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rainbow walk

Walking meditation is more than a leisurely walk down the street. Instead, there is a purpose and a focus to the walk. So, when the temperatures start getting warmer and spring is on the mind, a rainbow walk is the perfect way to go, AND what preschooler doesn't love a rainbow?! Let's keep it fun and colorful and of course, mindful.

 

When your kids practice mindfulness during a walk, it makes the experience more meaningful. When they are quiet and calm and all of their attention is placed on noticing, they will discover details and wonders that would have been missed in a loud, rowdy run down the path. There is a time for a rowdy run for sure, but not during a mindful walk.

 

related: Walking meditation

 

THINGS TO REMEMBER ABOUT RAINBOW WALK:

• It’s not about the destination
• It is about focusing and noticing the colors of the rainbow along the way
• The walk is slow paced
• The walk is silent

I can tell you that your walk most likely won't be slow or silent. No worries, go with the flow and offer gentle reminders. It will be the perfect mindful experience no matter what.

 

WHERE TO TAKE A RAINBOW WALK

For best success with your rainbow walk, start by choosing an area that is colorful so your preschoolers don't get frustrated or discouraged. Finding colors keeps them excited about the walk and engaged. As you practice rainbow walk more and more, you can switch up the locations, making it more challenging so they don't get bored.

 

Here are some ideas:

• a path or trail
• through your play yard
• a park
• prepare a path through your classroom on a rainy day
• around the building

 

RAINBOW WALK

Have your kids:

1. Start by standing tall
2. Close their eyes and take a deep breath, in and out
3. Take another deep breath if they feel they need to
4. Set the intention to take a mindful walk and notice the colors of the rainbow
5. Open their eyes once they feel settled in
6. Begin walking slowly, silently, and with purpose

 

Once everyone is on the path and settled in, you can call out the first color, red. Begin walking slowly and searching for anything red. It might be a big red barn or a tiny red berry, it doesn't matter each child will discover their own red object.

 

Decide ahead of time if you want the children to call out an object when they notice it or if you want them to wait until the end to share. Just let them know to call out gently and use only one or two words. Or, you can call on a few kids to share their item before you move to the next color.

 

Once everyone or most have found a red item, then gently call out "orange". Continue through the colors of the rainbow until you finish with violet. Then, gather together to share the experience. Here are some questions to help start your discussion:

1. Were you able to find an item for every color?
2. What object did you find for red? orange? yellow? green? blue? indigo? violet?
3. Were you able to find more than one item for some colors? Which ones?
4. Which colors were challenging to find?
5. Was there a color you didn't find? How did that make you feel?
6. Were you able to notice more and discover more because you were quiet and focused?
7. How did you feel while you were searching for an item? (excited, frustrated, etc.)
8. What were you thinking while you were searching? (confused, worried you wouldn't find something, "I can do this", etc.)
9. How did you feel when you found an item? (excited, relieved, proud, etc.)
10. What did you like most about rainbow walk?

 

You can print these discussion questions from the Rainbow Walk Packet that's in The Mindfulness Library.

 

Related: Rainbow Meditation for Kids

 

Collect a rainbow

This is a variation of rainbow walk that builds on the simple walk above and adds in another layer of mindfulness. And, it's an easy way to incorporate some math and science fun, too.

 

As you do the rainbow walk from above, have each child collect the rainbow-colored item they found and place it in a bag. The one rule is that the item has to fit in their hand. When the walk is over gather together and allow some time for sharing and discussing the items.

 

This is the perfect time to add in some math (large group):

• count the total items
• count and graph the items by color
• count and graph repeated items, for example 5 green leaves, 3 yellow dandelions, or 7 pieces of red mulch, etc.
• count and graph the number of items each child found, for example 2 children found 5 items, 5 children found 7, etc.

 

and some science (this would be fun to do in pairs or small groups to focus in on the smallest details):

• compare and contrast 2 or more collected items that are the same, for example how are two rocks the same and how are they different- shape, size, texture, color variations, shiny specks, etc.
• use magnifying glasses to examine the color variations of one collected object, for example a green leaf might have darker greens, lighter greens and maybe even some yellow throughout it
• use magnifying glasses to explore the colors between two collected items
• each group can draw their observations and present their findings to the larger group

 

You'll find a Rainbow Walk Packet that includes printable pages for your kids to draw their rainbow items in The Mindfulness Library.

 

Noticing the details makes an experience more meaningful and enriching. When we take the time to practice noticing the small details with activities like this rainbow walk, it becomes natural for us to slow down and notice more in our everyday lives.

 

related: Inner rainbow meditation for kids

 

TRY THIS TOO

As your kids get familiar with taking a rainbow walk, you can add variations to keep it fresh and engaging.

1. As your kids are noticing and searching for objects with their eyes, let them know they can use their other senses to discover items, too. Like, for example, hearing a siren might remind them of the color red or smelling the freshly cut grass might remind them of the color green.
2. Search only for the color you are learning about for that week and see how many different items you can find for that color. Or, match the color to the season, holiday, or special day.
3. Find items as a group. When one child finds a red item, they call it our gently and then the group searches for the next color and so on.
4. You can allow your kids to go off the path to explore if it's safe for them to do so, like in the play yard but still keeping the activity calm and mindful.

 

I hope this mindfulness rainbow walk will help you and your kids slow down and discover the many treasures around us all the time that might get missed otherwise.

 

If you're looking for more mindfulness activities to add to your preschool day, check out The Mindfulness Library for free, 24/7 access to meditation scripts, activity packets, deep breathing printables and more.