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Help your child to control their thoughts by making Mindful Minutes a routine. Your step-by-step guide on why, how and when to take a Mindful Minute with your child.
Learn
Picture this – A child’s brain is like a monkey swinging from vine to vine; their thoughts jump around constantly. A child thinks between 12,000 and 50,000 thoughts a day! That’s exhausting.
Giving them a Mindful Minute – to focus on something other than their thoughts – gives their brains time to rest and recharge. Teaching a child to calm their mind (and body) through mindfulness:
- Improves self-regulation.
- Improves focus, one of the mental skills for which executive function is responsible.
- Empowers them to control their thoughts, instead of letting their thoughts control them.
The more frequently your child practices Mindful Minutes (not necessarily for longer durations), the more your child will learn to control their thoughts. Frequent, short practices are most effective.
Do
How to Take a Mindful Minute with Your Child
- Ask your child to sit comfortably (in a chair, on the floor or on a cushion). Guide your child so that they can focus on your voice.
- Tell them to close their eyes or look down at their lap.
- Tell your child to imagine a zipper is being pulled up their back to keep their backs strong and tall.
- Start the timer for one minute.
- You can start with one minute and gradually build up to five minutes or more over time.
- Ask your child to inhale deeply through their nose and exhale slowly through their mouth.
- Ask them to notice how their breath feels as it leaves their body.
- Ask them to tune in to what their breath ‘sounds’ like.
- Talk them through different body parts and ask them to notice how each one feels. For example:
- “Lift your shoulders to your ears and then drop them down and relax them.”
- “Wiggle your fingers in your lap, then relax them.”
- “Wiggle your toes in your shoes, then relax them.”
- “Feel your belly button dip down low, and then fill up like a balloon.”
- When the minute is over, ask your child to open their eyes or look up. Ask them how they felt during that minute and listen openly and intentionally to their answers. You may very well be surprised by what you hear!
When to Take Mindful Minutes?
Some like to take Mindful Minutes after breakfast, some before bedtime, others before bath time. Others do it weekly but at a routine time (e.g., every Friday after lunch or every Sunday before dinner). You know your child best, and you’re the best person to decide. The most important things are to:
- Be consistent
- Be quick (but intentional)
- Avoid making it a chore or punishment
Lani Rosen-Gallagher, TEACHER + EARLY CHILDHOOD PROFESSIONAL + PARENT
Lani is the Founder and Head Yogi of Full of Joy Yoga, a yoga studio for young children and families. Lani has a Master’s in early childhood education from Lesley University and holds numerous yoga certificates. As a former elementary school teacher with a deep passion for yoga, Lani has taught children in Boston, Brooklyn, Nairobi, San Francisco and Connecticut. She is also the creator of Mindful Yoga Breaks, which offers tools and techniques for teachers.
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