6 Mindfulness and Meditation Apps for Kids

Our kids are busier than ever, and practicing mindfulness can help reduce their anxiety, improve focus and memory, and make falling asleep easier, research suggests.

Mindfulness and meditation can be something that you and your family practice together or individually and without any tools, but there are also free and paid apps that can help your child learn the ropes of mindfulness. These apps can help your child relax and teach them to learn the basics of meditation.

1. Headspace for Kids

The popular adult mindfulness app now has a kids’ series of breathing exercises, visualizations, and meditations grouped into five categories: kindness, focus, sleep, calm, and wake-up. Choose the one that best suits your child’s needs or sign up for a full family plan. Ages 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12; $12.99 per month or $69.99 per year.

2. Meditation for Kids

This kid-friendly app aims to help children get better sleep and build healthy mindful habits through more than 100 mediations, sleep stories, hypnosis, and breathing exercises. The app also features a gratitude journal, which research shows can help improve mood and mental health. Made for ages 6-8, but according to the app, it's even toddler-friendly; All ages; Download for free.

3. Mindful Meditation on Alexa

Here’s another skill set from Amazon: If your kid needs help quieting their mind during the day, they can say, “Alexa open Mindful Meditation” and ask for a meditation. There are currently 5 different meditation types and lengths available, from a 3-minute breathwork-focused mediation to longer 10 and 20-minute tracks designed to melt away tension. On nights when your kid can’t sleep, a “power down” will do the trick—and keep screens out of the bedroom. Ages 4+; Download for free.

4. Smiling Mind

This evidence-based app offers mindfulness sessions, developed by a team of psychologists, that start with a quick series of questions to focus the mind followed by simple, easy-to-follow meditation exercises for children and adults alike, so the whole family can participate. Ages 4+; Download for free.

5. Sleep Meditations for Kids

The perfect app to incorporate into your bedtime routine, Sleep Meditations for Kids is led by a Montessori teacher and has carefully scripted story meditations designed to promote relaxation and contentment. You get access to one free track and can purchase full access through the app. Ages 6-8; Download for free.

6. Sound Mind

This app offers music therapy, audio and visual therapy, journaling and mood tracking, affirmations and wellness tasks, as well as brain training games. Plus, after downloading the app, users create a custom character to be their "mental health buddy" on their journey. Ages 4+; Download for free.