Mindfulness is a quality that is rapidly becoming the need of the hour for all age groups. In today’s world, this quality needs to be cultivated in children right from a very young age, only then can it provide them with the necessary tools to balance and shape their lives effectively. Encouraging children or young minds to take up yoga and meditation remains a challenge in itself.
Mindfulness, like many other skills, can be learned and cultivated using various tools. Online mindful games and activities are one of the most playful and engaging tools which can help individuals develop this essential attribute. Moreover, games are an effective way to develop mindfulness in students as well as adults. Games contain top-notch graphical representations and sound thereby making it an entertaining learning platform.
Interactive games to practice mindfulness
Mindful games can help children increase their focus and also introduce them to the virtues of patience, compassion, and empathy. Check how mindful games can be helpful in inculcating patience and focus.
1. Spiral Roll
This is a simple yet very interesting and gripping game. In this game, a carpenter’s tool is used to create spirals out of the platforms of various stages below it. These spirals roll around and collect the necessary gold coins which inturn increases your score.
- Click start and begin playing the game
- Score as many points as possible by sawing larger spirals
- Keep away from the obstacles and score extra points
- Once the level is finished the game ends and an option to move to the next level appears on the screen
Obstacles in the path build a lot of focus and concentration needed to play this game as one moves forward in the levels.
2. Color Game
This game is fun and challenging which tests the eyesight of the players. It is a game based on a time limit and its difficulty increases as the game throw multiple challenges in a set frame of time.
- Click on the start to play the game
- A window with a brief introduction to the instructions will appear
- Once the instructions are understood begin playing the game
- The levels of the game will end after the given time limit has passed
The game encourages the players to focus and concentrate and be mindful of the task at hand.
3. Poly Art
This is one of the most challenging games which requires the players to think from every angle to make a picture out of various fragments of the picture shown on the screen.
- Once you start the game there will be two to three levels which will be trial rounds
- These trial rounds will make you understand how to move the scattered fragments of the image around to make a picture out of it
- If you get stuck in the middle the option to use a hint is also there at one’s disposal
- The game becomes interesting just after a few levels and makes the players think hard and look more closely to figure out the level
This game requires a great deal of imagination, creativity, and the ability to look at things from different angles. Looking at things from different angles is another way of building empathy which is a fundamental quality that arises with mindfulness.
4. Drop Stack Ball
This is a fun game that again requires one-pointed concentration and the ability to be patient. In this game, one has to break a set of rotating platforms with the tool of a bouncing ball. The ball has to hit the soft part of the platform and not the hard part of the platform which is denoted by a dark color.
- Once the game starts, tap and see how the ball bounces
- Control the intensity of the bouncing of the ball
- Direct it on the soft part of the rotating platform to move to the further levels
This game develops focus and patience in its players. It also motivates players to completely dedicate their time and energy to one task without being distracted.
5. Home Sheep Home
This is one of the most graphical and strategical games which requires the players to think from different perspectives and consider various clues which are given in the game itself through its keen and simple illustrations.
- The first screen of the game includes the instructions to play.
- Use and build strategies based on the different characteristics of the sheep to complete each level
- Try to beat your time and get quicker at thinking and planning the way to overcome the challenge
This game is a strategy-based simple game that makes the player think. It has the ability to induce empathy as the player has to think from the perspective of the three sheep which are in the game, which has different sets of qualities and characteristics. This indeed promotes the quality of planning, strategizing, and empathy.
6. Jigsaw Puzzles
Jigsaw Puzzles are one of the most interesting games that are known to keep children engaged, focused, and thinking while playing them. Nowadays jigsaw puzzles are also available online.
- Once you open the website, you will see a set of instructions, a bar to set the difficulty level, and the image which needs to be constructed
- Then the jumbled pieces of the puzzle will come on the screen
- The player has to use the mouse to drag those pieces together and complete the puzzle
This game develops problem-solving skills, patience, and focus which complement the quality of mindfulness.
7. Flow Free
Flow Free is a very famous game that is simple problem-solving game. It is also available on the google play store and app store.
- Once the players start the game they will see a random set of dots in a set of rows and columns
- The task is to join similar colors to each other without disrupting the flow of the lines of other similar colors.
This game requires a good amount of patience, critical thinking, focus, and the ability to persevere in order to complete the level.
Explaining through examples: What is it like being mindful?
Mindfulness is simply being fully present in the now, or the given moment at hand. Focus, concentration, involvement, and enjoying what one is doing at a particular time are the signs of mindfulness.
Let’s take the example of two managers named Meghan and Jenna. Jenna’s co-workers and associates have noticed that she often gets lost between meetings and fails to listen. She seems to be blank at times and is also getting easily frustrated and irritated. Jenna has recently taken out a home loan and is worried about it most of the time. Somewhere this is affecting her job and not letting her concentrate on her work.
On the other hand, Meghan practices various mindfulness techniques on a regular basis. Surprisingly, she has also bought a new house and has taken a home loan, but she is more enthusiastic about her work. She has already made a list and a plan of how to manage her finances and is seen taking charge in her office efficiently. She has also set a goal for her and the team to achieve. Her new home has pushed her to focus and concentrate better.
In this manner, with two contrasting examples, you can see how mindfulness at work can increase awareness and give a person a positive perspective toward life.
Conclusion
Mindfulness is an important quality that needs to be cultivated right from a very young age. Its cultivation can have great benefits for children which can enhance their performance at school as well as in other social dimensions of their lives. This quality can be developed through various tools including online games, books, and activities. Online games are one of the many potent and playful tools which can enhance the development of mindfulness in children.
I am Shweta Sharma. I am a final year Masters student of Clinical Psychology and have been working closely in the field of psycho-education and child development. I have served in various organisations and NGOs with the purpose of helping children with disabilities learn and adapt better to both, academic and social challenges. I am keen on writing about learning difficulties, the science behind them and potential strategies to deal with them. My areas of expertise include putting forward the cognitive and behavioural aspects of disabilities for better awareness, as well as efficient intervention. Follow me on LinkedIn