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Indeed, kids can meditate as well. Our perception of meditation is this adult de-stressing lifestyle that requires a range of tools, classes, and a mindset change. In reality, it’s important to highlight that meditation for children is highly accessible and flexible. It can be utilized in diverse ways by various individuals, including young ones, commonly referred to as children
Between school, work, parents, homework, friends, and extracurricular activities, kids also have a lot going on in their lives. It can be daunting, especially when you don’t get why you’re doing half the things, like doing homework when SpongeBob is on. To teach the management of emotions, guided meditation for children is a topic that is much researched and has shown positive effects, like relaxation, mindfulness, calm energy, and powerful mental health.
Why Meditation Is Crucial For Children in a Hectic World
Statistics on the Rising Stress Levels among Kids
We didn’t meditate as kids, so why should I make my kids meditate?
Well, the answer to this is that the world we grew up in was very different from the world of today. UNICEF research has found adolescents and children to face more stress growing up than 10 years ago. An interconnected world of the internet that opens the world for children also brings about stress and anxiety. This is in addition to school, friends, and home life can be a source of stress for children. Research has also found that 35% of children in America are facing stress-related health consequences.
Benefits of Meditation for Children
In such a stressful world, meditation comes out as a credible tool that can equip your children with the ability to manage it all. With shortening attention spans, mindfulness meditation can teach your children to have an improved focus and the ability to focus on details, whether it is a heartbeat or breathing for 15 minutes.
Guided meditation for children also puts them on the journey of emotional regulation, which is a highly intelligent trait to have. In general, emotional regulation provides the support needed to manage complex emotions, and your children can learn to do that from a young age
Thirdly, coming into meditation for children has the great benefit of nurturing their wellness. Whether as an adult or kid, meditation for children has major positive effects on your health, both physical and mental. From the view of a kid, the quality of their wellness can considerably improve with a guide to mindfulness meditation.
Getting Started: The Essential Guide for Parents
Age-Appropriate Meditation Techniques for Children
Perception of meditation for most people is sitting still with crossed legs and breathing, but if you have met any children in your life, you will know how hard it is to make them sit still. This is why, age-appropriate relevant mindfulness meditation for children involves songs, sleep stories, hope-filled guides, and other tools that makes meditation play for them.
Breathing Exercises and Guided Imagery for Younger Childrens
The very basics of this new horizon have to be taught to children before going into mindfulness practices. Sit by calmly sitting down and asking them to breathe, as you breathe use guided imagery to help them reach a calm spot. You can run a slideshow or make them imagine a place that brings them happiness. Ask questions like:
- What is a place you feel happy in?
- What are you seeing?
- What are you hearing?
- How wonderful is it?
Mindfulness Practices and Body Scans for Older Children
Another effective method for incorporating meditation into the children’s routine is body scan meditation. This includes a guided sleep meditation for children, which is done during bedtime. Have the child to lie down with a straight back, breathe in and out, then guide their attention to lower legs, then upper legs, then belly, then heart, and so on. Ask them:
- What are you feeling at every limb?
- Focus on each detail.
Creating a Conducive Environment for Children Meditation
Irrespective of what kind of meditation you opt to channel peaceful meditation from, meditation for children has to make them feel relaxed and focused. A very important in doing that is to create an environment free from distractions. No cartoons, television, toys. Instead, relaxing music that is personalized to their likes can help, a video of guided imagery or a customized YouTube homepage can also help.
Using Props like Cushions, Bells, or Stuffed Animals
To continue this healthy journey of mindfulness for your children, you can also support it by using props. Make a comfy cushion castle, use bells to record meditation cycles and you can sit stuffed toys with the children so that they are also meditating with them.
The Best Guided Resources Meditation For Children
Top YouTube Channels for Guided Meditation for Children
In mindfulness for children, continue to YouTube and play a popular playlist of meditation videos for guided meditation for children. Although, it can seem tacky at first, but there are some gems on YouTube that can help you get started.
Video descriptions and even the transcript can help you understand how to relax your child through meditation so that they enjoy it and keep coming back to it. Some channels I am subscribed to are:
- Cosmic kids yoga
- Mindful Littles
- STORYHIVE
- Alo Yoga
Recommended Apps and Podcasts for Meditation Children’s
Apart from this, if you visit Apple Podcast or Google Podcast, you can also discover a treasure trove of meditation videos and podcasts to get you started on the journey. A few of these resources that have been of most help to me are:
- Calm Kids – App
- Yoga-Go – App
- Cosmic Kids Yoga – App
- Keen on Yoga with Deepika Mehta – Podcast
- Sivana – Podcast
The sources mentioned are posting free weekly high-quality guided meditations for children. They contain guided meditations and sleep stories, the perfect combination for self-teaching yoga for children.
Mindfulness Activities to Incorporate Into Daily Life
When mindfulness is made a part of your daily life, then it is more likely that your children will develop a positive relationship with yoga and meditation. However, you have to be mindful that meditation for children works differently than for adults. Adults’ meditation is quiet and calm, but in meditation for children, those attributes do not stick. Instead, when planning yoga for children, make use of daily routine activities that enhance mindfulness. To do so:
- Conduct a cloud-watching session on weekends
- Make breathing exercises fun with song and music
- DIY without any distractions and focus on only one activity
- Yoga methods like body scan can also be incorporated
- Make bedtime stories about yoga and its benefits.
