaging in mindful activities together as a family strengthens connections and boosts emotional resilience.
    • Try this Calming Hands activity to help your child soothe strong emotions through breathing, counting, and making handprint art.

    Mindfulness can be fun, simple, and hands-on—literally! The Calming Hands practice, created and shared by Rose Felix Cratsley at Ivy Child International, introduces young children to mindful breathing through art and counting. This activity is perfect for caregivers and educators who want to help kids cultivate calm and focus playfully.

    Exploring this practice helps us connect with our bodies, our breath, and the calming energy of our hands. When we feel anxious, stressed, upset or overwhelmed, our hands can be a tool for bringing peace and relaxation. This practice can help you feel safe and calm, no matter what you’re going through.

    Scroll down to follow along with the guided audio of this practice!

    How to Adapt for Kids with Sensory Needs

    Children are encouraged to explore different textures such as soft fabric, smooth stones etc. while practicing the calming hands technique, allowing them to engage with their senses.

    Parental Hack

    This practice is most effective when caregivers model by practicing alongside children, reinforcing the idea that mindfulness is a family activity and ritual. This can help both kids and parents bond while building emotional resilience and their psychological immune system, together.

    Highlights and Benefits:

    • Introduction: Guides children to notice the sensations in their hands and introduces the concept of hands as calming tools.
    • Breathing Practice: Uses finger-by-finger breathing, teaching kids to inhale and exhale deeply while counting from 1 to 10.
    • Reflection: Encourages kids to observe how their hands and bodies feel after the practice, reinforcing self-awareness and relaxation.

    Calm and Creative: Make Art With Your Handprint

    The Calming Hands practice is best paired with an engaging art activity where kids trace or do handprints, decorate, and personalize their calming hands. By integrating creativity with this simple and engaging mindfulness practice, this activity becomes a lasting tool for emotional regulation and relaxation.

    What You’ll Need:

    • Paper (large enough for a handprint)
    • Non-toxic markers, crayons, or paint

    How to Practice Calming Hands:

    1. Make the Handprint: Invite your child to trace their hand onto the paper or create a painted handprint. Let them have fun choosing colors or decorating their hand outline—it’s part of the creative mindfulness process!
    2. Number the Fingers: Together, write numbers from 1 to 10 on the fingers, starting at the thumb and moving outward.
    3. Begin Mindful Breathing:
      • Encourage the child to place their real hand on top of their handprint.
      • Start at the thumb (1) and breathe in deeply, then exhale as you count out loud.
      • Move to the next finger (2), breathing in and out again.
      • Continue until all 10 fingers are complete.
    4. Repeat if Needed: If the child enjoys the exercise, they can trace back through the numbers or start again.

    Children and families can turn this mindfulness practice into a creative keepsake by tracing their hands, numbering their fingers, and decorating the artwork. This hands-on activity teaches kids to ease difficult emotions by providing a visual and tactile reminder of the breathing practice, making it easy for them to return to in stressful moments. Calming hands can be mounted on the fridge, bedroom door or even in the car as a tool to remind us all to count and breathe.

    Audio Practice: Use Your Hands to Explore Mindful Breathing

    By Rose Felix Cratsley

    Before starting the practice, find a blank piece of paper and something to draw with, like a marker or pencil.

    1. Step 1: Get Comfortable. Find a comfortable seat, either on the floor or in a chair, and sit tall like a strong tree. You can rest your hands gently on your lap, or place them in front of you. Let your shoulders relax, and your body feel soft. You are in a safe place.
    2. Step 2: Notice Your Hands. Take a moment to notice your hands. How do they feel? Are they warm or cool? Do they feel heavy or light? If you’re feeling nervous or anxious, that’s okay—just notice what’s happening in your hands without judgment. If you feel tense, give your hands a little shake and let the tension fall away.
    3. Step 3: Trace Your Hands. Now, we’re going to trace our hands to create a picture of calm. Place your hand on a piece of paper and trace around it with a pencil or marker. While you trace, feel your fingers, the palm of your hand, and the space between your fingers. Let each stroke of the marker be a reminder that you are safe and in control.

