Sharing Mindfulness Practices with Children is a wonderful way to give them skills to manage difficult emotions and stressful situations.

Silent Meditation with Children

Silent meditation can be a peaceful grounding practice for children.

  • Have the child choose a natural object that appeals to them. (Have a selection of pretty stones, attractive dried leaves or grasses, pine cones, etc.)
  • Have them hold it in their hands and admire it. Look at every detail. Tell them that they don’t have to think of anything else. Now we’ll sit in silence for two minutes.(For this kind of meditation, we would start children off with two minutes of silence, and work up to longer times.)
  • End the meditation time by saying: “Let the beauty we love, be what we do.”

When weather permits, this kind of meditation works even better outdoors. When you’re outdoors, young people can look around for their own natural object. Alternatively, you can have them listen to all the sounds of the outdoors, and at the end of your time of silence you can share all the sounds you heard (wind in the trees, birds, cars, perhaps animals, etc.) Or you can lie at the foot of a big tree and gaze up into its branches for a time of silence, as yet another form of outdoor meditation.

Lighting a candle (or a flaming chalice) –

Light your candle or chalice, and then just sit in silence for two or more minutes watching the candle flame. (If you light a small candle like a birthday candle, you can watch it until it burns all the way down). Often even people who resist the idea of silent meditation will like this practice.

Make a “Mindfulness Jar”

Find a jar–spice jar, baby food size, or even a mason jar. First, put some glitter in the jar. Fill the jar 3/4ths full with warm water, then the rest of the way up (with some room for shaking) with glycerin. You can find glycerin at the craft store, grocer or pharmacy. After the glycerin, add four drops of liquid soap and a drop or two of food coloring. Put the lid, tightly on the jar, then shake it. It is essentially like creating a snow globe The goal is that when your child is feeling out of control, they shake the jar, then sit and watch the glitter settle in the water. It is like our minds when we are angry, frustrated, things feel impossible–our minds and emotions are all shook up. As the glitter settles, have them imagine that their thoughts are settling calmly and peacefully.

There are lot’s of books that introduce Mindfulness Practices to Children. Here are a Few of our Favorites –

Check out our Pinterest Board – Meditation & Mindfulness for Children

 

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