8 meditation apps for kids

Many families say meditation and mindfulness help their child focus, cope with stress, and “quiet the mind.” These eight apps can help your child learn to meditate and be mindful. Many of them include guided meditations.

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Mindful Powers

Mindful Powers introduces grade-schoolers to mindfulness. It guides kids through a series of meditations, called “stories,” that each build on each other. This is different from many meditation apps, which require kids to pick and choose what to do on their own. Kids work with a “Flibbertigibbet,” a cute round sea creature that helps them stay focused and breathe.

The app uses a child’s voice, and it has a youthful look and feel. Parents should know that it’s more of a tool than a game. It’s best used with adult support, especially with younger kids.

Available for: iOS

Smiling Mind

Smiling Mind offers hundreds of mindfulness activities for all ages, though the suggested age is 5+. In addition to breathing meditations, the app has sensory exercises, like listening to music. There are programs for kids in different age groups, as well as for schools, workplaces, and sports. The app also keeps track of when kids meditate.

Smiling Mind was created by a nonprofit with the mission of improving mental health in Australia. So the app uses voices with Australian accents. Since the app has so many options, your child may need your support to use it.

Available for: Android, iOS

Breathe, Think, Do With Sesame

This free Sesame Street app isn’t specifically for meditation. But it introduces very young kids to the concept of calming down through breathing. The app teaches kids the “Breathe, Think, Do” method. Kids help an animated monster facing a frustrating situation to calm down by taking long, deep breaths. Afterwards, they help the monster think of a solution and do it.

There’s also a parent’s section with tips. Plus, you can personalize the audio to play English or Spanish.

Available for: Android, iOS

Headspace

Founded in 2010, Headspace was one of the first meditation apps on the market. It has a sleek, cool look, and it uses fun cartoon videos to teach how meditation works. The app has over 500 guided meditations, read by a voice with a British accent.

Headspace has specific mindfulness activities for kids, with five themes: Calm, Focus, Kindness, Sleep, and Wake Up. Each activity is customized for three different age groups — under 5, 6–8, and 10–12. And each has a role for parents. Teens can also benefit from the app, which offers reminders to help kids stay on track. It also has a buddy system so different users can encourage each other.

Available for: Android, iOS

Three Good Things: A Happiness Journal

This free journaling app can help kids build mindfulness based on a simple premise: If kids write down three good things that happen to them each day, they’ll feel happier. The app is very easy to use. After kids enter their name, they’re asked to write a few words about something good that happened that day, then a second and third thing. They can use the app to set a reminder to write each day. And they can look over past journal entries.

Available for: iOS

Super Stretch Yoga

Super Stretch Yoga is for yoga, not meditation. But it can help kids ages 4+ learn the importance of relaxation and breathing. The app teaches kids how to do 12 different yoga poses. Each pose is introduced with a short animation, a live video with a child doing the pose, and an explanation. Kids can choose to do one of the poses. Or they can do all of them in rotation.

The app gives gentle encouragement while kids do the yoga poses, and it reminds them to breathe. Super Stretch Yoga HD is best for kids in grade school and Pre-K.

Available for: iOS

Calm

The Calm app offers a new meditation every day, along with meditation programs like “7 Days of Calming Anxiety” or “7 Days of Focus.” Most of the meditations are guided. But there are options for unguided timed meditations, too. Guided meditations are read aloud by a pleasant, soothing voice. Kids can also listen to sounds like ocean waves or wind.

It’s free to try the app’s first program and a few stand-alone guided meditations. There’s a fee to access more. Calm is best for older teens and young adults. Parents may want to try the app too. And if you have a younger child, Calm offers sleep stories to read to kids to help them relax and sleep better.

Available for: Android, iOS

Moshi

Kids who use the Moshi app can access hundreds of hours of bedtime stories, sleep sounds, white noise, and more. After logging in, kids choose a category: play, relax, listen, or sleep. Each category offers options presented as interactive cards. For example, kids can listen to audio stories for sleep, anxiety, and calming down. Or they can try deep breathing exercises for mindfulness.

Moshi offers a seven-day free trial. After that, you must subscribe.

Available for: Android, iOS

Learn more about the importance of mindfulness for kids who learn and think differently. Plus, check out this guided meditation for parents.