Want to learn a powerful, simple tool that will help your kid for the rest of their lives AND make parenting during challenging times a little bit easier? (Of course you do!)
Let’s talk about teaching mindfulness to your kid by disguising it as something that sounds cool and fun! (If you aren’t familiar with mindfulness practices, here’s a brief article about how YOU could be using mindfulness for yourself).
Your kid, regardless of age, has a lot on their plate. They are constantly experiencing new concepts (“what’s the Corona virus?”), growing their vocabulary (“what does ‘endangered’ mean?), observing and trying things for the first time (“what’s an artichoke?”), and learning to maneuver their big emotions (“I don’t know why I’m angry, I just am”). It’s a miracle they are as stable as they are!
With so much new stimulus, it is incredibly anchoring for your kid to have mindful exercises in their tool chest.
The purpose of mindfulness is to pause, calm down their system, allows themselves to connect with how they are feelings, relax, and experience the moment. Sounds useful, right? But how to you get young kids to buy in?
Trick them! 😉
Instead of calling it Mindfulness, call them “Awesomeness Exercises” and throw in a few fun things that keep them engaged while still delivering all the primary benefits (High five’s to sneaky parents everywhere!
Here’s 8 simple exercises that we did with our kids (feel free to add your own ideas to this list, we don’t mind!)
1 – Stretch it out! – Lay on the floor on your belly, lift your head up and arch your back. Give it a good stretch.
2 – Criss-Cross Apple Sause – Cross your legs in the traditional meditation pose and take a few deep breaths.
3 – Ninja Balance – Have your kids stand on one foot for 5 seconds, then switch to the other for 5 second. Extent the time as needed.
4 – Karate Punches – Have them throw a few “air punches”. These are awesomeness exercises afterall!
5 – Positivity Mantra – Make eye contact and have everyone say “I’m going to be the most positive person I meet today” to each other one at a time.
6 – Act of Kindness – We usually give each other a hug.
7 – Win the morning, win the day – We did our awesomeness exercises in the morning, so we have the kids make their beds to complete the session.
8 – High Fives – Always good to end with words of affirmation and a good high five or fist bump.
You’ve got this! #superparent
