Mindfulness and meditation has been a trending topic over the last couple of years. Kids are no different and can benefit greatly from these practices. Here, we will discuss some tips for beginning a mindfulness journey, resources you can use to talk to kids about mindfulness and meditation, and some activities.
Mindful.org has an excellent guide on how to create a mindfulness practice and defines mindfulness meditation as
Mindfulness meditation, at its simplest, is paying attention to what is happening in the present moment. It may be what you’re feeling, hearing, or anything else you notice. There’s no special place of calm you have to reach and it’s not about clearing your mind, it’s just an honest and kind look at what you’re experiencing in this moment.
Mindfulness has benefits such as increased focus, and decreased stress, and some activities touch on awareness of feelings, acceptance, compassion for others, and gratitude. There are a number of activities to try and to be aware of! As the New York Times suggests, mindfulness habits formed as kids can have an impact on our lives as adults, and that it is important to remember that even though a challenge may seem insignificant to an adult, kids are dealing with new challenges all the time. This article has a number of ways to bring mindfulness into the day for parents through the developmental stags of infancy, toddler, kids of different ages, and teens. One idea you might try starting with is "How to be Mindful While Brushing Your Teeth" from the Meditation for Real Life series.
Psychology Today also has an excellent guide on how to teach mindfulness to kids, and Cosmic Kids Yoga has some videos on YouTube to practice mindfulness. There are an abundance of online resources that may seem overwhelming at time, but if we mindfully explore techniques that work for us individually, kids may enjoy being introduced to a regular mindfulness practice!
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