Kid Meditation: Keep it Simple
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By Suzanne Glover
A kid meditation can be anything from incorporating movement with breathing such as Tai Chi exercises to simply carrying an “anchor” like a meditation rock that reminds your child to stop and “play the meditation” game for a minute. Using a guided meditation for children in audio format can also work with older kids, but it’s better to start out with something fun and easy for the younger children.
GUIDED MEDITATION FOR CHILDREN
As I just mentioned, you can find an audio guided meditation for your child if he or she is old enough to sit quietly and listen. Another way to guide your children into meditation, however, is for you to do activities with them.
When you do activities that combine breathing with slow movement (such as Tai Chi), you are teaching your child to connect his or her mind and body and be “in the present moment” if you make it fun enough to keep their attention.
Do you need to know Tai Chi to do this? No. Here are some fun suggestions… which also teach you to be more in the moment as well:
1. Have your son or daughter follow your finger as you draw shapes in the air. Have your child inhale as you move your finger up [toward the ceiling] and exhale as you move your finger down [toward the floor.] If your child is very active, play some calming music and “be the conductor” of the music with your finger. This starts the training process of simply inhaling, exhaling and dropping down into a deeper relaxation on the exhale as the child learns to focus their attention on one object.
2. Take a silent walk in nature together – no talking. The object of this walking meditation is to listen for the sounds of nature and feel the stillness of the surroundings, which “should” encourage stillness within yourself and your child. Take a time to sit with eyes closed and just listen to the sounds and feel the energy of the natural earth.
3. Have your child create his or her own meditation sanctuary [tips for meditation room design in the next article.] Encourage your son or daughter to spend one or two minutes there throughout the day/evening to take a mental break and calm down. This routine instills the practice of taking breaks throughout the day even into adulthood to calm down and check in with themselves. This practice alone can serve them the rest of their lives once they get into the habit of taking a break and checking in with their own thoughts and feelings as well as learning to tap into a stillness of mind throughout the day.
4. Another good kid meditation practice is to find a good meditation video that guides your child into relaxation. This is good because it uses visual stimuli to keep them distracted, while they are lulled into meditation.
Here’s a good one I found:
Meditation for kids can be fun and easy with a bit of creativity. The key thing to remember when creating a meditation for children is to keep it simple.
Now, let’s take a look at meditation room design that makes us want to meditate…
