My son insists we read a few mindfulness & growth mindset cards when we go to bed. I try to limit it to two activities. Which is really funny…

I never imagined I’d limit mindfulness practice.

“Sorry son, it’s so late that we can only do two mindfulness activities.” 😂

Needless to say…

I’m super duper happy that my son actually wants to practice and even demands me to.

I think it’s because our cards make practice effortless and game like.

So, having all these great experiences,  I decided to share these two cards with you, too. You can use these prompts to practice with your children if you’d like.

This time, Anton chose two yellow cards which means the topic is “joy, gratitude and happiness.”

Yes, it’s the perfect topic to end the day with. Research shows that gratitude practice before bedtime increases the quality of sleep. And it just feels good to connect and wind down together.

The first card Anton chose is a “discussion card.”  Many children don’t want to “meditate” and a few feel uncomfortable closing their eyes. So, “talking practice” is the perfect way to get started.

Here’s the first mindfulness card he picked.

“Share one good thing you’re grateful for and why. Like this, for example: “I’m grateful for … my dog … because … we cuddle, and it feels good.” Notice how it feels to talk about good things.”

Anton answered that he feels grateful for laughing so much together with mommy today, because it made him feel good inside.

Then I asked him how it feels to talk about these wonderful good things afterwards.

He said it felt good.

And it does feel good! That’s the whole point of gratitude practice… experiencing more of these moments of joy, calm and happiness. Reliving and constructing those feelings again and again–rewiring our brains for even more joy :-)

BTW: Research has shown that adding the why part to gratitude practice makes practice even more beneficial. And that gratitude changes you and your brain.

Then Anton picked another yellow gratitude card. I love this one.

“Can you feel good thinking about something in the future?

Think of something fun you’re looking forward to. Close your eyes and imagine it happening right now. ( Spend about a minute like this.)

How did it make you feel?”

I told him we’d make it an experiment to see if you can feel good about something in the future, too.

Anton got excited and wanted to go first. He told me that he was looking forward to getting his own kittens and petting them when he’s a grown-up.

( Sadly both mommy and daddy are allergic so we can’t have cats. )

I wanted to give him a special experience so…

I dared him to try thinking about those future kittens with his eyes closed. To simply spend a minute thinking about the kittens and what he’d do with them.

I told him that he could do a “voice over” for me if it felt difficult to just imagine it.

To my surprise he decided to do it. And it was so sweet <3

He closed his eyes and fantasized about hugging and petting his little kittens. He actually petted his pillow with his fingers pretending to touch his kittens <3

My heart wanted to burst <3 I felt this wonderful warmth in my chest watching my son so happy. And I felt a little heartbroken for not being able to buy him kittens at the same time.

Anton fell asleep and we both slept like babies. I don’t know if it was the practice but we sure felt good going to sleep that night.

I hope this article gave you ideas and insights on gratitude practice. If you’d like 120 easy and engaging micro-activities to support your children you can order our brand new mindfulness and growth mindset cards at a huge discount right now :-)

You can check the cards out here, if you’re interested —>

Ultimate Mindfulness & Growth Mindset Cards Launch offer

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Thank you for reading and…

Remember to treat yourself with kindness <3

Wishing you many heartfelt moments with your children :-)

Chris Bergstrom

Chief Mindfulness Ninja @ Blissful Kids

#1 Best-Selling Author and Creator of the Ultimate Mindfulness and Growth Mindset Cards