Success Stories: Real-Life Benefits of Meditation For Children
Testimonials from Parents and Children
Meditation can make key moments of calm in your child’s life, and there are numerous stories to prove that it is indeed true. Here are a few examples:
- Mike from Indiana tried breathing exercises with his son and found that in 2 months’ time, he showed more focus when doing homework
- Kate from Washington started watching yoga YouTube videos for children with her kid and now they both do breathing exercises before bed
- Harry from California vouchers for yoga in bedtime stories that helped him motivate his twins to explore this concept
Meditation and Academic Performance: The Research
Although, testimonials matter, but academic and scientific research has also found meditation to help, irrespective of the age of participants. In one study done on yoga practices incorporated in a classroom, the study found that asanas (postures) helped in the growth of the children and their back posture.
Another study found a link between meditation through pranayama and the management of stress and anxiety among children. In this study, children shared their experiences that whenever they felt unhappy thoughts, going back to yoga lessons helped them turn those thoughts into happy thoughts.
There are also links between meditative practice and good grades. From a parent perspective, this is great because a study has found mindfulness to lead to focus and focus can improve grades. It is not only grade though because cognitive functions improve with mindfulness, from reasoning to critical thinking skills and problem-solving.
Troubleshooting Common Challenges with Children’s Meditation
When you start meditating with children, you might worry that it is just another chore that they are doing and no good is being done. Children can show disinterest and yoga practices, believe it or not, are not as popular among 6th graders as among grown-ups. To deal with this, here are a few tips and tricks that can help you:
- Learn their language. Anxiety and stress are not known by children, so a tummy ache, headache, troubled sleep, and nightmares can tell you more about their mental health
- If your child isn’t sitting still for meditation and shows no interest, then incorporate elements that does interest them. Latest toys can be promised or a parent can make a playlist of meditation that is fun
- To keep children engaged, sometimes far-fetched ideas like hypnosis can also work and it does get them interested
Meditation for Children with Special Needs
Adapting Techniques for Children with ADHD, Autism, or Anxiety Disorders
Resources and Support Groups for Parents
Continuing the Journey: Fostering a Lifelong Mindfulness Practice
Wellbeing is not a one-time practice or something that is present only for a certain part of your life. Health and wellness are important aspects of your life and require constant attention. So to develop a lifelong practice of mindfulness, follow these steps:
- Encouraging kids to develop a consistent meditation routine for children
- If your children do not like meditation, then give it a break if you have to
- Focus on fostering a positive mindfulness practice, instead of forcing them to do it
- Come up with ideas for family meditation sessions and mindful activities
- Get friends and family involved
- Join a class
- Comment and subscribe on YouTube videos to build a community
- You can also opt for sleep talk-down videos to build a habit of mindfulness within your children
Frequently Asked Questions(FAQ’s)
When is the best time to introduce meditation to children?
Age 3 is usually considered to be the youngest when kids can start mindfulness, but they are too young to understand anything. If you want them to show interest, then age 6 is the best age.
How long should meditation sessions be for different age groups?
For children’s meditation, keep meditation short and sweet within half an hour. However, as they grow old, you can build on that time and increase it to 1 hour, depending on whether your children like it or not
Can meditation help kids with ADHD or other learning disabilities?
Yes. Meditation among children with ADHD and other learning disabilities has shown improvement in attention and focus, and a decrease in hyperactivity and impulsiveness.
What are the signs that my child is not benefiting from meditation?
– They become irritable when you mention yoga
– Usually, sessions get cut off because they leave or are restless
– They start to cry or throw a tantrum
How can I encourage my child to stick with a meditation practice?
The best way of doing it is by making it a part of their routine. Incorporate meditation before bed or in the morning to get effective results. You can also make meditation fun for them to engage.
Are there any risks or side effects associated with kids meditating?
No, there are absolutely no risks in meditation because it only helps you get more mindful. However, if meditation becomes a sore topic, which results in crying sessions and tantrums, then it can be bad for your child.
How do I choose the right guided meditation app or YouTube channel for my child?
In this article, we share a list of guided meditation apps and YouTube videos, give them a try
Can meditation help kids who struggle with anxiety or depression?
Yes, meditation, and especially mindfulness meditation is a great way of overcoming anxiety and depression among kids.
How can I incorporate meditation into our family’s daily routine?
To incorporate meditation, you can try this:
– Include bedtime stories with yoga
– On the weekends, do cloud-watching
– Watch meditation YouTube videos together
What should I do if my child finds meditation boring or refuses to participate?
If your child is against meditation then listen to them because if you enforce meditative practice, the chances of it becoming a source of stress can increase. You can use a different approach to meditation or hold it off until the child turns at least 8 years old.
Are there any specific breathing exercises or techniques that work best for kids?
The best breathing exercise for kids is one that is supported by music. Play a YouTube song that makes breathing in and out play for them.
Can meditation help improve academic performance and focus in school?
Yes, through improvement in focus, meditation can improve academic performance as well. The way it works is that children learn to concentrate on one things, reflect on it and turn it into a lesson
How can I create a calming environment at home for meditation?
To create a calming environment, turn off all the devices first and foremost. Then you can proceed to make the environment comfortable, with lots of cushions and stuffed toys.
Are there any books or resources you recommend for parents getting started with kids’ meditation?
Some recommendations from us are:
– I am Yoga by Susan Verde
– Yoga Whale by Sarah Jane Hinder
– Rocket Ship Yoga by Bari
– Kids Yoga Courses by Cosmic Kids
– Kids Yoga Matters
At what age should I consider introducing more advanced meditation techniques?
After age 12, even complicated yoga styles can be introduced into the child’s life. However, you have to be mindful that big terms of transcendental meditation and Zen meditation are still too complicated and have to be simplified for children to understand.
