Teaching children to meditate has a lot of advantages. They will gain perspective, inner calm, self-assurance, self-control, respect for their peers and friends, empathy, and the ability to concentrate more throughout the class. Because of the advantages meditation has, some schools have started teaching it to kids. If you’re wondering how to introduce your child to yoga in a fun and relaxing way, we’ve compiled helpful information that will assist you.

When you can begin teaching children to meditate

From the age of three, you can introduce your child to meditation. The greatest place to start for preschoolers is with a few minutes per day. Depending on their focus and desire, teens can meditate for 5-45 minutes per day, while grade school students can practice for 3-10 minutes twice daily.

You must begin with simple activities that will make the learning process enjoyable. Later in this article, we’ll talk about more methods of meditation that are appropriate for all age groups.

Finding the best approach to keep your child still while teaching them to meditate requires a great deal of patience. According to experts, if you use the proper technique, you can easily convince your boisterous child to practice meditation. Your child will develop more mindfulness and a connection to their feelings and ideas with practice and exercise. Learn fun techniques you can use as we examine how to teach meditation to kids.

How to teach children to meditate

Here are 3 straightforward techniques you can try out. You are allowed to modify each exercise as necessary. Make them work for you, be imaginative, and don’t forget to enjoy yourself! If you want to start with something easier, think about doing a kid-friendly mindfulness exercise.

1. Teach your child to concentrate on breathing

The most important first step in learning how to teach meditation to kids is to get them to concentrate on slowing down their breathing. Breathing is crucial to meditation, so by teaching your child how to take deep breaths, you will enable them to make room in their minds for peace.

In order to help them unwind before bed, you might start by teaching them how to breathe deeply as part of your regular bedtime routine. You can instruct youngsters in meditation by following these steps for the breathing exercise:

• When you exhale, shout out loud “three” after taking a deep breath through your nose.
• Say “two” when you exhale after taking a second deep inhale through your nose.
• Say “one” after your last breath before starting the workout again.

Together, complete this exercise, unwind after the three breaths, and repeat as needed. You should pay close attention to your youngster and refrain from pressuring him or her to participate if they don’t feel comfortable doing so. Be patient and assist them in discovering the advantages of meditation. Once you have the hang of it, try to perform this exercise up to four more times. Kids under the age of three are best suited for this practice.

Use their favorite toy or cartoon character as a guide if it will help them with this breathing exercise. If it will assist your youngster to become enthusiastic about the procedure, you can adopt a silly voice or even dress up. Be original!

The “elevator” exercise is a fantastic one to do with kids ages 5 and above to help them focus on their breath:

• In order to complete the exercise, you and your child must visualize an elevator descending three levels.
• Consider for a moment that you are inside the elevator.
• Your head and chest make up the top floor. Your chest and stomach make up the following level. between your tummy and your seat is the final floor.
• You should see an elevator starting at your head and moving into your chest when you take your first breath. Say “three” when it touches your chest.
• Take a breath and pause.
• When you exhale again, imagine an elevator descending to the next floor until it hits your stomach.
• Count to two.
• Take a breather.
• Exhale as you see the elevator descending to the bottom floor and arriving at your seat location. Count to one.
• Relax.

You can create amusing elevator sound effects while you and your youngster envision the elevator going up or down to make the practice more entertaining and thrilling for them. Increase the elevator’s detail. Describe the elevator to your youngster: the sound it makes, exactly how it feels.

2. In the meditation activities, use your imagination.

Teaching your child how to enjoy meditation is the key to getting him to practice it. For the meditation exercise to be effective, you must incorporate stories and imagery since kids enjoy both. According to experts, this is one of the most effective methods for teaching youngsters to meditate.

Before beginning the meditation exercise, you may read your partner a favorite story and then introduce the main character. Even better, read a kid’s book about the subject to them at bedtime, like The Peaceful Piggy Meditation. Then, pretend to be meditating like the little piggies in the narrative while sitting up.

You can also think of a few entertaining elements they enjoy. You could, for instance, do the balloon exercise.

