“Mindfulness” is a term that is thrown around a lot, especially in recent years. When we teach children mindfulness, we are giving them the tools they need to manage stress, deal with life transitions, and enhance their self-esteem. Just like adults, children and teens gain a certain skill set by incorporating mindfulness into their lives.
Children’s minds are still being formed as they grow and children are often said to have ‘elastic’ minds. Therefore, they may be more willing to accept mindfulness and put it into practice in comparison to adults and senior citizens. A mindfulness technique, such as moment awareness, becomes natural for children the more that they practice it.
Anchor Therapy is a counseling center in Hoboken, NJ with mental health therapists specialized in helping children, teens, adults, couples, and families with anxiety, depression, relationship issues, trauma, life transitions, and more. Anchor Therapy is accepting new clients and is now providing in-person sessions and teletherapy sessions to residents of New Jersey, New York, and Florida.
What is mindfulness?
You have likely heard of the term “mindfulness”, but you may not know exactly what it means. If that is the case, you are not alone. Mindfulness is our basic human ability to be fully present.
If you are in a mindful state, you are fully aware of where you are, who you are, and what you are doing. You are not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what is going on around you- you are able to fully tune into your internal sense of self.
Everybody innately has the ability to be mindful. It’s not something that you have to learn, it is just something you have to practice. And, the more you practice it, the better you will become at it. You can think of it as a muscle that you have to workout to get stronger, or better, at it.
While everybody possesses mindfulness, there are some techniques you can employ to cultivate it swiftly. These are also things that you can teach your children.
Here are some examples of techniques used to cultivate mindfulness:
Different forms of meditation (e.g., seated, walking, standing, etc.) - For more information, read our blog “How Meditation Can Lead to Stress Reduction”
Short pauses throughout daily life
Merging meditation with other activities (e.g., yoga) - Check out our blog “The Mental Health Benefits of Practicing Yoga”
When you are teaching your child about mindfulness, you should keep the same things in mind that you think about when meditating. For example, you could teach your child not to focus on the benefits of mindfulness, just focus on the practice itself.
Mindfulness is more than just a practice- it is a way of life. Mindfulness simply brings a high level of awareness and care into everything you do, from washing the dishes to noticing how you feel when you are hanging out with certain friends.
So, why teach mindfulness to children?
Mindfulness exercises attention and awareness. Mindfulness can be taught to children in a way that is easy and enjoyable for everyone involved, including flexible meditation exercises and awareness exercises.
When we teach children mindfulness from a young age, children learn valuable lessons about stress management techniques and self-awareness. Along this mindfulness journey, kids build their resilience levels.
Resilience is important for children because it gives them the ability to navigate life’s challenges with ease. Life is full of unexpected occurrences and resilient children can effectively adjust their thoughts and behaviors to cope with new life transitions.
Resilient children can also manage their emotions in a more healthy way. Bouncing back from disappointments and moving past failures quickly can lead to enhanced mental health for children.
When a child is going through a difficult experience, it can feel like they are the only one in the world going through their given circumstance. On the inside of an experience, a child can feel alone and it can be a confusing time for them. When a child has a good set of tools to manage their emotional well-being, it can make for a completely different, healthier relationship.
Mindfulness is a refuge for children for whatever difficulties they are encountering. They learn to love the beauty of living in the present moment.
The following are some examples of the wide range of benefits that mindfulness offers for children’s mental, emotional, and physical health:
Enhanced concentration and focus:
Mindfulness assists in attention and concentration. Children can remain focused on specific tasks, counter distractions, and engage with learning opportunities in and out of school.
Emotional regulation:
Children can recognize and regulate their emotions via mindfulness. Children can learn how to observe their thoughts with zero judgment attached which creates better emotional resilience.
Stress reduction:
Deep breathing, relaxation exercises, and so on can lessen stress and anxiety. Regularly practicing these activities can turn into coping skills that allow children to navigate life’s daily pressures with ease.
Enhanced social skills:
Mindfulness can increase a child’s empathy, kindness, and compassion. From practicing active listening to communicating more effectively, children can form bonds with others based on mutual respect.
Increased self-awareness:
Self-awareness is a main side effect of mindfulness. Children can learn to tune into their thoughts, emotions, sensations, and physical environments which gives them a better sense of self.
Better decision-making skills:
Through mindfulness, children can learn to tune into their thoughts to make good decisions. Awareness of one’s thoughts and impulses can lead to healthy decisions that align with your child’s values.
Increased physical health:
Mindfulness can actually enhance one’s physical health. Insomnia, chronic pain, digestive issues, and so on can improve with mindfulness techniques. For example, if your child develops a stomach ache right before going to school every day, it may signal that there are anxiety-related issues at play. Through mindfulness, your child can control their anxiety in a healthy manner which will erase the issue of stomach pain. For more information, read “3 Ways to Manage Your Physical Anxiety Symptoms.”
Resilience:
As mentioned previously, mindfulness builds resilience in children. Resilience will ensure that kids can deal with life’s natural setbacks with acceptance and perseverance. Setbacks are an opportunity for learning and growth which children will be able to see through practicing mindfulness.
