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3 Ways to Instill Mindfulness & Meditation into Your Children (Plus a FREE Giveaway!)

September 09, 2015 3 min read

We hope you love this guest blog post by Licia Morelli, an internationally recognized clairvoyant psychic, intuition expert, speaker, media personality and published author.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Let's be honest, this back-to-school time of year is quite the adjustment for parents and kiddos alike. No matter how seasoned you are at the car pool schedule or packing the perfect lunch, we all need as much help as we can get. 

 

So, I decided it was time to help out our kiddos with some of the same tips and tools that have helped me in my day-to-day. Why should the benefits of Mindfulness and Meditation be reserved for seasoned yogis or start-up CEOs? Reduced stress, improved quality of sleep and better ability to focus is completely the bomb-diggety for everyone - no prerequisite required! 

 

Here are my most favey-fave strategies to help instill Mindfulness and Meditation into the lives of your kiddos. Be sure to try some of these out for yourself, beacuse we can all benefit from a calm mind - especially when checking math homework. (Really.)

 

1. Let It Go

(And, I had just gotten that song out of my head...) You can guide your kiddos on how to sit and the best ways to focus on their breathing, but they may still complain about the smell of your favorite meditation candle or refuse to close their eyes. Just let it go, press on, and let them see you practice – it will begin to rub off on them and the added benefit will be more mindful around your practice.

 

2. Cultivate the Now
Children live very in-the-moment, present lives – which is a benefit in teaching them meditation practices – but remember, they’re still kids. So, work to cultivate their "now" and make it a game! Lie on the floor (feel free to make it nest-y with pillows), and see who can take the deepest breath – their understanding will grow as they practice with you. Bonus: fifteen minutes of focused breath will help you, too. (Check out this blast from the past, where I explain more about simple ideas on how to help teach mindfulness to kids!)

 

 

3. Teach It
Read stories that focus on messages of mindfulness that make it easy to help your children get excited while learning these new skills. My brand new anytime story book "The Lemonade Hurricane: A Story of Mindfulness and Meditation" makes it easy to share mindfulness and meditation with any child in your life! This book was inspired by my very own kiddos and is also the tool that I used to help them begin their own mindfulness practice. 

There you have it - the 3 tips to help you teach your kids Mindfulness & Meditation! Now, go forth and instill Mindfulness & Meditation into your kiddos and please let me know how it goes!

 


*GIVEAWAY* Comment with your favorite way to practice mindfulness with your children and be entered to win a copy of Licia's brand-new anytime story book, "The Lemonade Hurricane"! 

 

 

Licia has recently released her first children’s book, The Lemonade Hurricane: A Story of Mindfulness and Meditation, from Tilbury House Publishers. She is the resident psychic on morning drive radio at the 92 Moose morning show and has been a featured blogger in elephant journal and Tiny Buddha. Licia is also the founder of The House of Woo – 4 Weeks to Recognize Your Own Psychic Hits to Get Ahead in Business & Life, and loves teaching people how to listen to – and trust – their intuition on a daily basis (even if it means she may work herself out of a job.)

25 Responses

Licia
Licia

September 22, 2015

Congratulations, Kate B! You are the winner of a free copy of The Lemonade Hurricane: A Story of Mindfulness and Meditation! Thank you all for joining in – I LOVE reading all the comments :) xo Licia Morelli

elizabeth
elizabeth

September 16, 2015

These are some good tips.

Cheryl W
Cheryl W

September 15, 2015

I have been trying to let things go and leave the situation for a few minutes when I feel myself starting to lose control.

Alayne Langford
Alayne Langford

September 15, 2015

What a wonderful idea for a children’s book! My daughter suffers from anxiety and she uses a CD that she listens to that helps her to breathe properly and to let it go. I use meditation daily so I like to teach my kids as well how to relax :)

Annie olcese
Annie olcese

September 15, 2015

I have a 2.5 year old daughter and I know she coppies all that I say and do- the good and the bad. At this age children learn primarily by example, so I need to be mindful of my own behavior. I also think she takes a lot in from books.

