3 meditations you can do with children
Its Children’s Mental Health week here in the UK, and their theme is ‘know yourself to grow yourself’; based on the understanding that we can build mental wellbeing through self-awareness.
It’s so easy for us as adults to whizz through our days, checking through our never-ending to-do lists, and bouncing between work, home life, and looking after kids. And most parents, especially mothers in my experience, will find that even when they have some ‘down time’ or ‘solo time’ their brain is still thinking about what needs to be done later that day! It’s habitual.
So with scarcely any time for self-care as parents, one amazing thing you can do is to involve your children in mindfulness. Not only are you getting all the benefits yourself, but you are teaching them a skill which will support their wellbeing throughout their whole life.
If that sounds idyllic, but you’ve no idea where to start - don’t worry!
Here are three easy practices you can do with children….
A meditation - the check in
This mini meditation builds self-awareness but asking ‘how am I today?’ and really noticing the answer.
Stop for a moment together, and find a comfortable seat. Close down your eyes if that feels good.
First, notice sensations in your body (any jitters in your tummy, tightness in your shoulders etc?) The body may feel quite relaxed and still, or it might feel a bit restless. Just notice it, without trying to change anything.
Next, notice how the mind has been today. Quite calm, or very busy? Happy thoughts or worried thoughts? Tailor your language and prompts to suit the age of your child. Using smiley faces can be a good option for young children for this part.
Lastly, choose a word to finish the sentence “Today I am…” it might be calm/happy/sad/lonely/stressed/excited/nervous. Depending on their age, you could offer some options for your child, or just let them say whatever comes up! The word matters less than the act of noticing how you feel, so don’t worry if their word doesn’t seem quite right to you.
Share your words with each other. This is a lovely way to get comfortable at talking about emotions, and to bring you closer. Depending on their word, you might like to ask “what can I do to support you today?” Make sure you tell them yours too - it might be just a lovely cuddle :)
2. A breathing practice - calming candles
Breathing practices are hugely effective at bringing some calm and regulation to the body. This one is my sons favourite (he’s just turned 2). We pretend to blow out candles on a cake, and the long exhale gives the body the signal that they are safe, lowering levels of stress hormones and slowing down the heart rate. It’s a lovely one to do before bedtime or before moments of transition (drop off to nursery/school etc).
Raise your hand so your five fingers are visible to your child
Encourage them to take a breath in through their nose, and then blow out of their mouth as if they were blowing out a candle, directing the breath at your fingers.
Repeat 5 times, and for each breath drop one of your fingers down to signal the candle that has been blown out. It gives them a nice visual point of focus, and a good representation of how many breaths there are left.
3. Mindful activity - a 5 senses safari
Layering mindfulness onto everyday activity is one of the biggest game changers I have experienced as a parent. You don’t need any extra time, and it makes everyday chores or tasks so much more relaxing! By rooting yourself into the present moment, the mental chatter inside your head will quieten, even if just a little bit, and you will find so much more joy in your kids!
This activity can be done literally anywhere, but my favourite is out on a walk. It uses our 5 senses as a way of coming into the present moment, and is so simple to involve kids in.
Find your chosen situation; walking, driving, playing outside - anywhere!
Work through the senses one by one, asking your child/ren what they can see, hear, touch, smell and taste. Give plenty of time for each one, making sure to explore both up and down as well as at eye level.
When it comes to touch and taste, you can look out for things which are safe to explore at that time of year. And you can always simply explore ‘the taste inside your mouth’ and how the air feels on your tongue!
Make sure you tell them what you can detect as well, making it a shared experience.
Bringing a little more mindfulness into every day life not only benefits our wellbeing massively, but can bring us closer to our children, role model that we don’t always have to be going at a hundred miles an hour, and will set them up with a valuable life skill in a world that is always asking for more more more….
Lauren x
