Mindfulness for children
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What is Mindfulness?
Who wouldn’t love the kids and young adults we work with to become more focused, calm, in control, and self-aware? Mindfulness is a technique that can help teach and strengthen those abilities over time. By practicing mindfulness, people can learn to become more aware of their own thoughts, feeling, sensations, and the environment around us. It helps us to refocus on the present, rather than the past or the future.
How does Mindfulness Benefit Children?
Mindfulness improves the quality of our lives, especially children, in many ways. Mindfulness helps in managing conditions including autism spectrum disorder, challenging behaviours, ADHD, anxiety and stress. Evidence suggests that teaching mindfulness to children can help in learning, decision making, emotional intelligence, self-confidence and connectedness to others.
What are some Mindfulness Exercises that one can Practice at Home?
1) Mindfulness Breathing –
Let the child sit in a comfortable position, on the floor or chair. Draw the curtains or dim the lights. Begin by setting a timer for one minute. Start breathing deeply in and out. Notice how the breath feels as it moves in and out of your body. Notice how the air feels on your skin. Pay attention to any sensations that you notice or any sounds that you hear.
2) Belly Buddies –
Let the child lie down on his back. Take a favourite teddy or stuffed toy and place it on the belly of the child. Let them watch as it moves up and down while they breathe, as if they are rocking it to sleep.
3) Increase your Child’s Awareness when Eating –
· Have them take a deep breath or take a second to be thankful for their meal before eating.
· Ask them how hungry they are before a meal.
· Allow them to serve themselves, this will allow them to become familiar with appropriate serving sizes.
· Eat without distractions such as the television or computer. Have them put down their fork in between bites.
Practicing mindfulness is incredibly empowering for children.
Everyday acts can be turned into mindfulness exercises for kids. You and your child can be engaged in mindfulness in the midst of any ordinary activity, which, in essence, really makes it an extraordinary activity.
The most important thing about mindfulness is being in the here and now — living your life and taking the time to enjoy the world around you. All kids benefit from practicing mindfulness!
Who wouldn’t love the kids and young adults we work with to become more focused, calm, in control, and self-aware? Mindfulness is a technique that can help teach and strengthen those abilities over time. By practicing mindfulness, people can learn to become more aware of their own thoughts, feeling, sensations, and the environment around us. It helps us to refocus on the present, rather than the past or the future.
How does Mindfulness Benefit Children?
Mindfulness improves the quality of our lives, especially children, in many ways. Mindfulness helps in managing conditions including autism spectrum disorder, challenging behaviours, ADHD, anxiety and stress. Evidence suggests that teaching mindfulness to children can help in learning, decision making, emotional intelligence, self-confidence and connectedness to others.
What are some Mindfulness Exercises that one can Practice at Home?
1) Mindfulness Breathing –
Let the child sit in a comfortable position, on the floor or chair. Draw the curtains or dim the lights. Begin by setting a timer for one minute. Start breathing deeply in and out. Notice how the breath feels as it moves in and out of your body. Notice how the air feels on your skin. Pay attention to any sensations that you notice or any sounds that you hear.
2) Belly Buddies –
Let the child lie down on his back. Take a favourite teddy or stuffed toy and place it on the belly of the child. Let them watch as it moves up and down while they breathe, as if they are rocking it to sleep.
3) Increase your Child’s Awareness when Eating –
· Have them take a deep breath or take a second to be thankful for their meal before eating.
· Ask them how hungry they are before a meal.
· Allow them to serve themselves, this will allow them to become familiar with appropriate serving sizes.
· Eat without distractions such as the television or computer. Have them put down their fork in between bites.
Practicing mindfulness is incredibly empowering for children.
Everyday acts can be turned into mindfulness exercises for kids. You and your child can be engaged in mindfulness in the midst of any ordinary activity, which, in essence, really makes it an extraordinary activity.
The most important thing about mindfulness is being in the here and now — living your life and taking the time to enjoy the world around you. All kids benefit from practicing mindfulness!
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Contact Alpana Saraf, Special Educator at contact@livingwithdyslexia.in
