An ultimate and easily explained guide to meditation for kids
Why should kids meditate?
Kids have monkey minds, which stay out of control most of the time and randomly jump from here to there. The only way to confine their monkey mind is through proper meditation.
Meditation for kids is very beneficial, as it helps them lead a healthy life and the discipline they need to succeed in their life.
With the increased stress and academic pressure, children can get a plethora of health-related problems. These problems incorporate anxiety, depression, heart-related issues, and other mental and physical complexities that need immediate treatment. In the evolving phase of a child, there is no cure better than meditation.
Child Meditation makes them less aggressive, more disciplined, and better performing on all the scales of life.
Meditation helps in emotional development
The one who knows how to conquer the emotions has won half the battles of life. Your child needs to understand the difference between different emotions while sustaining the harsh phases of life.
Meditation helps the children to sustain a healthy rhythm while coping with all kinds of emotions. It also assists them in balancing the chores of life much more comfortable.
Meditation keeps stress at bay
Children are equally prone to anxiety when compared to adults, and as a parent, you have to make sure that your kid is away from any possibilities of stress. The only thing that can help is meditational practices.
Meditation helps the children to divert their minds from academic stress while focusing on life. During meditation, the bodies of children come under certain positions, which are vital for physical and mental development.
Self-realization
Realizing the inner-self can take years, but meditating from an early age can reward your children with better results. They can evaluate their worth and can focus on life with true zeal and dedication.
Benefits of Meditation for Kids
There is an array of benefits meditation offers to the growing kids. Not only it helps them in becoming mentally stronger, but also it assists them in keeping their physical body under control.
Treating insomnia
Insomnia is getting more common in children due to the growing competition and the parents’ continual pressure. Study shows that a child who is insomniac has more chances of catching any disease and mental problems due to the lack of sleep.
Meditation helps them to relieve from the continuous stimulation while relaxing the brain. As a result, they get better in everything, and the quality of their sleep gets enhanced.
Meditation is a source of inspiration
It is proven that meditation is better for the health and functioning of our brain. The same is the case with inspiration. The kids who meditate have better chances of getting the inspiration they are looking for.
Better focus
Focusing on something is very arduous even for the adults, and meditation is a panacea that can help! Research shows that with meditation, the children can improve their focusing power and can get better mental stability.
Sure-shot methods to teach your children the art of meditation
Be their mentor
Don’t just ask your kids to meditate instead of being their mentor and following the same meditation pattern to motivate your children. It will help you attain a win-win situation, as your kids will get inclined towards meditation, and you will get the benefits of meditating.
If you don’t know how to meditate correctly, then you can consider watching some online videos, or you can get the membership of a meditation center along with your children.
Be patient
Children find it hard to learn the art of meditation as they are not prepared for it, both physically and mentally! Deal with them in a gentle way and help them in learning the techniques of meditation.
Keep in mind that you are helping them to become a better person, and your aggressive behavior can leave a mark on their brains.
Start with breathing
Do not focus on the core of meditation from the first day, as it can leave the kids in a state of confusion, and they will get bored easily. Start your day-one with general breathing and teach your children the right way to control their breath during meditation.
Turn it into a fun activity
The best way to help the kids learn meditation is by turning it into a fun activity. Undoubtedly, children love activities that are full of fun. Recite some exciting children’s meditation stories or engage their minds before you start meditating.
Ask questions
After ending the meditation periods, ask them questions like what they have learned during meditation and what they like and don’t. It will make them feel participated, and they will respond in a better way.
Friendly meditation techniques for kids to attain a mix of fun and prosperity
Teaching the way to meditate can be daunting if you follow an inappropriate way. Here are the best meditation techniques for kids that can help. Scanning the body
is the best meditation technique for toddlers and small kids.
All you have to do is keep their mind busy with something to forget all the body-pains, tiredness, and all other things that are roaming in their mind.
Touch their body parts lightly and ask them to name the body part. For better results, you can play the best meditation music for kids to better sleep.
Follow the leader
If you have a grown-up child who is more than five years of age, then follow the leader meditation technique will work seamlessly. Ask your children to follow you and repeat the same activities as you are doing.
It will assist them in learning the exercise while nurturing them with a strong parent-child bond.
It is advised to be the mentor yourself, as a kid learns better from his/her parents.
- Grab a meditation mat and sit ask your kids to sit on it comfortably
- Ask them to close their eyes while focusing on the breath.
- For better attention, ask them to start counting their breaths.
- Lastly, teach them the right way to exhale and inhale.
This efficient yet straightforward meditation technique is very effective for those who lack focus and have an unstable mind.
Chant the mantras
Chanting mantras has immense benefits for the body and the soul. Also, it is a widely practiced way of meditation across the globe. Learn some mantras and practice them with your child.
If needed, you can use audio mantras and the best meditation music for kids for better audibility and keep the children attentive.
Chanting the mantras will make them better, stronger, and resistant to negativity.
How to make kids meditate?
Teaching the art of meditation can be a pain in the neck if you follow an outdated approach that fails to impress your kids. Children only pay attention to the things that they find interesting. So it would help if you made meditation for kids equally exciting and fun.
Keep meditation simple
Never run into details when you are practicing meditation with your children. Your goal should be to help them learn the art, not keeping them bore during the meditation. Use simple language to assist them in understanding what you mean.
Help them meditate with gestures
Meditation becomes easy when you are helping the children with gestures. Physical gestures have better attention-grabbing power, and they are more effective than verbal methods.
Make it their routine
Motivate your kid to exercise meditation regularly and help him in making it his routine. Set the schedule accordingly, and keep a time slot for meditation. Once they are keen to practice meditation, they will do it on their own.
