Why Mindfulness For Kids Is So Important

Inside: Why is mindfulness for kids so important? We will tell you all the ooey-gooey benefits of raising mindful kids.

“Imagine who you want your kids to become, be that.”

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Mindfulness, which is simply a technique to pay attention to the present moment, is being taught worldwide and increasingly to children!

It’s a hot topic…

…and for a good reason, from the moment we are born, mindfulness can keep anxiety and stress under control and promote a happy life.

Emotional regulation and anxiety are big challenges for many kids. Having practiced (and shared) mindfulness for the past ten years, I wondered if it might help kids too.

It turns out, it was, it is!

BIG TIME!

And I’m going to tell you why mindfulness is so important for ALL kids.

Why Mindfulness is So Important for Kids in 2021

When I grew up I was never allowed to be angry, or sad, or worried.

We kept these “negative” feelings inside.

And the problem is…

…these feelings got pushed down, and when you push down all your emotions, they are still there, eating away at you.

And over time they even start to grow and when they build up, that’s when we get lost in our thoughts, missing the present moment completely.

Trina Markusson who wrote  “Good Morning Sunshine”  states, “We have so many perfect moments we miss each day because we’re stuck in thoughts that can take us away from the present moment. If we spend our time thinking about the future or replaying past hurts, we’re missing what’s going on in the present moment,” she goes on to explain, “Our bodies react to those stressful thoughts with headaches, tummy aches, and tense muscles.”

Stressful thoughts always snowball, and the statistics for kids turning to drugs and suicide are staggering. 70 percent of mental health cases are reported to begin during childhood.

Whether you believe mindfulness can or can not help, one thing I can guarantee is it won’t hurt.

Let’s look at this in a little more detail.

Present Moment Goodness

Last weekend I watched my niece, nephew, and son jumping on a trampoline, and aside from gripping the edge of my seat (trampolines make me nervous — and with good reason), I listened to their squeals of glee filling the air as they bounced up and down shouting, “Cannonball.” And what I realized is that kids already have this natural ability to live in the present moment.

It’s wonderful, and I don’t know about you, but it makes me smile.

Similarly, when my son colors or paints, his focus is stronger than a sooty shearwater bird (which is, according to National Geographic, the most focused animal on the planet).

And this focus and this ability to live in the present moment is the essence of mindfulness. It’s what mindfulness is all about.

What is Mindfulness?

Let’s look at the definition of mindfulness from Mindful Org:

“Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us.” Mindful Org

If we break down this sentence, we can see that most kids are definitely nailing the first part of this definition. Kids are more often than not fully present. In a sense, they are little living-in-the-moment pros, and we could learn a lot by observing and modeling their behavior. Kids are curious by nature, keen to learn and explore life.

But in another sense kids are falling short in the second part of the definition.

…not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us.

*Ahem.*

I don’t know about your kids, but my son is DEFINITELY reactive and OFTEN overwhelmed by what’s going on around him. Seriously, if he gets a green plate instead of a red one for breakfast, he shouts in dismay, “THAT’S NOT MY FAVORITE COLOR.”  It’s full-on meltdown mode.

What we can take from all this is that kids, in fact, are already practicing mindfulness, but their practice is a little rough around the edges, and they could use our help sanding the pointy parts.

Recommended Resources: Mindful Kids and Big Life Journal

How Mindfulness Helps Kids

We are in an unprecedented era where our kids are anxious, feel the need to be perfect, and are lacking in connected relationships.

Kids can tire easily, become distracted and restless, and in this day and age, they have no time to just “be.”  Kids need to take a timeout; Goldie Hawn of MindUp calls this a “brain break.”  Mrs. Hawn states, “When I began The Hawn Foundation in 2003, I knew that I had to do something to remedy the stress and anxiety children were experiencing. Every child deserves an equal chance to thrive.”

Now more than ever we need to teach our kids a different way of being.

Recommended: Modeling mindfulness to your kids is essential to get started. If you are new to mindfulness yourself, read up on the basics here.

How Mindfulness Can Help…

We talked a bit above about kids being explosive and often overwhelmed by what’s going on around them. And mindfulness is an amazing tool to help kids deal with these tough and confusing emotions, but having said that, we can’t expect that a toddler won’t be reactive; they haven’t developed emotional regulation yet.

But what we can expect through a mindfulness practice is lessened outbursts and more emotional awareness. And the best part is that as they grow older, we’ve equipped them with valuable life skills and tools to calmly and effectively deal with emotions and stress.

Another reason mindfulness is so darn important for children is because as they grow, they start to lose that curious, innocent zest for life that all kids seem to have. (A sad day, I know!) Living in the present moment is traded in for iPad’s and cell phones. (Anyone else struggling with Fortnite right now?!) Teaching kids the skills of mindfulness early will lessen their attachment to their devices.

