Great Grounding Techniques: 5 Senses Mindfulness Worksheet

This 5 senses Mindfulness Worksheet is exactly what you need if you need a little help staying in the present moment. It is one these mindfulness activities you can do anywhere, anytime since you have your senses with you at all times! 

Having a few mindfulness activities in your toolbox is crucial for your well-being. Worries and concerns usually live in our memories of the past or ideas of what might happen in the future. One of Mark Twain’s quotes comes to mind often and reminds me of this: “I’ve had a lot of worries in my life, most of which never happened.”

Being able to stay in the present moment is a great way to reduce stress and anxiety.

Are you thinking, “How do I use my 5 senses in a mindful moment”? You will learn mindfulness skills such as; grounding techniques, 5 senses mindfulness exercise including 5 senses worksheet, simple writing prompts for healthy coping skills, and more!

After implementing these 5 senses activities you will feel more calm, centered and present in the moment. 

This post is all about 5 senses mindfulness worksheet

Calm Down Strategies – Mindfulness Practice

How often do you check-in with yourself? By taking a moment to feel your feet on the floor? Or a few deep breaths? How often are you truly aware of your surroundings? Unknowingly, we spend a lot of time in our heads. And more often than not, that means thinking about past or future tasks or events. Being able to be in the now, helps us feel calm. And from this calm place, it suddenly becomes much easier to make decisions that are aligned. To connect authentically to the people around us. To notice the signals of our bodies and tend to our needs.

What a fantastic thing to teach ourselves and our children, isn’t it? These mindfulness skills. My life for sure became richer when I implemented grounding techniques into my daily routine. My wish is that this post will help you integrate this simple mindfulness technique with ease, and may you notice the benefits in your own life and that of your children!

Some amazing benefits of mindfulness practices:

I created a free resource for anyone wanting a reminder to keep you motivated (or convince others to join you!). Download my FREE BENEFITS OF MINDFULNESS POSTER here, for a more extensive list of benefits. Great for the staff room or at home!

Now, you might ask yourself: What is a simple mindfulness exercise that can be done in 5 minutes? Keep reading to find my 5 senses mindfulness worksheet and more mindfulness activities such as a senses scavenger hunt, grounding exercise and simple writing prompts.

5 Senses Mindfulness Exercise

I created this 5 SENSES MINDFULNESS WORKSHEET. Like most of my printables, it is dyslexia-friendly and more easily accessible for children with different language backgrounds because of the visuals. This 5 senses mindfulness activity helps to pay close attention to your body and your present surroundings. Use this printable in a calm corner, in the classroom or at home, or simply hang it on a wall as a reminder for a mindful reflection. 

My 5 senses mindfulness activity for EAL learners

The 5 senses grounding technique is a great practice for EAL learners too. Easily build on their language skills and incorporate vocabulary related to sense of touch, different sound, sense of taste, etc. 

Create a mindfulness activity in which you can practice this, such as a mindful walking practice, mindful listening or mindful eating. Research in social studies shows it can be incredibly helpful and create a sense of safety when children learn to describe their sensory experience. Imagine what the effect could be for EAL learners who already experience more difficulty expressing themselves in the language of their peers!

{Related Post: 5 Amazing Embodiment Exercises To Try Right Now}

Mindfulness Activities

Looking for are a few more simple mindfulness activities? I’ve got you! Each uses the engagement of a particular sense. They take just about five minutes, but can make a big difference in how you feel.

1. Mindful breathing exercises using sense of touch

Hold up one hand, fingers spread. With the pointer finger of your other hand, slowly trace up and down each finger. Take a couple of breaths. Then, breathe in as you trace up, and breathe out as you trace down. Go slowly and gently. It’s calming, tactile, and great for kids too.

2. Mindful listening

Close your eyes and just listen for a minute or two. How many sounds can you hear? Try naming them in your mind: footsteps, a ticking clock, birds, your own breathing. It’s like a mini mindfulness meditation and it gently brings you back to the now.

