{"id":2188,"date":"2017-09-05T23:16:06","date_gmt":"2017-09-05T23:16:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.meditationmag.com\/blog\/teach-child-meditate\/"},"modified":"2017-09-05T23:16:06","modified_gmt":"2017-09-05T23:16:06","slug":"teach-child-meditate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.meditationmag.com\/blog\/teach-child-meditate\/","title":{"rendered":"Teach Your Child to Meditate With 5 Simple Steps!"},"content":{"rendered":"

When you picture someone practicing meditation, the person you imagine is almost certainly an adult. Meditation and mindfulness have long been seen as adult practices in the West, though the recent explosion of yoga classes for children suggests that might be changing.<\/span><\/p>\n

Like adults, many children suffer from stress, anxiety, and depression, and they also stand to benefit from a\u00a0<\/span>meditation practice<\/span><\/a>. Children who meditate<\/a> can experience many of the same\u00a0benefits<\/a>\u00a0as adults, including heightened self-awareness and self-regulation, improved attention and focus, and reduced stress and tension. Learning to meditate at an early age can also support children\u2019s emotional, mental, and intellectual development.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re a parent wanting to raise your child with a meditation practice, follow these five steps to start teaching them.<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Expose your child to meditation.<\/b><\/h2>\n

Setting the example you want your children to follow is key in nearly any aspect of parenting, and meditation is no different. Children are always watching their parents, and if they\u2019re aware of your own meditation practice, they\u2019ll likely be curious about it and want to copy you.<\/span><\/p>\n

Beyond exposing your child to your own practice, take some time to talk to them about it. Have a conversation about what meditation is and why you practice. You can also share with them how meditation might affect them and why you think they\u2019ll like it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Start with short meditations.<\/b><\/h2>\n

The idea of sitting quietly and being still might not appeal to your child, so it\u2019s a good idea to start with short meditations. Some experts suggest one minute for each year of your child\u2019s age \u2013 so if they\u2019re nine years old, start by meditating for nine minutes at a time. If that doesn\u2019t go well, you can even start smaller, with just a minute or two.<\/span><\/p>\n

3. Consider using mantras or breathwork exercises.<\/b><\/h2>\n

Teaching your child mantras to repeat or breathwork exercises to do while they\u2019re meditating might help keep them more interested and engaged in the practice, especially if they\u2019re struggling with sitting still.<\/span><\/p>\n

The following breathing techniques are all good options for children: making inhales and exhales the same length, lifting the shoulders to the ears on the inhales and releasing them on the exhales, closing one nostril and taking a few breaths only through the other one (repeating on both sides), and making the \u201cocean sound\u201d in the back of the throat for an Ujjayi breath.<\/span><\/p>\n

Repeating mantras is another way to help your child focus during meditation, and you can teach them short mantras in Sanskrit or longer ones in English. Chanting will also probably appeal to your child if they like singing and music. You could start with chanting the sound of \u201com\u201d a few times, or teach them a longer mantra that\u2019s meaningful to you.<\/span><\/p>\n

4. Incorporate it into other activities.<\/b><\/h2>\n

Beyond the more formal exercises, show your child that meditation is about more than sitting still with their eyes closed. Encourage them to practice mindfulness during other activities they do on a regular basis. For example, ask your child to notice the things around them during a walk or to feel the grass beneath them while playing outside.<\/span><\/p>\n

5. Download a child-friendly app.<\/b><\/h2>\n

Once you\u2019ve introduced your child to the basics of meditation, consider downloading a child-friendly meditation app for them to use on their own. Most kids love using smartphones and tablets, so this is another good way to keep them engaged with the practice. The popular Headspace<\/a> app has a children\u2019s version, or the Scape<\/a> app allows them to create their own ambient sound to play during meditation. There are plenty of other apps to choose from as well, all encouraging meditation and mindfulness in different ways.<\/span><\/p>\n

Regardless of which meditation techniques you choose to teach your child, starting early can help them reap the most benefits from the practice \u2013 and it creates a new way for you to bond with your child, no matter their age.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Children who meditate can experience many of the same benefits as adults. Follow these simple steps to teach your child to meditate!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":868,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[109,110],"class_list":["post-2188","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-how-to-meditate","tag-meditation-for-children","tag-teach-your-child-to-meditate"],"yoast_head":"\nTeach Your Child to Meditate With 5 Simple Steps! - Meditation Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.meditationmag.com\/blog\/teach-child-meditate\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Teach Your Child to Meditate With 5 Simple Steps! - Meditation Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Children who meditate can experience many of the same benefits as adults. 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