Mindful Meditation for Children
By Dennette Bailey
Lately, there has been considerable acknowledgement that the mental health of adults, and even teens, must be addressed. However, little is acknowledged about the importance of creating a foundation of well-being for our youngest learners who also have feelings. Mindfulness meditation is a productive and even easy method to utilize for our little ones.
Mindfulness meditation involves focusing on the breath or bodily sensations, nonjudgmentally acknowledging distracting thoughts as they occur, and then returning to the present moment.
There has been substantial research that mindfulness meditation, when practiced routinely will promote a reduction in stress and benefit one’s physical, mental health and even cognitive performance.
This research also shows that mindfulness-based meditation can reduce the symptoms of pain, anxiety, and depression in patients with chronic pain. Many psychological studies have shown that regular meditators are happier and more content than those who do not meditate regularly. The research says that regular meditators also enjoy better and more fulfilling relationships as well as have improved immune systems.
The following mindful practices are designed to develop awareness and cultivate paying attention with focus, purposely in the present moment, and non-judgmentally.
Mindful Eating
If your child is experiencing food issues, consider a mindful eating exercise to help your child foster appreciation for food and develop focus. Along with your child notice the colors of the food on your plate. Think about the plants and or animals that support this food. Chew the food slowly making sure to taste each bite.
Mindful Listening
To encourage your little one to listen consider doing mindful listening exercises. This meditation encourages listening, connections, social awareness, relationship skills and being present for others. First set a theme to share about. For example, a favorite activity or a problem experienced during the day. Then set a timer for about 1 minute. The child will share first and then the listener (parent) will repeat what the child said without judgement by saying “I heard you say….” Then, the parent or listener will have a turn and the child will say what they heard the parent say. This is a great meditation for fostering responsible decision making.
Mindful Thinking
This is a meditation practice that can transform beliefs. It can increase self-management and self-awareness. To do this meditation you and your child should get comfortable. Close your eyes. Then, tell your child to notice the thoughts that come to them but not to try to change the thought. Just let the thought pass by. Take a deep breath. Stretch your arms. Open your eyes. This meditation helps your child recognize they are a thinking person.
Mindful Feeling
A wonderful way to build emotional awareness and self-acceptance is to mindfully focus on self-awareness and self-management. A mindfulness exercise you can do with your child is to sit and notice how you feel. Acknowledge if the feeling is joy, sadness, anger, love, gratitude, or stress. Tell your child to think- I see you to your feeling. Tell your child to take a deep breath and see the feeling move to a healthy feeling for them.
These are just a few mindful meditations that can aid in maintaining your child’s mental health. Since becoming certified in mindfulness, I have seen the preschoolers I work with receive tremendous benefits from the practice. Moreover, participating in mindful meditations together has fostered our relationships and is a sure way to solidify the family experience you may be looking for.
As parents and caregivers, it is wonderful that we can have access to practices that help us help our children, but we should also remember not to neglect ourselves. Sometimes we need calm too, and blogger Suzy Fielders has some great tips for parent mindfulness in her blog here https://triadmomsonmain.com/my-blog/finding-the-calm-in-the-chaos/
In addition, if you are looking for ways you and your child might be more mindful of your environment and how it may affect you throughout the day , you have to check out Ellen Bryant Lloyd’s blog here https://triadmomsonmain.com/my-blog/a-mindful-mom-looking-for-the-good/
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