The Best Mindful Moments For Kids And Tips For Fostering Daily Practice
Practicing mindfulness can be incredibly beneficial for your child’s mental health and well-being. Research shows that this simple practice can reduce stress, regulate emotions and enhance focus. All of these perks are highly beneficial in today’s busy and unpredictable world. This is why mindfulness practices are becoming integral parts of children’s routines. In this article, we dive deeper into the many benefits of mindfulness and the best mindful moments for kids.
What is mindfulness for kids and why does it matter?
Mindfulness is the ability to be fully present; aware of your thoughts, emotions, physical sensations, and surroundings. This may seem like a lot. But, when you are mindful, you are aware of these things in a non-judgemental way. You don’t label things as “good” or “bad”. Instead, you observe them with a neutral attitude. This is helpful because mindfulness allows you to focus on the moment rather than agonizing over the past or future. And, instead of succumbing to drastic reactions, you manage to channel a skillful response.
The wonderful thing is that anyone can be mindful, even little ones! So, what is mindfulness for kids? At its core, it’s similar to mindfulness for adults. The main difference is an extra dose of fun to keep tiny ones engaged. For instance, a kid might find it difficult to focus on their breathing. Instead, lying down with a stuffed animal on their belly can help them observe their breathing.
Studies show that mindfulness can have many benefits for kids. A study focused on sixth-graders from a Boston school. Four times a week, mindfulness experts taught the group several mindfulness techniques. One of the techniques was focusing on a rock for one minute, then identifying when their mind wandered and refocusing on the rock. After eight weeks, the students demonstrated lower stress levels and greater focus. What’s more, brain scans revealed positive effects in the amygdala, the part of the brain that controls emotions. The kids responded less to images of fearful faces compared to before starting their mindfulness sessions.
More and more schools are adopting mindfulness as an extra-curricular activity or part of the daily routine. While the findings are promising so far, researchers hope to identify the impact of mindfulness on kids’ well-being in the long term.
Benefits of mindfulness for kids
- Less stress
- Higher academic performance
- Increased focus
- Greater ability to solve conflicts
- Emotional regulation and less disruptive behavior
- Increased empathy and compassion
Note: You shouldn’t use mindfulness as a disciplinary tool. The practice is all about acceptance and the ability to observe emotions or behavior from a non-judgmental perspective.
9 mindful moments for kids and how to teach them
If your school includes mindful moments in your kid’s daily schedule, that’s great. You can still encourage simple mindful practices at home. If your little one is yet to have a proper introduction to mindfulness, you can totally do this yourself! DIY exercises and activities that consist of focusing on the senses are excellent for children. The goal here is to teach them helpful skills that they can apply to any situation. So, what can you try? Check out these nine activities for introducing more mindful moments in your kid’s life.
1. Listen to your surroundings
Go on a “listening walk” to your nearest park or nature reserve. Allow your child to lead the way. As you walk, ask them to pay attention to the surroundings. What sounds can they hear? Perhaps the wind rustling against tree branches, singing birds, or the leaves under your feet… Ask them what the sounds remind them of.
2. Try “mindful eating”
When it comes to mindful moments for kids, mindful eating is a to-go activity. Mindful eating means paying attention to your food from moment to moment. In adults, it entails many things, including higher awareness of how you buy, prepare, serve, and consume your food. Kids can simply focus on the process of consuming their meals. Ask them to pay attention to the senses. For example, noticing the food’s flavor, color, and smell.
To make the most of mindful eating with your kid, encourage them to eat slowly. And, while you are at it, avoid any unnecessary distractions such as the TV, phones, music, etc. While you can practice mindful eating at any age, this is especially a hit amongst toddlers who tend to be slow eaters.
3. Become weather forecasters
Experts recommend connecting the weather with emotions. At a given moment, you may ask your child if their emotions are rainy, stormy, calm, windy, or sunny. This simple exercise encourages kids to be aware of their current state without identifying too much with their emotions. In turn, this will help them feel less overwhelmed by whatever challenges they are experiencing in the present moment.
4. Practice gratitude
Gratitude is a core component of mindfulness. It allows us to focus on “the blessings” of our lives instead of what we lack. Kids may benefit from gratitude by appreciating their many blessings instead of the foods, toys or any other material things they may crave. Practicing gratitude can be as simple as mentioning what you’re thankful for before each meal. Or, you can ask your kid to write down three things they are grateful for.
5. Activate your “spidey-senses”
Next on our mindful moments for kids list is activating your senses, but with a super-twist! One of spiderman’s powers is a higher psychological awareness of his surroundings. These “spidey-senses” allow him to detect danger before it happens. While your child won’t be fighting supervillains any time soon, this activity can help them cultivate mindfulness. You can sit together in your living room (away from any distractions). Ask your child to focus on one sense at a time — vision, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. You can spend a few minutes on each sense. Once you are done, congratulate your kid; they have successfully activated their spidey-senses!
6. Enlist a buddy
Some kids may struggle to focus on their breathing. Enlisting a “buddy” like a stuffed animal or even a pillow can make a whole world of difference. Simply, ask your kid to lie down on their back and place their toy on their belly. All they need to do is focus on the rise and fall of the toy as they breathe in and out. If possible, encourage them to count the inhales and exhales out loud or mentally.
