Mindfulness Day ideas for OSHC
44 DIY activities for Mindfulness Day at before and after school care or vacation care. Pick and mix, or build a balanced day in one click.
Animal Yoga Session
Children move through simple animal-inspired poses and breathing to finish the day calmly.
Mindfulness Day · Mental Health Month · Wellbeing Wednesday +3Breathing Buddies
Children lie down with a soft toy on their tummy and watch it rise and fall as they practise slow, calm breathing.
Mental Health Month · Mindfulness Day · Wellbeing Wednesday +2Calm-Down Glitter Bottles
Children make sealed glitter bottles to shake and watch settle, giving them a simple tool for calming big feelings.
Wellbeing Wednesday · Sensory Day · Mindfulness Day +2Calming Scented Playdough
Children squeeze, roll and shape soft scented playdough as a calming sensory activity during quiet time.
St Patrick's Day · Art Through the Ages · Puzzle Day +2Celtic Knot Drawing
Children learn to draw an interwoven Celtic knot using a simple dot grid method, a pattern found on ancient Irish stone carvings and manuscripts.
Pamper and Zen Day · Mindfulness Day · Mental Health Month +2Chill-out Chats
Children gather in small groups on cushions to talk about feelings, what helps them relax and what made them smile. Builds trust and emotional language.
Book Week · Mindfulness Day · Cubby Day +3Cosy Cushion Reading Den
Children relax with books in a cushioned den, enjoying quiet reading in a calm, inviting space.
Challenge Day · Art Attack Day · Budding Artists +2Detailed Painting Challenge
Children slow down and focus on a detailed painting using fine brushes, building patience and careful technique.
World Music Day · Art Attack Day · Mindfulness Day +2Draw What You Hear
Children listen to contrasting music and let their pencils and pastels move with the sound, creating abstract artworks that show rhythm and mood.
Silly Stories Day · Mindfulness Day · Wellbeing Wednesday +2Dream Jars
Children decorate a plastic jar and fill it with written or drawn dreams, wishes and happy thoughts to keep.
Emoji Day · Mental Health Month · R U OK Day +2Emoji Feelings Check-In
Children choose an emoji card to show how they feel and share why, building emotional vocabulary.
Mental Health Month · Mindfulness Day · Wellbeing Wednesday +2Feelings Wheel
Children make a spinning card wheel of emotions with faces and words, then use it to share how they are feeling.
Slime Lab Day · Sensory Day · Detective Day +1Feely Bag Textures
Younger children reach into mystery bags and use only their sense of touch to describe and guess what is inside.
Yarn Day · Craft Day · Mindfulness Day +2Finger Knitting
Children learn to finger knit chains of wool, a calming skill they can use to make bracelets, scarves or decorations.
Friendship Day · Kindness Day · Harmony Day +2Friendship Yarn Web
Children pass a ball of yarn across a circle, sharing something nice about each person who catches it, to build a web of connection.
Space Explorers · Science and Space · Mindfulness Day +1Galaxy Jars
Children layer cotton wool and coloured water in a jar to create a swirling galaxy they can keep.
Before School Calm Start · Mindfulness Day · Pamper and Zen Day +3Gentle Morning Stretch
Five minutes of gentle stretches before the bell helps children wake up their bodies and feel calm and ready for school.
Obstacle Course Day · Before School Calm Start · Mindfulness Day +2Gentle Tai Chi Warm-up
Children follow slow, flowing tai chi-style movements to stretch, breathe and focus. A calm, settling start before an active day.
Mindfulness Day · Mental Health Month · Sensory Day +2Glitter Calm Jars
Children make sealed glitter jars to shake and watch as the glitter slowly settles, breathing calmly along with it.
Mindfulness Day · Mental Health Month · Kindness Day +2Gratitude Art
Children draw or collage the people, places and things they feel grateful for, then share one with the group.
Mindfulness Day · Mental Health Month · Pamper and Zen Day +2Guided Body Scan
An educator uses a calm voice to guide children through relaxing each part of their body while lying on mats.
International Day of Peace · Mindfulness Day · Mental Health Month +3Homemade Stress Balls
Children fill balloons with flour to make squishy stress balls, then talk about calming strategies.
