As a meditation teacher, many parents ask for my advice on meditation apps and whether they are a good thing for children.
Meditation is important for kids. With meditation, the litte ones can relax and find happiness. Studies show that meditation helps children to relax, stop feeling stressed, improve their focus and more.
Many parents have used my guide Meditation for Kids. And apps make it easier.
While it is true that meditation apps do not work as well as traditional meditation, they are good for kids. Kids want simple solutions that are fun. And most youngsters like being on their phones anyway. Hence why meditation apps are a good idea for children.
Here are my picks of the best meditation apps for kids.
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Kids Meditation Apps
1: Headspace for Kids
The brainchild of former Zen monk Andy Puddicombe, Headspace has become the biggest mindfulness app of all time and is popular with both parents and their little ones. The app contains lots of kids meditations, including visualizations, breathing exercises and various guided meditations. The children’s version features five primary categories of meditation: wake-up, calm, sleep, focus, and kindness. A one-year subscription costs $69.99.
In my experience as a teacher it is important to help kids develop the habit of meditation, and this app helps.
2: Moshi
Moshi is a meditation app for children that is based around those loveable creatures the Moshi Monsters, which was one of the most popular children’s video games of all time. It focuses mostly on helping youngsters get to sleep at night with bedtime stories.
I find that children are immediately interested in this app the moment I show it to them, probably because they recognise the Moshi.
Moshi has more than 45 hours of original audio stories, meditation, music and sounds, some of which are voiced by famous celebrities like Goldie Hawn and Patrick Stewart.
I love the quality of presentation in this app. I find it really fun. And I love a lot of the voice actors. My favourite is Patrick Stewart, but they are all really good.
Choose this app if you want your kids to get to sleep more easily and to have fun learning mindfulness.
3: Stop, Breathe & Think
I loved Stop, Breathe & Think. And I always thought it was one of the best apps for kids. It had special meditations designed to help children process emotions, get to sleep, and focus.
I also really liked the stickers, which youngsters win by completing “missions”. I find this helps me motivate your little ones to meditate.
Sadly, this app has been closed. I hope it is reopened.
4: Mindfulness for children app
The Mindfulness for Children app was designed and developed by a Danish psychologist. It’s an audio-only app that features easy breathing meditation techniques that kids can use to relax and focus. These are excellent for helping the little ones overcome stress. There are also Body Scan meditations and nature sounds.
I recommend this one is suitable for kids over five-years-old. There is a free package and a premium one that costs $4.99.
This is the best meditation app for kids if you want something that is psychologically proven to work and you don’t mind it being audio-only.
5: Meditation for kids – calmness, mindfulness, sleep
This app helps kids to handle stress, focus, improve emotional intelligence, and connect.
I consider this one of the best meditation apps for kids because it is so easy to use. It has a very intuitive interface so kids can start using it easily. There’s also lovely meditation music and soothing sounds to help kids to feel Zen.
A lot of my parent-students tell me that their kids struggle to sleep, and I usually recommend this app for them. And yes, studies do show that simple meditation exercises can help kids sleep.
Choose this app if you want your kids to learn about both yoga and meditation.
6. Smiling Mind
Smiling Minds is a meditation app with tons of different mindfulness sessions. It was developed by a team of psychologists, so you can be confident that it is good for your kids’ health. It’s very quick to start using and the meditations are easy enough for the little ones to follow along to.
Choose this app if you like a scientifically-backed app that helps kids learn the basics of meditation.
7: BBC Go Explore
Being produced by the BBC, you already know that “Go Explore” has excellent production values. It’s scientifically backed and arguably the most trustworthy of all kids meditation apps. It contains all sorts of games and mindful activities to help kids deal with stress and become more mindful. Best of all, it is completely free, has zero advertising, and no in-app purchases.
I absolutely love pretty much everything the BBC does. I find their production values second to none. And I’m happy to say that this app is also excellent.
Also see my recommended kids yogs apps.
Paul Harrison BSc is a qualified meditation teacher who believes in genuine, authentic meditation. He has more than 15 years experience in teaching meditation and mindfulness both to individuals and to corporations and is the author of four books on meditation. He has been featured in Psychology Today, Breathe Magazine, Healthline, Psych Central and Lion’s Roar.
Paul studied meditation in beautiful Oxford, UK, and Hamilton Ontario Canada, and earned his degree at Staffordshire University.
Paul’s biggest inspirations include Thich Nhat Hanh, Jon Kabat Zinn, and Jack Kornfield.
“My goal is to provide the most authentic meditation sessions so you can harness the power of your own mind for personal transformation” – Paul Harrison