Many people, including myself, are witnessing the useful and positive effects of mindfulness:
- Reducing stress levels
- Improving concentration and organization
- Controlling emotions
Why not introduce and teach our children the importance of a healthy mind and how to achieve these positive effects? We definitely want our children to be focused on their tasks and calm in and outside of the classroom. It is easier than ever to achieve these effects thanks to the range of digital tools at our fingertips that can introduce our children to a world of calm, mindfulness, and emotional maturity. Mindfulness meditation has been shown to be particularly helpful for improving sleep outcomes, emotion regulation, and well-being in children. They also experienced improvements in attention and conflict in schools. (Wilson et al. 2020).
Headspace app is a very popular mindfulness and mediation app for adults; however, they also have Headspace for Kids, which I believe is the best app for children of all ages. Headspace for Kids guides children through each step. It is structured around five themes (calm, focus, kindness, sleep, and wake up). Each theme has programs for three age groups based on breathing exercises, visualizations (my personal favorite), and focus-based meditation. The animation and visualization help engage kids accompanied by a very soothing guiding voice.
Do you use any meditation app or a mindfulness technique? How important do you think meditation is for our children’s mental health and performance in school?
Wilson, N. A., Kenny, M. A., & Peña, A. S. (2020). Role of meditation to improve children’s health: Time to look at other strategies. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health. https://doi.org/10.1111/jpc.15275