3. Texture Hunt sensory experience

Pick a small object—like a stone, a toy, or a piece of fabric. Explore it with your fingers. Is it smooth, rough, bumpy, cool? You can do this with eyes closed or open. It’s a great sensory reset that encourages curiosity and calm.

These tiny practices are easy to weave into a daily routine, and they really do add up.

Grounding exercise – 5 4 3 2 1

As you might have realized by now, one of the simplest ways to bring yourself or your child back into the present moment is by using the five senses. You might have heard of the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding exercise. This exercise is a popular 5 senses mindfulness activity.

It is similar to my 5 senses mindfulness worksheet, except this exercise counts down from 5 to 1. It uses again; mindful listening, sense of touch, sense of smell, sense of taste, etc. It’s incredibly easy and you can do it anytime, anywhere!

Take a couple of breaths, then name:

• Five things you can see around you. Really look and notice colors, textures, shapes.
• Four things you can touch. The softness of a sleeve, the coolness of a table, your feet on the floor. 
• Three things you can hear. Maybe a distant birdsong. Or a different sound closeby like the hum of an appliance, or your own breath. 
• Two things you can smell. If that’s tricky, try noticing the scent of your hands or something nearby.
• One thing you can taste. Even if it’s just the aftertaste in your mouth or a sip of water.

This mindfulness practice invites calm without needing anything fancy or it being time-consuming. It can be a reset during a tough moment, a peaceful bedtime ritual, or even part of a classroom routine. It teaches kids (and us) how to pause, notice, and reconnect. Which, let’s be honest, we all need sometimes.

Simple writing prompts

These mindfulness writing prompts help to reflect and take better care of yourself. They can even be used as a student assessment in middle school or high school. It can be incredibly helpful to get clarity on what is going on beneath the surface of your classroom. And a great tool for parents to connect to their children.

Journaling is an effective mindfulness activity that can deeply support mental health. Below you can find some of my favorite, yet simple writing prompts:

• What helps me feel calm when everything feels overwhelming?
• Which activities help me feel safe and grounded in my body?
• What does “taking care of myself” look like on a hard day?
• What’s one gentle thing I wish someone would say to me when I’m struggling?
• How do I usually react under stress, and how would I like to respond instead?
• What’s something I can keep nearby (an object, phrase, photo, etc.) that helps me feel okay?

Download another one of my FREE mindfulness resources, namely a MINDFULNESS WRITING PROMPTS printable, here.

{Related Post: 60 Inspiring and Powerful Mindfulness Quotes}

5 senses scavenger hunt

This playful, mindfulness practice is a 5 senses scavenger hunt. It invites kids (and grown-ups!) to slow down and connect with the world around them. You can do it indoors or outside. At home, in the classroom, or even during a mindful walking practice.

Teachers, you can create a senses worksheet for student assessment. Especially for EAL learners, it is helpful to stick little examples of textures on a piece of paper they can refer to, including vocabulary. A great way to incorporate language skills in a meaningful way! You can adapt this activity to fit your lesson plans. 

Here’s how it works:

Step 1: Choose one sense at a time.
For example, start with sense of sight. Ask: Can you find something that’s red? Something shiny? Something tiny?
Step 2: Explore each sense through 2–3 prompts.
Sense of touch: Find something soft. Something rough. Something warm.
Sense of hearing – Mindful listening: Can you hear something near? Something far away? Something you didn’t notice at first?
Sense of smell: Find something that smells sweet. Something earthy. Something calming.
Sense of taste: (Only if safe!) Can you taste something sour? Sweet? Something you’ve never noticed the flavor of before?

Step 3: Pause and reflect.
Afterward, ask how it felt to notice things more closely. You might even journal or draw about the experience.

This mindful scavenger hunt is a great way to bring curiosity, presence, and play and turn any moment into a mindful moment. 

This post was all about 5 senses mindfulness worksheet to help you ground in the present moment