Mindfulness can be incorporated into a child’s daily routine, from formal meditations to simply more mindful activities.
Easy Mindfulness Activities to Teach Children
Activities and engaging exercises that include mindfulness can be fun for kids. Mindfulness does not have to be boring! Sometimes, turning a rather mundane aspect of a child’s daily routine into a mindful activity can be exciting.
For instance, think about playing a game of checkers with your child. This is an activity where you can encourage the game of chess to turn into a game of awareness. For more information on incorporating mindfulness into play, read “How Does Child Play Therapy Work?”.
With anything, it can become a mindful activity if it is done with the right amount of attention and a full presence. From eating to playing a sport, there is a way to mix mindfulness lessons into activities that your kids enjoy.
Here are some mindfulness activities that you can incorporate into your child’s life:
Food Savoring Exercise
Whenever your child is having a meal or treat that they enjoy, you can turn that into an opportunity for mindfulness. You can encourage your child to take their time eating so they can savor each and every bite of their food, taking taste and texture into full consideration.
The goal is to shift their focus to the experience of the food, not just eating to eat. Mindfulness allows them to be aware of the sensory food experience.
2. Balloon Belly Breathing
For children, getting them to complete a breathing exercise or active meditation is not usually simple. Balloon belly breathing is usually a mindfulness activity that many children enjoy.
To practice this activity, you and your child can lie down in a comfortable position simply noticing the feeling of your bellies inflating and eventually falling back down as each breath passes. Focusing on these sensations encourages breath awareness and presence.
It also shows children how breathwork can be a tool used to bring one back into their body during a time of psychological distress.
3. Take A Nature Walk
Mindful nature walks help children connect with the world around them while employing mindfulness. As a parent, you know how important it is to move at your child’s speed. Given, it may be the speed of a cheetah on some days. But, that is why slowing it down is important too from time to time.
Children are always on the go and slowing it down to a turtle’s pace can be helpful at times. As your child leads the way, you can offer a sense of adventure and mutual curiosity.
During the walk, you can encourage your child to explore their physical senses. Maybe they will touch different textures, like a leaf or rock; listen to different sounds, like the music of birds chirping; and observe different colors.
By walking, children are naturally practicing mindful movement. You invite your child to walk slowly, paying attention to each and every step that they take. Balancing on a log and throwing rocks into a nearby lake are some examples of having your child focus on their body’s sensations and movements.
4. Try A Grounding Exercise
Grounding practices, like the “I Am A Tree” exercise, is a great activity that children enjoy. Taking off your child’s shoes and giving them a chance to ground and become one with the Earth gives them the opportunity to connect with themselves and their physical environment.
Have your child find a comfortable space outside with their shoes and socks off in the grass. Tell your child to close their eyes and bring their full attention to their feet. Now, instruct them to imagine that they are a tree and they have roots growing deep into the Earth. As they envision these deep roots growing, they can take slow, deep breaths to enhance this mindful experience.
Now, their roots are established, so let us turn into how they feel. Do they feel strong? Solid? What happens if a strong wind comes along? What happens when the sun is shining down on the tree?
After the activity, you can check-in with how your child is feeling. You can even try out this activity for yourself! You may find that it leaves you even feeling energized and balanced.
5. Let Your Child Be
While this may sound counterintuitive to the title of this article, it is important to remember that mindfulness is a natural thing that we all do. It is not something that you necessarily have to teach your child. They already know about it! They may just not know the name of what they are doing.
Kids are actually more mindful than adults. Think about when you are trying to get through the grocery store with your child. Getting from Point A, the car, to Point B, the grocery store, feels like it takes a million years. They are taking in every little thing, from the electric red car parked next to yours to the way the wind is blowing the trees.
Whenever possible, try to give your child the chance to explore their own space. For instance, instead of trying to pack your child’s schedule with back-to-back activities, leave some space for free time. This will give your child room to investigate and be more mindful.
Free time is beneficial for creating mindfulness within children due to the following:
More space for creativity
A chance to use their imagination
Self-discovery
Reduced stress and pressure
Social interaction
Emotional regulation
Exploration of nature
Independence
Mindfulness is important for children because it enhances their welfare and development. Learning and self-improvement is a natural part of childhood and we all grow and learn our best when we are in a calm state of mind. Mindfulness has been proven to be effective for children.
At Anchor Therapy, we have child therapists who use mindfulness techniques in their therapy sessions. Tailored to your child’s age and developmental stage, our play therapists use various tactics to foster mindfulness. Our child counselors use a variety of therapeutic modalities, including play therapy and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), and mindfulness techniques, such as a body scan, sensory awareness, and mindful listening.
Victoria Scala
is the Social Media Manager and Intake Coordinator at Anchor Therapy in Hoboken, New Jersey. She is a graduate of the Honors College of Rutgers University-Newark. In her roles, Victoria is committed to managing the office’s social media presence and prioritizing clients' needs.
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