Meditation for Kids: Benefits & Guide
Published on March 9, 2020 – Last Updated on March 29, 2022
There is a great deal of information about meditation, and it’s good for you. But did you know meditation is also great for kids? Meditation can help your children live a calmer, more centered life.
Kids and Stress: What is it and how our meditations for kids will help yours?
In today’s world, kids are under more stress than they ever have been. A survey done by WebMD found that 72% of kids are stressed, and 62% of those have physical symptoms such as headaches. In this article, you will find beneficial information about the benefits of meditation for kids and how it can alleviate their stress levels. Teaching your children mindfulness and meditation will help them face the daily challenges he faces with ease.
There are a variety of things that are causing kids to stress these days:
School
Remember the days when you went to school, did your lessons and had a few pages of homework? Schools today are different. Schools have higher expectations for their students. Many require kids to map out a career path before they even get to high school, saying they will be left behind if they don’t. Most kids need more time to figure out what they want to do in life.
Many schools have state academic standards they are trying to meet, and they push their students to learn the material with heavy homework loads so they can rank top in their state, which is determined by special exams. Unfortunately, this type of performance testing is causing stress among kids and teens alike. Our children’s meditation app will help your kid manage stress from a young age; this way, he will never feel overwhelmed by daily school problems.
A survey done by the American Psychological Association (APA) found that 45% of kids were stressed out by school pressure and workloads. Teen stress equals the stress adults feel.
Social Media
Social media is a way of life for most kids. Social media allows kids to see what their friends are doing through pictures. So they know if they are not invited to something like a birthday party. So many kids feel left out because their friends are doing things without them.
Because most teens have cell phones or tablets, social media and media, in general, allow kids to be exposed to more adult content, both violent and sexual, at a younger age.
Another growing issue with social media is bullying. Kids and teens are being bullied and teased on social media. Not only does it cause stress, but it can also cause depression and anxiety.
Stacked Schedules
Many kids have as busy a schedule as their parents. There’s school, after-school programs, sports, music, etc., that kids need to worry about going to. On top of that, there are doctor’s appointments and family obligations. Kids don’t just come home anymore and relax; they have to worry about where they are supposed to be next.
Don’t Get Enough Sleep
According to the National Sleep Foundation, many parents report that after-school activities and homework interfere with their kids getting enough sleep. Electronic devices in the bedroom are another culprit that robs kids and teens of about an hour’s worth of sleep. So if your kid is having trouble falling asleep, you should check out our children’s bedtime stories & meditations from inside our app.
Signs That Your Child May Be Stressed
It’s normal for kids to experience stress. However, if the stress begins to disrupt your child’s life, it becomes a problem. Here are some symptoms you may notice if your child is experiencing more than the usual amount of stress:
- Withdrawing from friends
- Changes with grades and school performance
- Acting more moodier or irritable than normal
- Change in eating or sleeping pattern
- Frequent headaches
- Stomach pain
- Getting sick more often
If these symptoms sound familiar, it’s time to connect with your child regularly. Your child or teen may need to talk. Kids worry it’s natural. If the problem seems to be more serious, such as persistent stress or physical issues, seek counseling. Helping your child learn meditation and mindfulness from a young age will benefit him as an adult.
Solutions for Stressed-out Kids: Meditations & Bedtime stories
You can do a few things to help your kids be resilient.
Eat Healthy
Eating healthy is an essential component of managing stress. Make sure your child eats a proper diet with plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Eating right gives your body the fuel to handle stressful situations, and the antioxidants in vegetables help keep the immune system strong.
Sleep
Not getting enough sleep affects stress levels. Sleep is the body’s time to heal and prepare for the challenges of the next day. When kids don’t get enough sleep, they can have trouble focusing at school, causing their grades to falter.
Meditation for Kids
Like adults, meditation is a great way to give your kids an outlet and help them manage stress. You might be wondering if kids will be open to meditation. The answer is yes! Even when they are little, they practice mindfulness.
