Teaching Mindfulness to Children
Welcome to Part 2 of Practicing Mindfulness! Here is a recap of the first part of this series: Mindfulness is the act of being present in the current moment. Being free of worry about the past or the future and concentrating on the present! This includes paying attention to the environment around you as well as your internal state of being. Research has shown many benefits to practicing mindfulness including but not limited to change in thought patterns, increased self-management skills (i.e. organizational skills, controlling one’s actions, etc.), increased focus, improved mental health and well-being, being more relaxed, and self-acceptance. So why not teach our children to practice mindfulness especially when it may be needed the most….during a global pandemic?!
The next logical question is….how do I teach mindfulness to my child? It is important to individualize the practice so that it is best suited for your child. Hooker and Fodor (2008) in the article Teaching Mindfulness to Children, suggest starting with more concrete activities before progressing to more abstract and imaginative activities. This can be achieved by focusing on awareness of the external environment, then bringing attention to the physical body, followed by activities that focus on the mind including thoughts about the activity and potentially meditation.
A great way to teach the concept of practicing mindfulness is to teach your child to bring their awareness to the environment around them. The following activities can bring your child’s attention to the awareness of their surroundings and help them to notice what they are aware of and what they are not aware of; therefore, showing them the importance of paying attention in the moment. Mindfulness can be achieved through the senses (seeing, hearing, tasting, feeling, smelling) as well as focusing on what thoughts one has during an activity.
During a specific activity, ask your child to stop what they are doing and to pay attention to their senses. What do they see? Hear? Smell? What emotions are they feeling while doing the task? Also, ask them what they were thinking about during the task? Were they focused on the task or did they have distracting thoughts? Is it difficult to focus on the current activity? Here are some suggested activities where your child can practice mindfulness: baking cookies, doing laundry, washing dishes, doing homework, going on a walk, taking a bath or a shower, reading a book, etc.
By: Steffany Hoffman, M.A., BCBA