Just a Few of the Many Benefits of Mindfulness for Children

Emerging research suggests (click here to peruse a study on mindfulness in the classroom):

• Mindfulness will increase focus and improve attention span
• Help regulate emotions. Kids can learn to respond more thoughtfully and mindfully
• Teach our children to make better decisions
• Nurture relationships
• Grow kindness and compassion
• Improve communication with everyone around them, including you!

The Real World

What does this translate to in your child’s actual real life? Kids will learn to focus better, which will result in better performance on tests and improved sports abilities. They will develop meaningful relationships with you and with their friends; they will nurture kindness and compassion and learn at an early age to live in the moment and express gratitude.

So yes, I’d say mindfulness is important. (And the good news, it’s free.)

Early Habits

Children are exceptionally susceptible to mindfulness as habits form early in life (under 5), and these habits will carry forward into adulthood. What a gift we can give our children, a gift of peace, kindness, and acceptance.

What’s important is that we instill and practice mindfulness techniques every single day, even when you feel busy and tired; that’s usually when it’s most beneficial and important.

“For children, mindfulness can offer relief from whatever difficulties they might be encountering in life,” said Annaka Harris, an author who teaches mindfulness to children. “It also gives them the beauty of being in the present moment.”

How to Teach Mindfulness

There are many techniques to begin to teach your kids mindfulness. Some popular ones are belly breathing, focusing on our five senses, watchful walks, expressing gratitude, and acknowledging our emotions.

If you are looking for our comprehensive ultimate guide to mindfulness for children, it includes EVERYTHING from talking to your kids about mindfulness, mindfulness exercises for kids, and so much more.

Next week’s blog post will be on how to teach your kids the basics of mindfulness (at any age). This will give you sound exercises and tips to easily teach your kids about mindfulness. And it’s never too early to start.

One simple exercise I perform with my son almost nightly, it to place his favorite stuffy on his stomach (right now it’s his P.J Masks cat), have your little one breathe, and watch the stuffy moving up and down. Then, you can “rock” the stuffy to sleep.

Another favorite of ours is to go for a “watchful walk” where we notice sights, sounds, smells, and take time at the park to listen, look, and name what we see.

For children who are a little older, you can start a gratitude practice at the dinner table (and dinner should be distraction-free).

And most importantly, allow your child to feel their emotions. Don’t try to make them go away. If we acknowledge the emotion, breathe and invite it in, it won’t remain in our bodies. Instead, it will dissipate (usually very quickly) just like a powerful storm.

Mindfulness experts suggest that you “treat your feelings like a guest on your doorstep and invite them in!”

Challenges are present from the day we open our eyes. Babies need constant care, toddlers are grappling with language, motor skills, and emotional regulation, and as kids grow up, you know what they say, small kid…small problems, big kid… big problems.

At each stage of development, mindfulness is a wonderful resource for managing stress, instilling confidence and self-esteem, and increasing peace of mind. We all strive to be the best parents we can be, which is an A+ plan for your child’s future.

Wait! More Mindfulness for Kids…

Get your hands on the FULL VERSION of my eBook Mighty Mindful for Kids, which includes a whopping 40 exercises (25 mindfulness exercises (plus 15 bonus exercises), pro tips, and a color-coded, organized template that you can print out and put into a binder.  Please click here.

Mindfulness is like a superpower. And when you teach these skills to your kids? That’s when you can slap an “S” on your chest… ….because you and your kids will be unstoppable (think calm, happy, resilient kids). And now you can have parenting superpowers: Introducing Mighty Mindful Kids, the one-of-a-kind printable mindfulness eBook for kids ages 2 to 10!  

Don’t miss out — get the colorful Ebook now and start this life-changing journey with your kids. It costs less than a couple of Starbucks coffees. Can you afford not to?

Two additional resources I recommend for kids to start a mindfulness practice:

For kids older than five I love the  Big Life Journal.

This guided journal incorporates reading, expressive writing, and critical thinking while teaching social and emotional learning and growth mindset skills.

Growth mindset activities help children recognize their ability to learn and motivates them to harness the power of their own mind. It can help children learn to embrace challenges, to persevere, and how to grow from mistakes and failures.

This guided children’s journal is broken down into 26 weeks with each week covering a new theme or topic including:

• Make a Difference in the World
• Dream Big
• Follow Your Heart
• You Are Not What You Have
• Believe in Yourself
• Take Action
• Be Persistent
• Effort is Key
• Love Learning
• Be Mindful
• Be Grateful
• Failure is Learning
• Be Positive

I’m in love with this journal! Check it out here.

The second resource I highly recommend is Mindful Kids. This is the exact book I used to get my son started with mindfulness when he was diagnosed with ASD.

Mindful Kids contains includes 50 cards with creative mindfulness games, visualizations, and exercises divided into 5 categories to help children feel grounded, find calm, improve focus, practice loving-kindness and relax.

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