TEACHING YOUR CHILD TO BE MORE MINDFUL

There are many benefits in teaching your child to be more mindful. Mindfulness can be used to aid relaxation, increase concentration and even boost creativity.

Mindfulness is a relaxation technique, which helps you to focus on the present moment. This means paying attention to your senses, your thoughts and your feelings, in order to achieve a calmer presence and improve your overall wellbeing.

For children mindfulness is particularly helpful for increasing emotional resilience and developing important coping skills.

If you want to teach your child to be more mindful, here are some great tips from an independent school in London…

Daily Mindfulness

Take time each day to stop and observe your surroundings with your child. This could be anywhere; at the shops, at the park or simply at home. Pause and remind your child to tune into their senses. What can they see, hear, smell and feel? - Share your observations with each other and you may be surprised to find that you have both noticed something different.

Mindful breathing

Ask your child to sit or lay comfortably and close their eyes. Teach your child to pay attention to their breathing, focusing on the sensation of the air going in and out of their body. Encourage your child to put their hands on their tummy and feel move up and down with each breath. Do this for around six inhales and exhales and then ask your child to share their thoughts and feelings. Do they feel more relaxed? This is helpful for relaxation, particularly if your child is stressed or anxious.

Mindful eating

Mindful eating is great activity to practice with kids. Choose any food and then ask your child to take their time and use all of their senses to really enjoy it. Instruct them to smell the food, describe the flavour and observe the texture. Use this exercise to enjoy a special treat together such as chocolate. Now doesn’t ‘chocolate meditation’ sound heavenly!

Mindful bedtime

Bedtime is an ideal time to practice mindfulness with your child. This is particularly useful if your child finds it difficult to get off to sleep. Try a mindfulness technique called the ‘body-scan meditation’ to help your child relax. Ask your child to close their eyes and lay comfortably in bed. Then ask them to gradually observe different areas of their body starting at their feet and working right up to the top of their head. What feelings do they have in each part of their body and how does their body feel against the bed?