Teaching Mindfulness to Kids

“My hope and wish is that one day, formal education will pay attention to what I call education of the heart. Just as we take for granted the need to acquire proficiency in the basic academic subjects, I am hopeful that a time will come when we can take it for granted that children will learn, as part of the curriculum, the indispensability of inner values: love, compassion, justice, and forgiveness.”
- Dalai Lama

The idea that we adults can give children the life skill to relax, to be conscious of their relationship to the world, to breath through difficult emotions, to be present, to be emotional intelligent, in other words, to be mindful is incredibly powerful. Think about it. Teaching a child to breath through anxiety, frustration, anger and many other emotions will help him be a better communicator and in the end a better person.

mindfulnesspinnable Teaching Mindfulness to Kids

We don’t have to be Zen Buddhists to bring this “education of the heart” into our homes and classrooms. Here are a few ways how:

Begin and end each day together by reading one of these children’s books on being mindful with your child

Create stillness in your environment

Practice yoga together. The ABCs of Yoga for Kids Learning Cards are an excellent home and classroom tool.

Read A Pebble for Your Pocket. Go on a “mission” to find that pebble or stone for your child to carry with him.

Before eating a snack, let’s say an apple, pause together with you child and say out loud: “This is an apple. It grew from a seed into a tree. It was picked from a tree. It is red. It is sweet. It is delicious,” or something like those words. Cut the apple open: “These are the seeds.” The point is to be more present with your eating, to appreciate food in all its goodness and the fact that, like us, it is nothing short of a miracle.

Touch the earth by planting a garden with your children, simply go on a walk and get your hands dirty or feel the grass

I hope you enjoyed this post today. Thank you for stopping by. Please leave a comment, I love hearing from you. Subscribe to our eNewsletter. You’ll receive highlights once a week straight to your inbox. I also have a Parenting with Presence Pinterest Board. Thanks for inspiring me.

Marnie

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Marnie Craycroft

Founder, Publisher, Writer & Editor at Carrots Are Orange, Inc.

Marnie began Carrots Are Orange in 2010 after the birth of her first son. Carrots Are Orange is a Montessori inspired homeschooling blog for parents and educators. She hails from Maine, a wonderfully down to earth place to grow up. Marnie moved to the west coast in 1999, currently living in Seattle with her husband and two young boys. She is pursuing Montessori certification.