4 easy tips to explore mindfulness with your child

If there ever was a time to introduce your child to mindfulness and living in the present, it is now. Owing to the pandemic and the tumultuous months that followed, children were forced to homeschool and not have their normal social life. Mindfulness is an excellent tool for learning to focus, manage stress and regulate emotions, and that goes for children as much as adults. It helps them live in the present moment rather than ruminating over the past or worrying about the future, so it’s great for relaxation. It can also help build children’s self-esteem. This blog post by a prep school in Hampstead outlines how you can explore mindfulness with your child. 

1. Practise deep breathing

Get your child into the habit of tuning into their breathing when they feel stressed or anxious about something. Encourage them to sit in a quiet place and put one hand on their chest and one on their belly, then breathe in deeply to a particular count before exhaling slowly. Prompt them to focus on the sensations in their chest and stomach as they rise and fall, and describe afterwards how it felt. Hopefully they’ll feel a lot more relaxed and calmer. 

2. Explore different sensations

Help your child tune into their senses when you’re out on a walk. Ask them what they can hear, see, smell or feel around them. You could point out things you see to draw their attention to what’s in front of them, and even collect objects as you walk and describe them. The idea is to keep your child’s attention in the present moment, so they’re not thinking about the past or the future. You can also practise mindful eating by encouraging your child to focus on the taste and texture of foods and describe the sensations to you. 

3. Establish bedtime rituals

If your child has trouble falling sleep, mindfulness can help them drift off. As they’re laying in bed, encourage them to focus on each part of their body in turn and think about the sensations they can feel. This will help them concentrate on the present and what they can feel in the current moment, rather than worrying about the future or thinking about the past. 

4. Teach them gratitude

Prompting your child to think about things they’re grateful for is a great way to ground them in the present. You could create a ritual of thinking about three things they’re grateful for right now and how that makes them feel; do this every day so it becomes a regular habit. This will help your child learn to appreciate the good things in their life and take note of each moment, something which can counteract the busyness of everyday life. 

Practising these techniques regularly will help your child deal with difficult emotions and reduce their stress levels.