Written and verified by the psychologist GetPersonalGrowth.
Last update: 15 November 2021
Mindfulness for children offers us a whole host of possibilities to improve their attention very early on, to train their brains to empathy, calm and emotional management. Introducing our little ones to the world of meditation makes it easier for them to connect with themselves. The aim is that they are more able to extricate themselves in any environment and especially in everyday life.
We already know that having full awareness in everyday life offers us many benefits in our complex world of adults. These dynamics in which we are involved, both at work and on a personal level, leave a trace in us, immerse us in states of stress and anxiety in which meditation and the various strategies proposed by mindfulness are very useful, cathartic and effective.
We try to offer our children a safe, stress-free, distress-free space. Let's teach them to find their center thanks to awareness, let's bring them closer to a quiet space in which to better understand their emotions.
If mindfulness is useful for us, why not offer it to children as well? In fact it must be said that there are already many schools around the world that have included this practice in the classroom. The breathing, meditation and full awareness exercises included in the daily routine of children facilitate the great achievements typical of their growth.
È It is important, however, that these exercises become a habit as soon as possible. We all know, for example, how complicated it can be to practice a relaxation session for the first time in a high school class. On the other hand, children, who as early as 3-4 years see normally aspects such as facing certain stimuli in silence or concentrating on their breathing, can progress in the development of other skills.
Let's see below how and in what way we can start them in this widespread practice that offers very positive results.
Mindfulness for children: benefits and challenges
The benefits of mindfulness for children are recognized by major educational countries, such as UK, Canada, Netherlands, USA and Australia. These nations aim to include it in educational plans, so that by 2020 it will be practiced everywhere. At the moment it has been progressively introduced in kindergartens. The intention is to exploit the age when the child's brain is much more receptive to such practices.
If we ask ourselves at what age it is appropriate to start with mindfulness, the answer presents a small nuance on which it is necessary to dwell. The 3 years are undoubtedly one of the most suitable times to do it, but let's not forget that if we want to obtain results, we must be constant until the novelty becomes habit. At that point all that remains is to keep the routine and deepen a little more.
I am interested in the world
Mindfulness for children has as its main goal arousing their curiosity, their attention. Making sure their sense of wonder never ends, as does their interest in connecting with the outside from a more relaxed, more responsive, and self-confident inside.
I am more attentive to what surrounds me
The ability to better focus attention on certain stimuli will improve their concentration. An aspect, this, undoubtedly essential in this world so overloaded with stimuli, in which children do not have reasonable and stable filters with which to manage such a sensory and perceptive avalanche.
I understand, control and channel my negative emotions
On the other hand, as noted above, mindfulness goes beyond a simple compendium of exercises to be practiced almost as a lifestyle. His techniques, his philosophy and his approach often favor changes on us, just enough to offer us new perspectives.
Children, for their part, will be able to manage their negative emotions very quickly, to understand the source of their anger or sadness, to channel them correctly. This will greatly improve their social skills, their way of relating, for example avoiding situations of violence and aggression in the classroom.
“Mindfulness is a tool to help our children acquire more humanity. Not to simply become workers and consumers, but to immediately cultivate their ability to be present in the world, becoming aware of how beautiful and fragile it is. -The child is the father of man-, wrote the English poet Wordsworth. Personally, I am convinced (although I have no evidence and studies to support this now!) That mindfulness can help our children to become better adults ”.
-Christophe André, psychiatrist at the Sainte-Anne Hospital in Paris-
Mindfulness for children: useful and fun strategies
First of all it needs to be made clear that mindfulness for children is not limited to just teaching them to meditate, relax or breathe. It goes way beyond. We cannot forget that mindfulness is linked to nutrition, work, the relational world, sport ...
So let's see what strategies we can develop to ensure that this philosophy fits into their lifestyle. There are two requirements: that it be simple and fun. These are some of the strategies that can be used with children between 3 and 6 years old.
I'm Superman or Wonder Woman
- Let's start by telling the children that they must assume a position of "power", like superheroes: standing, hands on hips and, above all, eyes closed.
- They are about to become superheroes who can develop their senses to the fullest.
- In strict silence, they will have to listen to every sound that surrounds them for. It is good that they are attentive and relaxed so that they open their radars to any sound, however small it is ...
I learn to breathe with my soft toy
Nothing better than using their stuffed animal to learn how to breathe, using the following guidelines:
- Bedtime is almost always a perfect time to teach them to breathe easily.
- The baby has to put his stuffed toy or doll on the abdomen.
- Then he has to inhale through his nose for a count of 4, but at the same time observing how his abdomen rises, along with his stuffed animal.
- He must hold the air for 3 seconds and then exhale through his mouth, watching the soft toy come down.
The climate and my emotions
“Calm and alert as a frog. Mindfulness Exercises for Children (and Parents) ”is a beautiful book by Eline Snel. It offers parents interesting strategies for introducing children to meditation. For example, a proposal that the author offers us to teach us to recognize our emotions is to relate certain states, such as sadness, anger or joy, with the climate.
- To do this, we will have to encourage them to make the meteorologists game.
- They have to close their eyes and ask themselves: “What climate is there inside of me? If it's sunny, it means I'm fine, if there's a downpour it's because I'm sad, if there's a storm it means I'm angry “.
The path of "realizing that ..."
Mindfulness for children is not limited to having them sit in the lotus position, meditating. Our children are active and reactive beings, people eager to experiment, insatiable curious. They need contact, play, continuous interaction. Therefore we have to adapt mindfulness to their daily needs and lifestyle.
A very effective exercise can be done every day when, for example, we take them or pick them up from school, when we walk with them holding their hands, or when we go shopping. It is the game of "I realize ... I see that ... I discover that ...".
It's all about encouraging them to be receptive to everything around them and everything that happens, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem. "I realize that in the distance you can hear someone laughing", "I realize that the gentleman who has just passed seems sad", "I realize that in the distance you can hear a bird calling its mother from the nest", "I I realize that a cloud has hidden the sun ... "
Finally, remember that there are many, many mindfulness exercises that we can teach our children. We find the ones that best fit their age and way of being. Furthermore, let's not forget to be the best possible example for them, a reference point of calm, balance and imperishable affection.
In today's rush, we all think too much, we try too much, we want too much, forgetting the joy of being balanced ”.
-Eckhart Tolle-
