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| Encouraging mindfulness in kids
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With a growing body of research to demonstrate the purported benefits of practicing mindfulness, there has been an explosion in opportunities to learn mindfulness in both workplaces and private life.
Mindfulness is simply the mental and physical state of being conscious or aware of something. People can achieve mindfulness by focussing on the present moment and by taking the time to calmly acknowledge and accept their feelings and physical sensations.
Maintaining a regular practice in mindfulness has a number of benefits including a reduction in stress and anxiety, improved concentration, better pain management, improved sleep and mindfulness exercises may also contribute to a lower blood pressure and assist with gastrointestinal problems.
Inherent in mindfulness exercises is the practice of taking a few quiet moments to sit still and reflect. Anyone who has a small child may have keeled over in hysterics right now at the thought of asking their whirlwind of a three year old to sit still and quiet and be mindful for a few minutes. However, it can be done and has been shown to have great benefits for small children, including an improved ability to concentrate, calmness and raised self- awareness.
While the benefits for adults and children are similar some kids may struggle with the more common mindfulness practices and with this in mind Kaia Roman a mindfulness teacher has put together a range of strategies and exercises parents and carers can try with their very young children:
1. The Bell Listening Exercise
Ring a bell (or triangle or similar musical instrument) and ask your child to listen closely to the vibration of the ringing sound. Tell him or her to remain silent and raise their hands when they no longer hear the sound of the bell.
Then your child to remain silent for one minute and pay close attention to the other sounds they hear once the ringing has stopped. After the minute has passed ask your child to tell you every sound they noticed during that minute.
2. Breathing Buddies
Give your child a stuffed animal and have him or her lie down on the floor and place the stuffed animals on their belly. Tell your child to breathe in silence for one minute and notice how their Breathing Buddy moves up and down, and any other sensations that they notice. Tell your child to imagine that the thoughts that come into their minds turn into bubbles and float away. The presence of the Breathing Buddy makes the meditation a little friendlier, and will allow your child to see how a playful activity doesn't necessarily have to be rowdy.
3. The Squish & Relax Meditation
While your child is lying down with their eyes closed, have them squish and squeeze every muscle in their bodies as tightly as they can. Tell them to squish their toes and feet, tighten the muscles in their legs all the way up to their hips, suck in their bellies, squeeze their hands into fists and raise their shoulders up to their heads. Ask your child to hold their body in their squished up positions for a few seconds, and then fully release and relax. This is a great, fun activity for "loosening up" the body and mind, and is a totally accessible way to get kids to understand the art of "being present."
4. Smell & Tell
Give your child something fragrant, such as a piece of fresh orange peel, a sprig of lavender or a jasmine flower. Ask them to close their eyes and breathe in the scent, focusing all of their attention only on the smell of that object.
5. The Art Of Touch
Give your child an object to touch, such as a ball, a feather, a soft toy, a stone, etc. Ask them to close their eyes and describe what the object feels like. Both this exercise and the previous one are simple, but compelling, ways to teach children the practice of isolating their senses from one another, and tuning into distinct experiences.
6. The Heartbeat Exercise
Have your kid jump up and down in place for one minute. Then have him or her sit back down and place their hands on their hearts. Tell them to close their eyes and feel their heartbeats, their breath, and see what else they notice about their body.
7. Heart-To-Heart
In this exercise, the meaning of "heart" is less literal. In other words, this activity could also simply be called "Let's talk about feelings." So sit down and casually ask your child about their feelings.
What feelings do they feel? How do they know they are feeling those feelings? Where do they feel them in their bodies? Ask them which feelings they like the best.
Then ask your child what they can do to feel better when they aren’t feeling the feelings they like best. Remind them that they can always practice turning their thoughts into bubbles if they are upset, they can do the Squish and Relax Meditation if they need to calm down, and they can take a few minutes to listen to their breath or feel their heartbeats if they want to relax.
Read more about Kaia Roman. |
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