Pamper and Zen Day · Mindfulness Day · Before School Calm Start +2Kids Yoga and Zen Patterns
Children follow a gentle kids' yoga session, then wind down by drawing repeating zen patterns. A calm way to reset.
Wellbeing Wednesday · Kindness Day · Mental Health Month +2Kind Words Painted Stones
Children paint positive words, affirmations or symbols on smooth stones to keep, give away or place in the garden.
Book Week · Children's Week · Cubby Day +1Library Visit and Book Nook
Children visit the school library to borrow books, then help set up a cosy reading nook back at the service.
International Day of Peace · Mindfulness Day · Before School Calm Start +3Mindful Mandala Colouring
Children colour detailed mandala patterns to soft music, a calm way to focus and unwind.
ANZAC Day · Remembrance Day · Mindfulness Day +1Minute of Quiet Reflection
Children take part in a respectful minute of silence and a gentle conversation about why people remember those who served.
World Smile Day · Mindfulness Day · Dramatic Play Day +2Mirror Faces Drama Game
Partners take turns mirroring each other's facial expressions, from tiny smiles to huge surprise, exploring how faces show feelings.
International Dance Day · Mindfulness Day · Pamper and Zen Day +2Mirror Partner Moves
Partners face each other and slowly mirror each other's movements to calm music, building focus, trust and connection.
World Poetry Day · Nature Play Day · Japan Day +1Nature Haiku Hunt
Children head outside to look closely at nature, then write haiku, a short poetry form from Japan, using their observations.
Nature Play Day · Mindfulness Day · Outdoor Explorers +2Nature Mandalas
Children arrange leaves, petals and stones in circular patterns to create calm, colourful nature mandalas.
New Year's Party · Mindfulness Day · Wellbeing Wednesday +1New Year Wish Jars
Children write or draw their hopes and goals for the year ahead and seal them in a decorated jar to open later. A calm, reflective way to start fresh.
Japan Day · Paper Crafts Day · International Day of Peace +2Origami Cranes
Children learn to fold paper cranes and other simple origami, building patience and precision.
Day of the Dead · Mindfulness Day · Grandparents Day +1Our Remembering and Gratitude Wall
A gentle, optional activity where children add a drawing, note or photo of someone or something special to them, inspired by the ofrendas Mexican families make to remember loved ones.
Pamper and Zen Day · Mindfulness Day · Wellbeing Wednesday +2Pamper Face Masks and Foot Spas
Children mix simple face masks from oats and yoghurt and soak feet in warm tubs while calm music plays. A relaxing, sensory pamper session.
World Hello Day · Before School Calm Start · Friendship Day +2Pass the Hello Circle
Children pass a hello around the circle in changing styles, such as whispered, sleepy, excited or in another language, ending in a calm group greeting.
Before School Calm Start · Book Week · Big Kids Club +1Quiet Homework Corner
A quiet corner with desks and books gives older children a calm space to read or finish homework with an educator nearby.
Before School Calm Start · Puzzle Day · Board Games Day +2Quiet Puzzle Table
Jigsaws and logic puzzles are set out for early arrivals to enjoy quietly, alone or with a friend.
Long Projects Day · Mindfulness Day · Before School Calm Start +3Quiet Relaxation Stations
Children choose between puzzles, colouring and cosy reading nooks for a calm break during a busy day.
Reconciliation Week · NAIDOC Week · Book Week +1Reconciliation Reading Corner
Children help set up a calm, respectful display of picture books and resources sourced from local First Nations organisations, then spend time reading and exploring it.
Matariki · Mindfulness Day · Wild Aotearoa +1Remember, Celebrate, Look Ahead
A calm reflective activity where children fill three star-shaped cards: someone or something they remember, something to celebrate now, and a hope for the year ahead.
Earth Hour · Camp Out Day · Pyjama Day +2Unplugged Lantern Hour
The group turns off every light and screen for an hour and plays by lantern light, rotating through clapping games, storytelling, cards, I spy and quiet music.
Yarn Day · Craft Day · Nature Play Day +1Woven Wool Stars
Children wrap colourful wool around crossed sticks to make a woven star decoration, a craft found in many cultures.
Mindfulness Day · Pamper and Zen Day · Wellbeing Wednesday +2Yoga Story Adventure
Children act out a story using simple yoga poses, turning into trees, animals and mountains as the tale unfolds.