Before Teaching Mindfulness

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When adults begin to practice mindfulness, they often think, “I wish I had had this when I was younger!”

It’s a powerful gift to give our children when we teach them mindfulness — we can teach them how to recognize and manage their emotions, how to calm down when they are upset, and how to pay attention. In fact, it’s kind of a wonder that we don’t teach these things to children more often. How many times have we told our children to

“pay attention!” 

or

“calm down!” 

But have we ever taught them HOW to do either of those things?

In the next two weeks, we’ll explore how we can share mindfulness with our children, and provide them with these important life skills!

Why Teach Mindfulness to Kids?

You probably don’t need much convincing at this point, but it’s helpful to know that a growing body of research indicates that teaching mindfulness to children can lead to:

• better focus and concentration
• an increased sense of calm
• decreased stress and anxiety
• improved impulse control
• increased self-awareness
• skillful responses to difficult emotions
• improvement in executive function (decision-making and other prefrontal cortex functions)
• increased empathy and understanding of others
• development of natural conflict resolution skills

Before You Begin

In the following video, I discuss some of the important things to keep in mind as we begin to teach mindfulness to our children.

Video Highlights/Summary

• Mindfulness should be an invitation — if your child isn’t interested, don’t push it.
• The most effective way you will teach mindfulness to your child is by modeling it. Continue with your personal practice. Model pausing and taking deep breaths. Narrate the times when you practice (“I’m noticing I feel a little angry. I’m going to stop and take some deep breaths right now to help myself calm down.”)
• Check your intentions — mindfulness isn’t about getting our children to behave in any particular way (it’s about accepting them for who they are!), or about getting kids to act in ways that they are not developmentally ready for.
• Look for times to incorporate mindfulness into the day — such as dinnertime or bedtime.

Helpful Resources

Books referenced in the video:

• Planting Seeds by Thich Nhat Hanh
• Ready, Set, Breathe by Carla Naumburg
• Sitting Still Like a Frog by Eline Snel
• The Mindful Teen by Dzung Vo
• The Stress Reduction Workbook for Teens by Gina Biegel
• Raising Happiness by Christine Carter

Articles referenced in the video:

• Mindful Bedtime Rituals
• Practicing Mindfulness as a Family (gratitude and calm-down space ideas)
• Resources for Teaching Mindfulness to Children

Additional video resource:

• This video is long (just over an hour), but it is REALLY good. It features Chris McKenna, Program Director of Mindful Schools, speaking to parents at Google about Mindfulness, Neurobiology, and Children. Chris was one of my teachers and mentors in my mindfulness certification program and I am just in awe of his intelligence and how he explains these concepts so simply!