Mindfulness Meditation & Calm Breathing For Kids

It is very easy for kids to get overwhelmed, angry, or hyper-fixated. To ‘lose it’ somewhat. This can happen at home, at kinder or school, or with friends and family. They may say, think, or do things that can be disruptive and upsetting to themselves and to others. Things they may later regret. But with the power of mindfulness meditation and calm breathing, we can help them to develop the skills to take control, take charge, and to make better choices. The mind and body are interconnected. Calm the mind and the body will follow. Calm the body and the mind will follow. When used in conjunction, mindfulness meditation, and calm breathing target both at once, enabling kids to regain control, refocus, detach from mental overwhelm, and introspect. They will still feel the full range of emotionality, but they will learn how to effectively manage those strong feelings, by reducing their severity, duration, and impact. This course is designed for kids aged 3-6 but is accessible to people of all ages. Ideally, you will join in with the sessions, learning, practicing, and establishing positive habits together with your child. The first session will provide you with an overview of the course, as well as give you some guidance on how to establish a positive and effective meditation practice for your kids. This course will give your child the perfect introduction to mindfulness meditation and calm breathing. They will learn how to recognize and gain control of their emotions, to calm down and to focus. They will learn strategies to address physical pain, boredom and overwhelm. They will learn how to detach from challenging mental phenomena and begin to recognize that they are not their thoughts. This course will also help them to better use their words. Once they are calmer, they will be better able to explain what is wrong, why they are upset, and what they need. They will learn how they are connected to their world, how their actions impact others, and how to treat others with respect, kindness, and compassion. This course will also help you and your child to establish morning and nighttime routines that work. Together you will have the skills to coordinate your efforts to get the necessary tasks done in a calm and collaborative manner. The techniques of body scans, visualizations and calm breathing will also be used to aid your child in falling asleep. Your child will learn how to use a collection of mindfulness meditation and calm breathing techniques, including mindful seeing, mindful hearing, mindful movement, lovingkindness, body scans and visualizations. Each session will integrate these instructions with short and engaging guided sessions. These are simple practices with simple language that is accessible to young kids. You and your child will be reminded of how to practice each technique, both within the context of this course, as well as on your own when needed. This course has one introduction session for the parents, eleven sessions for children and one bonus ‘kid led’ session. The first session of this course is designed to give you the skills needed to best facilitate your child’s practice. You will learn how to encourage them, what language to use, and what behaviors to encourage and expect. You will also get a little bit of insight into the theory and concepts of why the combination of mindfulness meditation and calm breathing is so powerful. The last session is a ‘kids led’ meditation. My five-year-old son Archer voices a quick guided mindfulness meditation. Hopefully the addition of a peer practicing will provide you and your child with further motivation to practice as well. I have worked as a schoolteacher, disability support worker, kids martial arts instructor, and online coach. I am also a parent of two. In my experience, the skills of mindfulness meditation and calm breathing are invaluable. Those who have and use these skills are calmer, more focused, less volatile, more adaptable, and generally more content with themselves, the world, and their place in it.