How Can Mindfulness Benefit Children?
There is no conclusive research on mindfulness regarding young children. However, a study by the University of Exeter establishes that mindfulness comes in handy to benefit them in the following ways:
- Boosts the social, physical, mental and emotional wellbeing
- Tones down stress and anxiety
- Boost self-esteem, sense of empathy and improves sleep.
- Arms them with calmness and ability to control emotions
- Boosts concentration, memory retention and contributes to other cognitive performances
This research further shows that mindfulness comes along with long term benefits. Adolescents are less likely to experience anxiety, while greater wellbeing can be noted.
Can Parents Help Children be Mindful at Home?
Mindfulness entails having the ability to focus on a task, being presently alert without taking unwarranted mind flights. It also means having control over your mind in case of any distractions.
Activities to Help Children be Mindful
You can help you children be mindful by trying out the following things with them:
- The bell listening exercise comes in handy to help your child focus more. You can ring a bell and ask your children to listen until the ring is no longer audible. Have them listen to another type of sound and have a chat with them about the sounds they just heard.
- Engage in mindful plays; these are plays that demand utmost concentration and focus. You can switch off your television and phones and try playing puzzle games, drawing, blowing bubbles, and basic crafts. Nature explorations and sensory games that engage their textures and smells are also a great choice of mindful games.
- Cooking is another ideal mindful activity that you can engage in with your child. As long as you are comfortable with the imminent mess, cook together. Teach them about different ingredients, cooking methods, quantities, tastes, smells and later let them have a taste of what they cooked.
- Squish and relax meditation is also an appropriate way to help your child become mindful. It entails focusing on their toes by having them squeeze and relax them then working up to the entire body up to the head and shoulders.
- You can also try out the heartbeat game if your child is big enough to burn some energy. Have them jump up and down for a minute and let them sit with their hands on their hearts so they can focus on their heartbeat and breathing. You can further engage them on other things they notice with their bodies.
Ways to Teach Your Kids to Become Mindful
Some of the simplest ways to teach your kid to be mindful include:
- Highlight diverse body sensations, thoughts and emotions. The idea is to help your kid has some insight on whatever inner experiences they have so that they can respond appropriately. Ask them if they feel nervous about a situation if they are happy or sad about something, or even if what they feel about their bodies.
- Use appropriate guides. There are some useful guides that you could adopt such as the following; Mindful Moments for Kids CDs by Kira Willey (ways to help kids to calm down, focus and de-stress) and other amazing music yoga CDs for kids.
- 3-breath hug, you can hug your kid and have three synchronized deep breaths together. You can then relax and drop your shoulders, letting go of any tension. Do this every morning as you bid them goodbye or whenever they seem stressed.
- Engage in minor workouts such as body movements and stretches while highlighting body sensation. Talk to your kids about observing their bodies and appreciating what the body can do for them.
- Momentary stops for surroundings awareness. Whenever you are in a waiting situation, consider engaging your five senses and sharing the highlights.
- Highlight how you notice, name and how you use your breath to calm down. Use exclamations such as, “Huh, I feel nice, I need a breath.”
- Share a snack. You can share a snack with your kid while making observance about it. Describe the taste, look, feel, scent and taste.
- Breaths counting. You can have you kid lie down with a small pillow on their belly or sit down with their hands on their stomach and tell them to take breaths. Go ahead and count the breaths they make with the rise of their hands or the pillow.
- Take a nature walk with your kid.
- Practice belly breathing by inhaling deeply then exhaling to relax.
- Give you kid space. It is imperative to let your kids be by allowing them to explore without your interference.
- Lead by example. As you teach your kids to be mindful, lead by example. Be patient with them and have fun too.
Importance of Practicing Mindfulness with Children
Teaching your child mindfulness from a young age instils in them a firm belief that they are in charge of their thoughts and feelings.
According to Jo Howarth, author of Glad to Be Dan, mindfulness encourages kids to face difficult emotions rather than ignoring them. Like physical wounds, emotions have to be attended to. If we do not pay attention to emotional wounds, just like physical wounds, they are bound to become worse.
Howarth further establishes that mindfulness can help children to control anxieties and negative thoughts. She claims that thoughts are just thoughts and should not be given power over anybody’s life.
With children, the feeling that they are not in control of their lives is a common phenomenon. There are teachers and parents all over them, telling them what to do, and this could lead to frustrations, anger and could fuel difficult behaviour.
Possible Mindfulness Benefits in your Child
According to research, mindfulness is a critical intervention to several behavioural challenges that kids face.
A study in 2015 involving students aged between 10 and 11 participating in a mediation program established significant improvements in the following executive functions, cognitive flexibility, memory, cognitive control and better grades in mathematics.
Another study in South Korea showed that meditation reduced aggression, anxiety and stress levels while another recent study published in the Journal Mindfulness noted improvements in Mathematics for fifth graders with deficit hyperactivity disorder.
In another instance, Jason Moore established that after introducing mindfulness to the curriculum in Queen’s School in Kew, he had noted significant positive changes. Whether in exam situations or playground endeavours, the students dealt with difficult situations more appropriately.