Superhero Powers and Spider-Man Relaxation: An Activity to Practice a Mindful Sense of Awareness with Your Child

Items needed: a bell, a flower, and a small food item (such as a berry, raisin or piece of cereal).
The world is a wonderful, noisy, sensational place, filled with overflowing sensory input. A person’s brain has to work hard in the moment to filter out all of the incoming stimuli in order to be able to focus and function.  However, if we don’t give our minds and bodies a break from all this filtering, we can become tense, distracted and overwhelmed. A great way to de-stress is mindfulness or focused awareness. Relaxation is a byproduct of mindfulness. The goal is focused awareness in the present moment.   Because we take in the world around us through our senses, sense perception is a perfect place to start when practicing mindfulness.

‘Spidey’ Senses: The Super Power of Mindful Sensing
Sense of Hearing:  Spider-Man was able to hear tiny noises. We will practice paying very close attention just like Spider-Man. Start sitting down with eyes closed and hands on your knees. I will ring a bell and when you hear it pay attention to the ring until you can no longer hear the sound, clasp your hands together in your lap. (Repeat 3 times). We have now activated your Spidey-sense of superhero hearing!
Senses of Touch, Smell, and Sight:  I will now give you a flower. Hold it gently in your hand. When I ring the bell, close your eyes and gently touch the petals. Feel what each petal feels like on your fingers. Pay attention to see if it is soft, rough, furry, smooth, prickly, or wet. Imagine that, like Spider-Man, your hands have Spidey-senses to be able to feel all the detail of the flower. When I ring the bell again, keep your eyes closed and smell your flower. Hold the flower right under your nose and breathe in deeply. What scent do you smell? Is it sweet? Does it have a strong smell or a soft smell? Now, finally when I ring the bell, open your eyes and look closely at the flower. Pay attention to the shape of the petals. What color do you see? Are there lines on the petals? What does the center of the flower look like? How is it different from the petals? (Ring the bell a final time to signal the end of the activity.)
Sense of Taste: I will now give you a berry (or other small food item). Start by looking at the berry and practice using the other Spidey-senses we have already learned. What does it look like? What does it feel like? What does it smell like? Now put the berry in your mouth. Allow the berry to sit gently in your mouth. What does it feel like on your tongue? Is your mouth starting to water? Now slowly begin to chew the berry. See how slowly you can chew it. How does it taste? Tart? Sweet? Sour? Bitter? Now gently swallow the berry and pay attention to what it feels like going down your throat. Pay attention to what taste remains in your mouth after swallowing it.
Great job! You have now activated and strengthened all of your Spidey-senses. These are your superhero powers to help you whenever you need them!
 
Source: kids relaxation.com