When nerves or anxiety take over a kid’s mind during school, sports, or social situations, try having them practice the mindfulness technique of grounding. Grounding means taking time to relax the physical body and mind together. Learn about deep breathing, visualization, and body scanning with the Moshi for Educators resources, and you’ll be ready to teach all the skills kids need to practice a grounding routine. And it works just as well for adults, too! You may find that the practice of grounding feels great during a hectic day. 

Grounding Techniques for Kids

Visualize Your Roots

The Peekaboo’s Relaxing Roots Conversation Guide gives you open-ended divergent questions to reflect on the skill of grounding, first in a retelling of what Peekaboo does during his Moshi Meditation, and then with some self-evaluative questions about bringing the strategy to life.

Engage Your Senses

Peekaboo’s Relaxing Roots visualization can be an integral part of the practice of sensory awareness and emotional regulation. When you make time for visualizing practice, this focused use of imagination becomes easier. When the brain focuses on the sensory imagery of the visualization, worries and anxieties move from the forefront of the mind. 

Connect with the Natural World

One simple way to experience the positive physical effect of grounding is to walk barefoot on a patch of ground. Let your feet feel the actual soil, leaves, or grass beneath them. Grounding is a very easy and quick way to give kids the opportunity to bring their visualization to life. 

Ground Yourself, Too

Your energy is important, too. Kids can tell right away if you’re in a bad mood, and they’ll often ask you about it. As you’re preparing for a challenging part of the day, stop for a moment and ground yourself with whatever technique works for you and fits into your schedule. In this way, you not only calm yourself but model this mindful behavior for others, as well. 

You Don’t Have to be Perfect

With Moshi’s mindfulness resources, there are no wrong answers about how you meditate or calm yourself. Some people like to visualize a serene waterfall paradise. Some people like to visualize the perfect cup of coffee. It’s up to you! Moshi’s Conversation Guide open-ended questions ask kids about how to use mindful skills like grounding in their own lives. 

Teach Grounding Skills with Moshi

When you use this Moshi resource to teach grounding, you can simply use a link or pdf of the file and share it via your LMS, or print out the activity and guide for in-person learning. Try using Peekaboo’s Relaxing Roots with your class and let Moshi guide you through everything you need to teach an SEL lesson on grounding. You’ll also find a fun 3D paper craft for kids about how to ground themselves and practice their emerging self-awareness. 

Allison Henry