Mindfulness Meditation for Children

How do you explain mindfulness to a child?

Mindfulness means paying full attention to something. It means slowing down to really notice what you are doing.

Being mindful is the opposite of rushing or multitasking. When you are mindful, you are taking your time. You are focusing in a relaxed, easy way.

Mindfulness happens naturally sometimes. Let’s say you’re getting ready to take a shot in basketball. You carefully position your feet at the line. You look up at the hoop and feel the ball in your hands. Taking your time, you bounce the ball a couple of times. You tune out all the other sounds and take your shot. Swoosh — yes! Nicely done.

That calm focus, that way of paying attention to what you are doing, taking your time, taking it easy, — that’s being mindful! And being mindful just helped you take your best shot.

Why do children need mindfulness?

Being mindful helps you:

• pay attention better
• be less distractible
• learn more
• stay calm under stress
• avoid getting too upset about things
• slow down instead of rushing
• listen better to others
• be more patient
• get along better
• feel happier and enjoy things more