Mindfulness for kids
There is a change happening right now in schools where children as young as preschoolers are learning about meditation and mindfulness and practicing a short meditation in class every day. Those simple meditations that take a matter of minutes can help to better equip them with tools to manage stress and feelings appropriately. This is such a positive shift because kids experience intense emotions and are not always capable to put what they’re feeling into words and to know how to let it out. Mindfulness exercises provide a way to breathe and work through these feelings and to find a bit of calm in the day.
Kids have this great ability to live in the now. As adults, our heads are often in a constant state of planning and processing things that have happen or what’s coming up next. What Andy Puddicombe, the founder at Headspace, has often said in his meditations is that what is always present when we are experiencing stress is a busy mind. If we can help kids to learn ways to manage a busy mind, why not. With a bit of guidance from an adult, they can start at a young age to feel better equipped to cope with stress and difficult feelings. They can have a strategy that they can come to anytime and with a bit of support from their parents and teachers.
I thought I’d take a moment to share some of the mindfulness resources that I’ve come across and have used with my son and in the context of a children’s support program.
-Children’s books on mindfulness and meditation are a great way to introduce kids to these simple exercises or the concept of what mindfulness is all about. Some that I’ve used include “Meditation is a open sky” by Whitney Stewart and Sally Rippen, as well as “What does it mean to be present?” by Rana DiOrio
-Mindful life is an organization that provides resources and training to teachers, parents and businesses on how to incorporate mindfulness in their everyday lives. I subscribe to their newsletter and constantly receive great articles on mindful parenting and simple tips and tricks on incorporating mindfulness into your family’s life, so their blog is a great place to explore (https://mindfullifetoday.com/)
-Headspace (www.headspace.com) has a whole section on their website with short meditations for kids, broken into three age groups (5 years and under, 6-8 years old and 9-12 years old) and ranging from 2 minutes to 6 minutes. An example is a short 2 minute meditation for toddlers on noticing their breath, where they lay on their back and place a stuffed animal on their stomach. As they breathe, they pay attention to their breath and what happens to the stuffed animal. For those interested in their meditations, please note that you do need to be a subscriber to access them. Check out their video for more info: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N32dOgiTqQA
-I also find that by being curious or noticing little things it helps my son to appreciate and be more in the now. I think it’s hilarious that he is now using my words, saying “It’s so beautiful” about the sky because I am constantly noting that it’s such a beautiful day and finding something to point out to him during a walk. The truth is, mindfulness helps me to escape my stress as well. As my son races over to his favorite tree and begins to tell me that there are animals that are living in the tree, I start to ask him more questions about what type of animals and what they’re doing and find that I am being present to him and his experience. Taking the time to jump into the story with him or be curious with him and point out the trees, ask him about the colors he sees, is a very simple way that I’m learning teaches kids about noticing and being in the moment.
