Mindfulness with Your Child

 

Mindfulness is a powerful tool that can help children and adults deal with the stresses and strains of daily modern life.

 

What is Mindfulness?

 

Mindfulness is the act of focusing on the present moment. It’s a type of meditation designed to help people pay attention to their bodies, thoughts and feelings. It’s very useful for children because it helps them to develop coping skills for their emotions which for many children are hard to regulate.

 

Many schools adopt mindfulness as a regular part of the curriculum. Pastoral care is an important factor to consider when choosing a school, this junior school in Leicestershire has an excellent pastoral care team. Research has shown that Mindfulness can help children’s academic performance and reduce anxiety. Bedtimes can also be improved with Mindfulness as it can calm wakeful or over-stimulated children. Here are some ways in which you can easily explore Mindfulness with your child:

 

Take a Mindful walk

 

Take your child for a walk somewhere quiet and filled with nature. Help them to tune into the environment by pointing out the sounds…wind in the grass, birdsong, the babbling of a stream. Help your child to tune in to each sound separately and then to hear them all together. Point out the different sites such as flowers, leaves and other natural features. Focus on small aspects of each – notice the centre of a flower and each individual petal.

 

Mindful bedtimes and how they can help your child

 

Bedtime is a great opportunity to explore Mindfulness. Ask your child to lie down and in a calm, quiet voice, ask them to notice each part of their body separately, starting with their toes and moving up to ankles, knees, stomach, shoulders and so on.

 

Ask your child to notice how each area feels. The idea of this exercise is to help your child to focus on the present moment and not to worry about anything at all. Anxiety prone children should be encouraged to practice this alone eventually. 

 

The great thing about Mindfulness is that it can be practised anywhere! At home, on a walk, at school and on a bus! It’s a free, effective way to calm and focus. And many children need that focused energy in order to manage their day to day lives.

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