      As you trace your hands, know that you’re building something special. Your hands are your own calming tool, always available when you need to relax and feel grounded.

    4. Step 4: Breathe with Your Hands. Now that your hands are traced, we’re going to use them to help us breathe deeply. Each finger will guide us through one breath. We will count from 1 to 10, one number for each finger. With each number, we’ll take a slow, deep breath in and out.

      Start with your pinky and breathe in as you count “1.” Feel your chest and belly rise. Now, breathe out as you count “2.” Let the air flow out slowly and feel your body soften. Keep breathing slowly, one number for each finger. As you breathe in, feel your hands fill with calm. As you breathe out, feel your hands and body relax even more.

    5. Step 5: Focus on the Sensation. As you go through each number, pay close attention to how your hands feel. Do they feel warm, soft, or tingly? Notice any changes as you breathe. Imagine your breath flowing through your hands, bringing calmness to every part of your body.

      As your mind wanders, simply bring your attention back to your hands and your breath. Take your time, enjoying each breath as an opportunity to slow down and find peace.

    6. Step 6: Feel Grounded and Safe. Take a moment to reflect on how your body feels now. Does your body feel more relaxed? Do your hands feel more calm and steady? Remember, this practice helps us feel grounded—like our feet are firmly planted in the earth, and we are in control of our breath and emotions. Your hands can always be a source of calm. If you ever feel anxious or upset, you can come back to this practice, take a deep breath, and find peace through your hands.
    7. When you feel ready, come back to your day.  Take one more deep breath in, and gently breathe out. Slowly bring your awareness back to the space around you. You are calm, centered, and ready to face whatever comes next. You can always return to your calming hands whenever you need them.



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  • Brighten Your Day: Learn Mindfulness From First Graders

    Brighten Your Day: Learn Mindfulness From First Graders

    Students Elijah and Romir share what they’ve learned about the practice of mindfulness via their school program run by the nonprofit Space Between.

    There are myriad benefits of mindfulness being taught in schools. To name just a few, it supports students and teachers in managing stress, trauma, overwhelm, and more. But one of the cutest upsides has to be kids teaching meditation.

    The Seattle-based nonprofit Space Between has been teaching trauma-informed mindfulness practices in school communities since 2016, supporting the mental health and well-being of both teachers and students.

    Learn the Zig-Zag Breath With Romir

    According to Romir, a first grader in the Space Between program, the Zig-Zag Breath involves just two simple steps:

    1. Move your head in a zig-zag shape.
    2. Breathe out calmly.

    Romir says that this practice can not only help you feel warmer, but makes you feel better if you get hurt.

    Thanks, Romir! We’ll be keeping this quick and easy practice in our toolkit should we get chilly or need a pick-me-up.

    Practice Square Breathing With Elijah

    1. Point your finger and close your eyes, if you feel comfortable. Get ready to imagine you’re drawing the shape of a square with the tip of your finger.
    2. Breathe in through your nose and move your finger in a line, drawing the first side of the square in the air in front of you.
    3. Breathe out through your mouth, drawing the next side of the square.
    4. Breathe in through your nose and draw the third side of the square. 
    5. Breathe out through your mouth and complete the square.
    6. Repeat this three times.

    We know that deep, intentional breathing calms our nervous system and focuses our minds. This easy-to-remember practice is a great way to tap into the power of the breath any time, anywhere. Thanks for the lesson, Elijah!

    Mindfulness Practices for Kids

    If you’d like to explore mindfulness meditation with the school-aged children in your life, there are many ways to go about it. Over the years, we’ve gathered a number of wonderful guided practices for young children and teenagers, created by renowned meditation teachers. Here are just a few of our most popular articles to help you get started:



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  • Mystery Disease Claims Dozens of Lives, Including Children Who Died After Eating a Bat

    Mystery Disease Claims Dozens of Lives, Including Children Who Died After Eating a Bat

    More than 50 people have died in the northwest Democratic Republic of Congo from a mystery illness that first appeared in three children who ate a bat.