Create a meditating environment
Children will never focus on meditation if their rooms are scattered with toys. Make sure that the place is free of obstacles and is clean enough to maintain hygiene.
Watch best meditation videos for kids
It would help if you kept yourself updated while helping your kids with the art of meditation. Watch some videos and learn the tactics to maintain the fun-factor of the meditation.
Set them free
Children hate boundaries, and you should set them free for a while during the meditation period. Start or end your meditation with a game of a fun activity for letting the children free. They will participate better and respond to you with better outcomes if you let them enjoy the session.
Meditation For Kids And Moms — The New BFFs
Kids nowadays are hardly noisy, have you noticed? Why, well, they are always hooked onto smartphones — playing games and watching videos. Who has time to make mischief when smart electronic gadgets consume most of their time!
Is your little one also glued to the smartphone all the time?
Well, this is not just with your kid alone. Nowadays, almost all kids find it really difficult to wriggle free of their attachment to gadgets, as technology is literally everywhere. And that leaves the parents worrying to no end!
Thinking about possibilities to lure them away from this new age addiction, have you tried introducing your kid to meditation?
By encouraging meditation for kids, their innate ability to focus will be reclaimed. Meditation helps to boost confidence levels and self-esteem and develops empathy among kids too. If this sounds like a good plan for you, follow this guide to introduce your kids to meditation.
How Long Should Kids Meditate?
An important aspect of practicing meditation for kids is that you need to make the experience as fun and interesting as possible. Make sure the activity is not monotonous, for that will surely drown their interest really soon.
To make it more engaging, you have to appeal to the little ones’ senses and imagination. Make sure that you don’t plan it way too long — the duration is equally important so that it remains fun and interesting for them.
You have to start from a few minutes a day; five minutes will be a good start. It is challenging for children to achieve the required concentration during meditation, so five minutes are sufficient in the initial stage.
With time, and according to the child’s progress rate, you can try to start raising the time at a slow and measured pace. The primary goal is to create a habit, so there is no point in drawing time by force, which will stimulate the child’s opposition to meditation. Take it easy.
So, What Should Be The Maximum Duration?
To be practical, you cannot really expect your kid to meditate actively for 20 minutes like an adult. Kids have a habit of constantly shifting their focus from one thing to the other. Besides, the increased use of modern gadgets means that they have a shorter attention span in general.
So, experts recommend that ideally, a session of meditation for kids should be one more than their age. For instance, if your child is 8 years old, try to conduct a session that is 9 minutes long. This way, you will not test their patience, and smartly create space for another session soon.
And again, as mentioned above, start raising the time at a slow and measured pace.
Try To Get Creative With Them
As an adult, you need to think of the best meditation techniques for kids, which are creative and fun — just like their playtime.
For instance, instead of asking them, “watch your breath,” you can ask them to place a toy on their tummy and observe it moving up and down. You can probably ask them to try and move it as slowly as they can. In this way, you would have taught them how to deep breathe without them realizing it.
How Do You Calm a Screaming Child?
Trying to calm a screaming kid is perhaps the most dreaded task for any parent! But with certain points in mind, you can easily get it done.
Firstly, Know what to Say
Knowing the right thing to say when your child is upset is the real trick to calm them down. It is better to keep a few lines handy to use them promptly when your kid is not in a happy mood. For instance, you could gently tell them, “Maybe you should have said this,” or “Why don’t you say that the next time?”
Make sure to keep your patience and calm all along and praise them when they finally manage to calm down. Such words can go a long way in helping them manage their emotions better as they grow up.
Engage them in Calming Activities
Motivate your kids to engage in “time-out” when they are angry. Let them know that it is fine to take a few minutes’ breaks if they want. This may include encouraging them to do what they like, such as coloring, reading a book.
You can also engage them in listening to good music that they like. This will effectively shift their attention and help them to calm down easily. You can use the best meditation music for kids to manage their mood.
Manage What They Are Exposed To
What a kid sees constantly influences their behavior to a great extent. If they come across violence on social media, make sure you stop them there immediately.
Besides, it is important to teach them by example. If you cannot manage your own anger, they will obviously learn from you. So you must be watchful of your own conduct and actions too.
When And Why Moms Should Meditate With Kids?
Meditation is a powerful spiritual activity. When you and your kid participate in it together, it strengthens your relationship further. You will feel like you are growing together and nurtures the loving bond between mother and child.
Besides, there would be visible positive changes in your lives. With mindfulness meditation for kids, they will be able to perform better at school. They will also acquire the capacity to better manage their emotions and make better decisions with a rational mind.
If you want to make your kid used to meditation, it is advisable to start with light morning meditation for kids while they are very young. This way, they will be used to it as they grow older. Later, you can also encourage them to practice meditation with you.
What Is The Best Time To Practice Meditation With Your Kids?
Bedtime meditations are very effective to bring down your child’s stress levels. It is generally accepted that a child can be encouraged to meditate for a number of minutes, equivalent to their age. However, if the mom is able to make her kid relax well, this can last even longer, eventually guiding them to sleep better.
One of the primary requirements is a peaceful atmosphere in your child’s bedroom like mellow light and calm music. You can also read him/her children’s meditation stories. And you can try to repeat this practice of meditation for kids to sleep more frequently for a positive outcome.
Final Words
Overall, meditation is one of the most effective tools for personal development. Encouraging meditation for kids from a young age will help your precious little ones to maintain excellent physical and spiritual wellbeing throughout their lives. Therefore, it is a great idea to help them learn and make meditation an integral part of their lives.
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Originally published at https://east-asian-cultures.com on May 12, 2019.
