Dreamland Adventures: New Orleans - Sleep Story For Kids

Soar to New Orleans in this guided sleep meditation for children ages 4-12. Using breath as their wings, kids will fly over the colorful French Quarter listening to jazz bands and watching colorful beads tossed from balconies, follow a soulful singer's voice down Frenchmen Street past art galleries and courtyard restaurants, visit Jackson Square with face painters and magicians, and rest on the banks of the Mississippi River as the sun sets and river boats glide by.

This gentle journey guides children from active imagination into deep relaxation and peaceful sleep. Perfect for bedtime routines.

For overnight sleep: Pair this with my 12-Hour Pink Noise for Kids - your child falls asleep to an imaginative journey, then pink noise continues through the night. Create a playlist with both tracks for seamless sleep support from bedtime to morning.

Photo by Rosie Kerr on Unsplash

Transcript

Hi there. Welcome to our Dreamland adventure to New Orleans. You don't need to pack anything or do anything at all. Find a comfortable position and let's go for a ride. Imagine looking up into the sky and connecting to the light all the way up there. Breathe it in. Let go of that breath completely. Let's take another breath in. Can you feel your lungs filling up with air? On your next breath out, Feel your lungs empty out the air. On your next breath in, Imagine flying high into the sky. You aren't alone. I'm with you and you can also imagine any of your friends and family with you on the ride. It's up to you whether you invite anyone on your adventure. We are heading to the southern part of the United States where we explore the sights of New Orleans and finish on the bank of the Mississippi River. For now, Your breath will help get us there. The slower, Easier breath you take, The smoother the ride. As we fly into the air, We see huge, Fluffy white clouds and bright blue sky. Take a look below and wave goodbye to your home as we leave your neighborhood and take ourselves across your town. We soar into the sky and take steady, Smooth breaths. We begin to see older buildings coming into view. Can you see the red tiled roofs and balconies with bright green hanging plants, Different colors of flowers hanging from the plants? If you listen closely, You might be able to hear the music drifting up towards us. Let's use a smooth and steady breath to follow the music and see where it's coming from. Sounds like it's coming from over there on the right. Let's take a long breath in and a longer breath out to lower ourselves to that red building up ahead. There's a band playing a popular jazz song. I hear trombones and trumpets. Can you hear the drums? They're playing a lively song. People are dancing in the street and you can see colorful beaded necklaces being tossed down from the second floor of some of the homes and buildings. I see purple, Green, And yellow beads being shared among the people. Laughter and smiles are all around us. We are right in the middle of the French Quarter. Let's go up a little bit higher using our breaths. Take a long, Slow inhale and maybe a longer, Slower exhale. Up we go above the sound of the instruments. Now that the band isn't quite so loud, We can start to hear a voice. Do you hear that beautiful, Deep voice? Let's follow the singer's melody. It seems to be coming from the Frenchman Street. We're flying by shops full of creative and colorful artwork. Be sure to peek in the windows as we soar by. There are photos in one art shop and paintings in another one. Let's slow down our breathing so we can slow down our speed and we'll be able to peer into the upcoming little corners and gardens where delicious restaurants are tucked in. Up ahead there's a restaurant made out of a person's home. The tables in the backyard are full of people enjoying their meals. There are rows of lights strung from one wall across the courtyard to another wall giving light to the beautiful setup. Tiny, Bright, Shining lights. Let's invite a deep breath in and a deep breath out. Let's keep going. As each breath we take is smooth and easy, We glide closer toward the singer. Can you hear her voice getting louder? I think she's right up ahead. Use your breath to lower down and to the right just a bit. Nice and smooth. Well done. Let's hover here and allow her music to wrap around us. It's soothing and peaceful. The song has slow, Steady beats and her strong voice floats through the audience up towards us and continues to drift all the way up into the clouds way above us. Such lovely sounds. Let's enjoy her music and our breathing for another moment or two as we have still so much more to see. Let's now use our breathing to take us higher into the air. Big inhale. Big exhale. That's wonderful. We're in the perfect position to keep flying so we can see more of this beautiful old city full of talented people. As we glide up and out towards the Mississippi River, We'll find ourselves right in the middle of Jackson Square. You can see people enjoying musicians on the corners. There's magicians doing their tricks. There's a handful of artists drawing and painting. A few people are getting their faces painted down below. It looks like the little boy has a zebra painted right on his cheek and his sister has a lion that takes up her entire face. On your next inhale, Take a big breath in and see if you can smell the yummy smelling food coming from the restaurant over there. A smooth exhale glides us right over to the red table tops and brown chairs. It looks like they're offering all kinds of traditional New Orleans style food. The red beans and rice look so warm and nourishing. The sun is about to set. The Mississippi River is just over there. Let's find a spot to tuck ourselves into by the river to enjoy the sunset. Can you take in a smooth steady breath in and let that next breath out gently. Well done. One more breath exactly like that. That is just what we needed to bring us to the river. The water is moving at a slow, Steady and calm pace. There are boats gliding down the river. A family is fishing along the bank up on the left. If you watch closely, You can see big catfish swim in the slower part of the river just behind that rock up ahead. Let's hover here behind the rock, Breathing in slow and steady. See if we can see the fish. Oh, There's tiny bubbles making their way to the surface of the water created by the catfish. If you look up, There are benches right up ahead. The beautiful viewpoint of the Mississippi and the sky is turning from orange and red to blues and purples. Let's leave the catfish and find a bench that's just right for us. There are plenty of benches up ahead. Choose the one that looks good to you. As we settle down, Exhausted from our flight and all the sights we took in, We take a moment to let it all soak in. We feel the last of the day's sun warm our bodies. The breeze gently rustles over our skin and the air feels fresh. We can feel the oxygen entering and exiting our lungs with a special awareness we didn't have before. Through our travels and flight, We were able to change our breath. Now we get to just observe the breath, To watch the breath. The rhythm of movement happening within our bodies as each breath comes in. And each breath goes out. As we gaze upon this river scene, We start to get a little tired. So much so it might feel really good to lie down and gaze up at the clouds above us. Looking up at the sky, We see the clouds are moving at a super slow pace, Just like our breath. As we lay here, We start to feel the weight of our bodies welcome the support of the bench below us. The breath is easy, Uncontrolled. We begin to feel our feet soften and our lower legs. Then this relaxation spreads to our upper legs and hips. Our back muscles start to soften and release. Those strong muscles begin to let go. Our shoulders are wide and the arms rest. The belly rises and falls with each breath. Our chest expands and settles back in. Our throat softens and then the lips, Cheeks, Forehead, And all the muscles in your face begin to get heavy. Nice and heavy, Relaxed. You notice the breath moving in and out at the very tip of your nose, Knowing that you don't have to control the breath. The breath will happen on its own. Your body is taking care to breathe for you. Your mind and body get to fully appreciate this downtime. These moments you have created for yourself. You can choose to drift off to sleep, Or if you want, You can stay here for as long as you want. And when you're ready, You can begin to breathe in a deeper breath and wiggle your body awake. Thank you for joining me on this dreamland adventure to New Orleans. I look forward to exploring again with you soon.