Teach Your Child Mindfulness
3 Simple ways to make mindfulness a daily habit
Defined simply mindfulness is awareness of the present moment. In the past several years mindfulness has emerged as a validated practice for helping children with anxiety, ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, depression, and behavioral issues.
Mindfulness has many research backed benefits for children:
Increases self regulation
Improves social skills
Develops and strengthens self control
Improves focus and attention
Decreases anxiety
Improves academic performance
Teaching your child how to practice mindfulness when they are young will give them a tool they can carry with them for the rest of their lives. Children learn best through repetition and practicing mindfulness is no exception to this.
Here are 3 simple ways to make mindfulness a part of your daily routine:
Focus on what your child is focusing on.
Mindfulness can be as simple as just stopping and observing what is happening in the moment. Children are notoriously good at noticing small things. Make a point of being a part of this experience. The next time your child stops to notice that tiny ant on a walk, or pauses to examine the bottom of their shoe on the way out of house, join into that experience with them. Get down on their level, make eye contact and comment on what you are both now noticing.
Teach them how emotions feel.
Validate how your child feels. Let her know that whatever feeling she's experiencing that it’s ok! It’s ok to feel angry, sad or upset. We do not want our kids to feel guilty for their emotions. Instead, we want to teach them how to handle them in a healthy and mindful way. Once you’ve validated their feelings ask them how their body feels. Give examples! This might sounds like “When i’m angry my tummy feels tight and my body feels hot” or “When i’m happy my body feels tingly and I want to jump around”. Once you have identified the emotion and how their body feels you have an opportunity to give your child a big hug or take some deep breaths to help them self regulate.
Create a mindful bedtime ritual.
Winding down at the end of the day can be hard. Have a routine that you follow consistently. Knowing what to expect helps children remain calm and makes bedtime a time for you all to connect instead of a power struggle. Adding in mindfulness at bedtime helps children relax their bodies and minds and can be an amazing bonding experience for everyone at the end of the day. Sharing what you are grateful for, practicing deep belly breaths or tensing up all your muscles and then releasing them are all simple ways to practice mindfulness during bedtime.