7. Hug each other
A hug can be one of the best mindful moments for kids and teenagers. Who would have thought, huh? Hug your kid and then, take three deep breaths together. Make sure to relax and let go of any physical tension. You can use this “mindful hug” whenever your kid is distressed or restless. You can also use it in the morning or just for the sake of showing your love and appreciation.
8. Encourage mindful breaks
After dealing with a stressful situation, we need time to decompress and be mindful. Your kid may need a couple of “mindful breaks” while studying for an important test or doing their homework. You can try mindful breathing during this time off. Or, you can go for a mindful walk or eat a mindful snack.
9. Meditate for 5 mins (and make it fun)
There are many fun mindfulness meditations out there. You can experiment and try different approaches to your mindfulness practice fun and engaging. If your kid is of preschool age, they may enjoy the following “rainbow breath meditation”. Try the following:
- Breathe in and out deeply and slowly. Imagine that your breath is yellow.
- Visualize that yellow breath deep in your chest and belly.
- Then, your breath slowly changes from yellow to orange.
- Breathe out the orange breath and then breathe it back into your chest and belly.
- Imagine your breath changing once more; now from orange to red.
- Breathe out the red breath and then breathe it back into your chest and belly.
- Repeat these steps with all the rainbow colors.
How to ensure more moments of mindfulness for your kids
You have learned a few activities to foster daily mindful moments for your kid. Now, let’s discuss some important steps to make the most of your mindfulness practice to benefit the whole family.
Welcome mindfulness into your life
It will be difficult to teach mindfulness to your kids if you’ve never practiced it yourself. So, before adopting the role of a teacher, become a student. Familiarize yourself with mindfulness and its many benefits. Practice it individually, use an app, or take a class with an expert. Make sure to notice the benefits of your mindfulness practice. Does it help you manage stress? Are you feeling more focused or empathetic? This will motivate you to introduce mindfulness to your kids.
Practice in front of your kid
Once you are familiar with mindfulness and its many benefits, practice it in front of your kid. Ever heard about modeling behavior? According to social learning theory, we acquire most of our behaviors through observation and modeling. This might explain why some kids love to pretend to shave next to their dads or why they mock-wash the dishes in the kitchen. Practice your deep breathing, mindful eating, or any other mindful activity in front of your kids. You will definitely spark their curiosity and even elicit some behavior modeling!
Evaluate your expectations
As mentioned before, it isn’t a disciple tool. If you expect it to be a remedy for temper tantrums or a noisy home, you’ll end up disappointed. While feeling calm and overcoming are great mindfulness side-effects, they aren’t the ultimate aim.
Remember: the purpose of helping kids experience mindful moments is to develop their inner awareness. That is, recognizing that thoughts don’t have to govern us; they are just that — thoughts. It’s also about learning to tell when our minds wander somewhere else. And so, little by little, you help your kids become more resilient. So, nope, mindfulness won’t get rid of temper tantrums, whining, or arguing. That’s just how kids are, after all.
Create the perfect environment
Mindful moments should be special for kids. Convey that by creating a proper environment. This could be a cozy spot in your living room or a magic tent full of pillows. Or, perhaps you’d like to utilize your living room, move the coffee table and make some space for you both. For your mindfulness moments, your kid shouldn’t be uncomfortable in any way. Make sure they have eaten, been to the WC and are well-rested. This way, they will be able to fully focus on the chosen activities.
Be consistent
It’s difficult to incorporate a new habit into the routine, we get it. Your job, chores, me-time, family matters, and other responsibilities may get in the way. But, remember, consistency is key. Positive habits take a while to form. Experts believe that it takes us more than two months before a behavior becomes automatic. Yet, some people may take longer — there’s no one-size-fits-all time frame when it comes to forming habits.
If you would like mindfulness to be an integral part of your kid’s life, consistency is key. Schedule at least five minutes of mindfulness for every day of the week. It may be challenging at first. But, the more you practice, the easier it will stick. By contrast, if you practice mindfulness a couple of times per week, it will be harder to form the habit.
Don’t force it
Yes, yes, consistency is key. But, what if one day your kid decides they aren’t into the mindful activity you’ve chosen for them? Or, what if they aren’t in the mood? Then, the best course of action is dropping it. Mindfulness shouldn’t feel like math homework. If you insist on exercises that are unappealing or too complex for them, you may accidentally create negative associations with mindfulness.
This is not to say that you and your kid should give up mindfulness altogether. You simply need time to find activities more in line with your kid’s age, personality, interests, and special needs. It’s a matter of trial and error, and lots, lots of patience. With time, you’ll discover which activities are most enjoyable and beneficial for your kid.
Cultivate mindfulness with Beginning.com
Are you new to mindfulness? Or, perhaps, you’re looking for a resource to boost your daily practice? If so, Beginning.com may have what you need. Our app features dozens of soundscapes specifically designed to help you cope with stressful and negative thoughts. Each audio is a “sound journey” powered by nature sounds and soothing melodies. As you listen through headphones, make the sounds the object of your practice.
What are the sounds like? What do they remind you of?
Do the sounds cause any sensations in your body? Try to become aware of these feelings.
Do the sounds evoke any emotions within you? Perhaps serenity, joy, boredom, or even irritation. Become aware of these emotions without trying to alter them in any way. Just observe them and let them be.
What do you say? Are you ready for your mindful practice? Begin now!