• Ask your youngster to visualize a massive balloon in their preferred color.
• After that, instruct them to visualize taking a deep breath in through their nose and filling their stomach with air to simulate trying to blow up a balloon.
• They will hold their breath until the balloon is fully inflated with air, at which point you can pop it by pressing your finger to their belly, causing the person to fall when they exhale.
• Kids will enjoy doing this engaging exercise. It can be used for children between the ages of 3 and 5.

You can include real people in the meditation practice for children who are 5 years old and older. Let’s look at an illustration of how to teach youngsters to meditate:

• Find a role model for them who is a leader. It might be their grandmother, best friend, or older brother.
• They can select the person they want to imagine if they so choose. Consider your best friend as an illustration.
• Ask them to picture their minds and breaths as close pals as well.
• His or her breath will serve as the leader as their best buddy, and their intellect will serve as them, the follower.
• Together, take a seat, and close your eyes.
• Focus entirely on the breath, then slow it down.
• Breathe in deeply and slowly out.
• The breath must be followed by the intellect.
• Ask them to visualize themselves as their best friend, the mind, following the breath.
• At the conclusion of each exhalation, count your breaths. The mind will want to count before the exhale is complete but resist the urge to do so. Keep your attention on being the follower.
• At the conclusion of each exhalation, slowly count to ten while letting your attention follow your breath.

This is a great practice for developing self-control and breath awareness. It is a great illustration of how to instruct kids in meditation.

3. Include aspects of nature in your meditation practices.

Use of nature in meditation exercises to make them simpler to learn and practice is another excellent form of meditation to explore. Here’s an illustration:

• You can contrast their emotions with the prognosis for the weather.
• Sit calmly together in a comfortable position.
• Ask them to close their eyes and consider their feelings.
• You can elicit useful information by asking questions like: How’s the atmosphere inside? You’re at ease, just like a sunny day. Or do you have a rainy feeling? What have you noticed?

After your child expresses their feelings to you, encourage them to accept them without attempting to modify them. Tell them to accept this situation for now and that their internal weather forecast will be accurate eventually. Negative thoughts will pass away, and emotions frequently shift.

They will be able to comprehend, accept, and have faith in the improvement of their mood after completing this activity.

Additionally, you can teach their focus by incorporating fascinating natural components. Here is another illustration of how to educate youngsters to meditate:

• You can ask children to observe and recall five aspects of nature as they travel to kindergarten or school in the morning. It might be a tree, a beautiful flower, or an avian in the sky.
• Encourage kids to recall these items’ distinguishing features, such as their color, shape, or stripes.
• Ask them about the components they selected and any specifics you know.
• Through this activity, they will learn how to experiment with reality unhindered and become more aware of their surroundings.
• Meditation depends on paying attention. Most individuals, even kids, are prone to get lost in their thoughts and emotions. Simply paying more attention during their daily activities is asked of them by this exercise.

Be patient while you learn to meditate.

It can be difficult for a parent to keep their child motionless during meditation, but with persistence and the appropriate techniques, you can get them involved.

There are many different types of meditation you may introduce kids to if you’re interested in teaching meditation to kids, but you should test them out to determine which ones suit your kid and your teaching style the best. You can check out the techniques we’ve given you above and tailor them to the interests, hobbies, and favorite items of your child.

When you start practicing meditation with your child, it’s crucial not to set any specific objectives. Enjoy the process, pay attention to them, and make it as enjoyable as you can to encourage enjoyment on their part. Additionally advantageous to you and your child’s bond, this is something else. It’s where you can start learning a lot about them and get closer to them.

It’s crucial to pay attention to your child and figure out how to get them interested in meditation. For instance, if they appear restless and have trouble sitting down, you can let them stand on their preferred cushion. They will be encouraged to stay comfortably by this decision, which will make the environment friendly.

Both the parent and the child can benefit from meditation in a number of ways. Consider these activities learning opportunities for you both, and take pleasure in your time together. Together, practice the meditation techniques, and while you’re instructing him, try to unwind yourself as well. Make it a routine so that you can both rest and unwind after a long day. It can be difficult at first, but with experience and workouts, you’ll both learn to relax, regulate your thoughts, and breathe while sharing wonderful moments.

If you want to read more meditation information, the links below here belong to you:

Deeply Breathing: How it reduces your stress