Have you ever watched a toddler eat? They pick up their food, examine it, smell it and then put it in their mouth. When they eat, you’ll also notice that they may move it around their mouth for several seconds before they chew and swallow. This is mindfulness! It’s easier for kids to get themselves in a mindful state than we adults who have preconceived notions about everything.
Although not heavily studied like meditation for adults. Many schools recognize the value of meditation for kids. For example, the Compassion for Kids Project in Louisville, Kentucky, has begun taking a holistic approach to education by integrating mindful meditation for kids into its education plan.
Children will learn to relax through meditations and bedtime stories
A pilot children’s meditation test was done in the San Franciso School District that incorporated 30 minutes of quiet reflection time for their students over four years. To make up for the 30 minutes of academic time lost, schools extended the school day during the pilot for 30 minutes. Not expecting much to happen, they experienced incredible results. During this time, the suspension rate was reduced by 21%, and academic performance improved!
In another project in Baltimore, disruptive elementary-age school kids were sent to a mindful moment room where they practiced yoga breathing exercises and spoke to a counselor on how to manage their emotions. This brought the suspension rate from 4 to 0.
Benefits of Meditation for Kids
Here are some of the benefits that kids experience when they learn to meditate:
Increased Focus
Kids get distracted. They have phones, social media, and texting, making it challenging to focus and stay focused. Meditation can help kids learn to focus their attention on one task at a time and keep their attention span going.
Helps Foster Self-Esteem
There are a lot of things that can undermine self-esteem in kids. Bullying, teasing, not being “popular,” and not keeping up with the other kids they know. Meditation helps foster feelings of security and inner peacefulness, teaching kids that this moment is good enough right now.
Fosters Caring and Happiness
The Journal of Child and Family Studies published a study that took 409 children who exhibited behavior problems and found that after five weeks of mindful meditation sessions, teachers reported that these same children were paying attention, exhibiting self-control, and showing more respect to fellow students.
How To Get Your Kids To Start Meditating
If you are worried about getting your kids meditating, it might be easier than you think. Here are some tips for starting your child on the path of meditation.
Lead by Example
If you don’t already have a meditation practice, now may be the time to start. If you are meditating, it opens their mind to meditation too. Children are naturally curious, and they will want to know what you are doing. Cultivate the meditation seed in their minds, and know-how meditation helps you. You can find a lot of children’s meditation in the MindTastik app, alongside a great collection of bedtime stories developed to help them fall asleep easier and faster.
Make Meditation Relatable
Depending on your child’s age or children, you want to make meditation relatable to them so they enjoy it. For instance, if you have a 7-year-old, tell them to imagine what their breath looks like as it goes through their body. They might see a bird flying through their body and out their mouth, or the wind blows the trees!
Meditation Space
Find a space in your home and set it up for meditation. Make it inviting and quiet, a respite from a hectic schedule.
What Types of Meditation Work for Children
Kids can practice the same types of meditations as adults. However, some meditations are geared toward younger children if your kids are younger.
- Guided meditation for kids to help them focus on their breath
- Guided sleep meditations to help kids relax
- Meditation music to help with concentration
- Nighttime meditations to help kids get ready for bed
- Kids bedtime and sleep meditation to help kids relax and sleep better
Apps can add a great deal of value to a meditation practice for adults and kids. Using a meditation app is both easy and fun. Kids naturally know how to navigate apps, so finding the proper meditation is easy.
Kids are feeling more and more pressure to live up to adult expectations. School, homework, after-school activities, and liberal access to media add anxiety and stress to kids’ and teens’ lives.
Studies and pilot programs have shown that meditation can significantly benefit kids. Meditation can help your kids focus at school, help them manage emotions, and help them be happier individuals.
MindTastik offers hundreds of meditations to help you and your kids with stress. As a result, we developed guided meditations, anxiety, and meditation to help you fall asleep and stay asleep. There are meditations for all ages on the app. For mothers & pregnant women, we have specially designed our hypnobirthing page. You can download MindTastik at the Apple App Store or Google Play.