    The disease has an alarming fatality rate, infecting at least 419 people since its outbreak on January 21, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) and local doctors. Many victims die within 48 hours of showing symptoms, as reported by the Associated Press.

    “That’s what’s really worrying,” Serge Ngalebato, the medical director of Bikoro Hospital, told AP.

    The outbreak began in the town of Boloko after three children reportedly consumed a bat and died shortly afterward from hemorrhagic fever symptoms. A second outbreak followed in the nearby town of Bomate on February 9.

    Samples from 13 cases have been sent to Congo’s National Institute for Biomedical Research, but tests for Ebola and other hemorrhagic fevers, such as Marburg, have so far come back negative. Some patients tested positive for malaria, but its connection to the illness remains unclear.

    Congo has battled an overlapping series of disease outbreaks, including typhoid, malaria and mpox. The most recent mpox outbreak surged to 47,000 suspected cases and is thought to have caused over 1,000 deaths. Another unidentified flu-like illness killed more than 143 people in 2024 before health authorities determined malaria was the likely cause, CBS News reported.

    Zoonotic diseases—illnesses that jump from animals to humans—have long been of concern to health officials, particularly in regions where wild animals are commonly consumed. WHO has reported a 60% increase in such outbreaks in Africa over the past decade.

    Originally published by Latin Times.

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  • Vitamin D During Pregnancy Linked To Better Bone Health In Children At Age 7: Study

    Vitamin D During Pregnancy Linked To Better Bone Health In Children At Age 7: Study

    Vitamin D is essential for maintaining healthy bones, and a recent study reveals that supplementing with this vitamin during pregnancy can have a lasting impact on children’s bone health, keeping them strong into mid-childhood.

    Researchers found that children have greater bone mineral density at age 7 when expectant mothers had taken vitamin D supplements during pregnancy.

    “Our findings show that the benefits of vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy persist into mid-childhood. This early intervention represents an important public health strategy. It strengthens children’s bones and reduces the risk of conditions like osteoporosis and fractures in later life,” said Dr. Rebecca Moon, lead investigator of the study in a news release.

    The researchers began the MAVIDOS study in 2009, enlisting over 1,000 pregnant women in England to explore the potential effects of vitamin D on child bone health. During the trial, the women were randomly divided into two groups: one received an additional 1,000 International Units of vitamin D daily, while the other took a placebo. The participants and healthcare providers who attended them did not know which group they belonged to.

    As part of the study’s first phase, researchers assessed the bone mass of the children at age four using detailed bone scans. The results showed that children born to mothers who received vitamin D supplements during pregnancy had greater bone mass compared to those whose mothers had taken a placebo.

    In the latest phase of the study, researchers examined whether the benefits of prenatal vitamin D would extend into mid-childhood. They conducted follow-up bone scans on 454 children between the ages of six and seven, finding that those whose mothers had received vitamin D supplements continued to show stronger bone density at age seven.

    “These findings suggest that pregnancy vitamin D supplementation may represent a population health strategy to improve bone health, although further work is needed to demonstrate the persistence of this effect into adulthood, together with, ideally replication in additional studies,” the researchers wrote in the study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

    Although vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy remains a significant concern, the U.S. dietary recommendations for vitamin D intake in pregnant women remain conservative. It is primarily due to concerns over potential toxicity. However, current evidence suggests that a daily intake of 4,000 IU of vitamin D3 is both safe and necessary to meet the needs of all pregnant women, with no adverse effects reported.

    Since the effects and harms of vitamin D supplementation on maternal and infant health are not yet fully understood, WHO does not recommend vitamin D supplementation as part of standard prenatal care.

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