Mindfulness Storytime for Children: I Am Peace by Susan Verde

Mindfulness is the practice of bringing our attention to the present moment. It often focuses on the use of the five senses to draw our awareness to the present in an effort to cultivate an awareness of life from moment to moment. It can be done formally through dedicated meditation time or informally in the moment as we transition or move through life.

Why teach mindfulness to children?

While we often focus on mindfulness as adults to combat the stresses of the world, it is becoming more and more important to also teach these techniques to our children. Children are facing more and more modern-day stressors than ever before, particularly with the pervasiveness of technology in their lives. As such kids are becoming more sensitive to stress and anxiety (or anxious thoughts) and do not necessarily have the tools to self-regulate.

Additionally, there is research that shows that teaching children mindfulness techniques can help develop the prefrontal cortex of the brain, which in turn positively impacts functions such as:

• regulating emotions
• decision-making
• empathy

Not to mention that mindfulness can increase children's resilience and flexibility to change. As such, teaching mindfulness techniques can benefit kids (and adults!) of all ages and abilities.

What might you see after teaching children mindfulness techniques?

Children who learn mindfulness start to develop a shared language for self-awareness and self-regulation. This can be helpful for behaviour management, as you will be able to guide your child through big emotions using a common language.

It has also been shown that children have a greater alertness for learning and more skills to focus their attention to the task at hand. Not to mention that children show greater empathy towards others!

There are many reasons to help children learn mindfulness. This story is a great starting point to helping provide your children with the tools they need. 

Do you have any favourite mindfulness techniques you use with your children? Leave us your suggestion in the comments!