Meditation for Children

It may seem like an impossible task to get your busy child to sit still and meditate. The key, say many teachers, is to start small, just a few minutes. And just as with adults, try alternative styles or perhaps download a guided meditation or relaxing music onto their MP3/4 player...with their permission!

“If you want your children to feel more relaxed and less stressed, give them silence, not iPods”, reports Shirley Lancaster in the Guardian.co.uk  (1.11.11) This thought came to her mind after attending a conference in London on the benefits of allowing children to experience regular periods of silent meditation in the classroom. The conference was presented by two Australian educationalists, Ernie Christie and Dr Cathy Day, who have implemented the practice of Christian meditation in schools throughout one diocese in Queensland, Australia. 

Children who were interviewed in Australia said meditation helped them to feel "relaxed" or more "peaceful". One boy said it helped his thoughts "just settle"; one girl enjoyed being "quiet".

Ernie Christie’s website about teaching Christian meditation to children is full of helpful and practical ways to teach children to meditate. Even if you are not a Christian the ideas and concepts he discusses can be put to use to help teach children from other faiths or non-denominational situations. 

And if you want more proof that it is possible to teach children to meditate read this inspiring article written by Michelle Teasdale for The Independent Newspaper (June 4, 2010):

Mummy, can we meditate now? How relaxation exercises can help your child to sleep.

Like most parents of small children, I was having major problems at bedtime. Until last Christmas, when I slipped a CD of guided meditations into her stocking, along with a bit of wishful thinking.

At first, I tried playing the CD during the day, but she was too busy playing to take notice of it. So I made it part of the bedtime routine: after the stories I would turn the light off, put the CD on, and leave the room. And five months later, our evenings are much calmer.

It started with the disappearance of the bedtime wrangling, but there have been other benefits, too.

Elise is less frustrated with things when they don't go her way or when she gets something wrong, which before would have been a source of tension and much shouting and screaming on her part.

Knowing that the fidget-capacity of small children is high, I was pleased to discover that for very young children meditation proper does not necessarily mean sitting still with their eyes closed, as an adult would. If using a mantra, as in Transcendental Meditation (TM), they can say their 'word of wisdom' with their eyes open, even as they walk to school or play with Lego.

So as Elise drops off listening to her guided visualisations, I enjoy the silence and remember the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson: "There was never a child so lovely but his mother was glad to get him to sleep."  

To read the complete article click here

Many meditation teachers and gurus encourage their adult students to be more like children; in so doing they learn to meditate quickly and without expectation or self-criticism.

At first you will need to sit with your child and meditate with them; this could be a good starting point for you too! Make a special place for you and your child to meditate; it could be a clutter-free corner of a bedroom, a warm corner of the garden, a quiet spot in the lounge. A special place helps to keep the meditation regular...if there are no barriers to meditating it will (eventually) happen without effort and you will find your child turning to meditation on their own.

• Here's a simple but effective Children's Meditation Series
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• Read about Mindfulness Meditation for Children and how Kung Fu Panda might be able to explain all!

"Stress may contribute to childhood depression, anxiety, phobias, learning disabilities, ADHD and physical illness,"(Jan 25, 2010 The Ridgefield Press) Read more here

You'll find some Amazon recommendations, specific to Meditation for children, in the link below: