10:14

Sleep Meditation For Children 7+

by Shelley Murphy

Rated
4.8
Type
guided
Activity
Meditation
Suitable for
Children
Plays
847

In this guided meditation, children (and adult friends) are invited to begin with bringing gentle awareness to the breath and body and then a series of images in their mind’s eye. It concludes with an invitation to return awareness back to the body and breath and a final 2 minute stretch of music on its own to further invite a deep and restful sleep. With repeated practice, this meditation helps to cultivate a more skillful relationship with the thinking mind. It invites a calm and curious awareness of thoughts without being drawn into or hooked by them. It helps support emotional resilience, attention regulation and relaxation to promote a peaceful transition into sleep. *Adapted from Shelley's book, Fostering Mindfulness, focused on introducing mindfulness to children in classrooms, at home, and beyond.

SleepMeditationChildrenBreathingBody AwarenessImaginationBody ScanMindfulnessRelaxationEmotional ResilienceRegulate AttentionVisualization SeriesMindful BreathingGuided MeditationsVisualizationsImagination Creation

Transcript

Welcome to an invitation to use your imagination to rest,

Relax,

And gently move in to sleep.

When you're ready,

Finding a position for your body that feels comfortable and cozy for you.

If you need to move your body to find just the right spot,

Move in whatever way feels right.

Do you feel more comfortable and cozy?

In this meditation,

I'll be inviting you to use your imagination as you listen to my voice.

I'll start by naming something and then you'll imagine and create this image in your mind.

Soon after that,

I'll name something else and you'll shift your attention to imagining this new image in your mind and you'll do that for a few seconds.

Picture it like images appearing on a movie screen and then moving off the screen in your mind.

You'll probably get distracted and that's okay.

Just bring your attention back to imagining your object in your mind and listening to my voice.

Should we get started?

When you're ready,

You might close your eyes or just let them get sleepy.

And if it feels right,

You might take a few mindful breaths by breathing in through your nose like you're smelling a flower and breathing out through your mouth like you're blowing out a candle.

Why don't we try that together for a few breaths.

Don't forget to breathe in like you're slowly smelling a flower and breathe out like you're gently blowing out a candle.

Good job with your breathing.

Let's go back now to breathing like we usually do without trying to change anything.

And this time while you're breathing,

You're invited to place one of your hands on your belly and notice how it rises and falls as you breathe in and breathe out.

Could you feel your hand rising and falling?

It's like your hand is riding the waves of your breathing.

It's rising when you breathe in and falling when you breathe out.

Let's take a moment to notice the rising and falling of your hand as you breathe in and breathe out.

Good noticing.

You might also begin to notice that your body is starting to feel more calm and more relaxed now.

Now I'm going to invite you to use your mind to imagine a few things.

Remember to switch your attention when you hear me name something new.

Begin by bringing your mind to the image of a cat.

Are you picturing a cat in your mind?

Really notice the details of this cat until I invite you to bring another image into your mind.

Now you're invited to switch your attention from noticing a cat in your imagination to imagining clouds in the sky.

Next,

Blue and green fish swimming in water.

A pink flower.

A giraffe.

Trees blowing in the wind.

A puppy slowly running across a field.

A beautiful castle.

A glowing moon in the sky.

A comfortable pillow.

A snuggly blanket.

Great job using your imagination If it feels right,

Now shifting your attention to noticing your body.

As you become more relaxed,

You might feel your head and shoulders getting a little heavier.

You might notice your body and legs and feet getting heavier now too.

Can you feel your belly rising and falling still as you gently breathe in and breathe out?

I'll be quiet now while you listen to the music and let your body gently rest or fall into peaceful sleep.

Thank you for meditating with me.

Meet your Teacher

Shelley MurphyToronto, ON, Canada

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© 2026 Shelley Murphy. All rights reserved. All copyright in this work remains with the original creator. No part of this material may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.

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