Nicole Sender
Nicole Sender

September 15, 2015

I like to lead by example and teach ways to relax. Being quiet and observing the birds and squirrels in our yard is one way to learn how to be calm and thoughtful..

Danielle F.
Danielle F.

September 15, 2015

I’ll be practicing mindfulness with my child by helping them verbalize/journal their inner voice. Clarity becomes more evident once our internal voice is external.

Bonnie
Bonnie

September 15, 2015

My oldest is only 1.5, so we do story time, we relax in the yard- take a few breaths and she goes “ahh”. I ask her to take a breath and use words, which usually works well.

Jen
Jen

September 15, 2015

I speak with a calm voice , ‘lets calm down and use words’

Ally Smith
Ally Smith

September 15, 2015

By talking everything through such as how we are feeling or why they are upset. I’ve found this has helped tremendously in staying calmer & understanding our children.

Christa Lopez
Christa Lopez

September 15, 2015

I try to teach them things with a lot of patience and understanding.

Jessica L.
Jessica L.

September 15, 2015

We take a moment to think of another way to word things (esp. with my oldest talking to my youngest). We especially practice using a kinder tone and talk about how the original bit would make the younger kiddo feel, while also trying to acknowledge my oldest’s feelings. We also appreciate Daniel Tiger’s tips (for me and my oldest), “If you get so mad that you want to roar, take a deep breath and count to four. One. Two. Three. Four.”

Danielle
Danielle

September 15, 2015

Leading by example…Exercising and taking deep breaths helps us!

Marnie Bergstrom
Marnie Bergstrom

September 15, 2015

We have been deep breathing for a while now. We learned it as part of my daughters brain balance program and it helps. I didn’t really think of it as mindfulness but it makes sense.

Kristin Arnold
Kristin Arnold

September 15, 2015

I have taught my girls to just remove themselves from stressful situations and just count to ten slowly while concentrating on their breathing before attempting to handle the situation. This way, something hurtful doesn’t get said in a time of stress. We are also working on letting things go. This is my big struggle. I stew over things too much, which affects many aspects of life, but especially my sleep.

ameirah
ameirah

September 14, 2015

my girl breathes when upset or sometimes songs, she is 3, & loves to stretch, but do not call it yoga.. LOL. we got a drum too, for concentration & distraction to situations. I meditate so hoping she copies, she copies everything else.

Anel W
Anel W

September 12, 2015

My LO is 9 months old, but I practice mindfulness by keeping calm around him in high times of stress, in hopes of teaching him to remain calm even when things are rough!

Kendra
Kendra

September 12, 2015

I’m not able to practice mindfulness yet with my 13 month old. I saw great effects helping my patients utilize it in anxiety-provoking or painful medical interventions, however, so I’d love to instill the practice at home from at early age.

Jenny B
Jenny B

September 12, 2015

By being immersed outdoors.

alex
alex

September 11, 2015

i like doing 5 -10 minute relaxation stories/music with my two. sometimes before bed it’s needed. i’d like to do it more routinely but that doesn’t always happen.

laura revila
laura revila

September 11, 2015

we love yoga

Sara Davis
Sara Davis

September 11, 2015

I think we focus the most of mindful and relaxing when my daughter is really upset. She’s 3, and so she has her moments…When she starts getting really upset, we take turns singing a song from Daniel Tiger. I sing it (or my husband sings it), then she sings it. The end of the song includes counting and deep breathing. By the end, she is always calm and focused.

vanessa clay-mcentire
vanessa clay-mcentire

September 10, 2015

We do yoga together before bed.

Kate B
Kate B

September 10, 2015

Great post! I practice deep breathing with my daughter at bedtime each night, and sometimes I tell her a story that is a guided meditation that encourages her to be aware of her breath and the feeling of her body coming into a restful state. It helps subdue any lingering anxieties from the day so she can drift peacefully off to sleep. Thanks for sharing your tips. Looking forward to reading this book!

Sarah Elyce
Sarah Elyce

September 10, 2015

Our daughter is young (10 months) but the best way for me to practice mindfulness with her is to be present with her instead of being caught up with other things. I also try to practice a version of breastfeeding meditation at times. :)

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