Mindfulness enables us to live in the present moment, be aware of our environment, and act with expertise. Although we normally acquire mindfulness techniques as adults, teaching our children mindfulness practices at a young age is a win-win situation in the long run.
However, there are a few things to consider before teaching mindfulness to your children:
Showing them your individual practice encourages them to follow as well. So, if you want to deliberately teach children meditation or a specific game, they must observe the same pattern from their parents or guardians.
Your expectations will be kept to a minimum. If you believe you are teaching mindfulness to regulate tantrums or anger difficulties, it is recommended that you limit the number of expectations.
It’s because you’re teaching mindfulness to your kids so they can develop inner and outward awareness and express emotions in a delicate way. Furthermore, you should not force or control their actions but rather allow them to flow naturally.
How To Teach Your Child Mindfulness: 6 Smart Ways
Support Them in Naming Body Sensations and Thoughts
‘You appear to be a little worried about your exam tomorrow.’ or ‘Do you enjoy going out to play in the park with your friends?’ or ‘Your teacher is dissatisfied with your academic achievement.’ What are your thoughts on it?’
Such dialogues and questions help the child to become more aware of his or her inner experience, as well as their thoughts, perceptions, and behaviors.
Walking with Purpose
A walk with your mind active and aware of your surroundings is known as mindful walking. Ask your child to pay attention to every change that occurs, including people, sounds they hear, and sensations they feel. It is designed to keep your heart and mind open while remaining engaged in the current moment and appreciating every moment.
Gratitude should be practiced.
Children’s mindfulness manifests itself when they begin to appreciate and be grateful for the small things in life, whether it’s family members, food, school, toys, or anything else they don’t notice but genuinely love.
This habit could be created by asking them to share one thing they are grateful for each day before dinner. If you want to teach mindfulness to your children, make sure you model it for them in your own practice, as we said earlier.
Counting the Number of Breaths
This technique does not need the child to sit in a precise position. He or she can sit anywhere and lie down on the bed in a comfy position. Place your hands on your stomach and begin to inhale and exhale. Additionally, counting could be done loudly at first and quietly thereafter.
Teach them how to keep a journal.
Request that your child keep track of their daily activities and that they write about the entire day or a specific portion of it. You can ask them to jot down any feelings that come to mind as they recall the event.
It is essential that you do not urge them to learn more about it; instead, let them express themselves in their own way so that they gradually become conscious of their actions and sentiments and strive to make the most of each day.
Progressive Muscle Relaxation Technique (PMRT) is a technique for relaxing muscles gradually.
Teach your child to pay attention to each muscle in the body’s various components. The overall goal is to relax stiff muscles and release them without becoming stressed.
This can be done simply by tightening and releasing one of the child’s muscles, such as the calves, feet, or shoulders, while he or she is lying in bed. It could also be done with the help of guidelines or tutorials to help your child understand and learn every step of the way.
Developing a Mindful Bedtime Routine
This is a lovely method to teach mindfulness to your children right before they go to bed. A nice place to start is with body scan meditation. Ask them to lie down with their eyes closed and focus on their body from top to bottom, or the other way around.
Teach them other bedtime routines like reading stories, brushing their teeth, and praying before sleeping if they are having trouble understanding this form of meditation.
Before we go into the simple ways to teach mindfulness to your kids, we encourage telling them to be mindful in their own style and to explore their thoughts at their own pace. We hope that this blog will assist your children in becoming more conscious and present in their lives.
