Guidance for the next generation
Meditation and learning about nature are great ways to teach your children mindfulness and, to appreciate the natural world around them.
Meditation
Meditation can help kids read and respond to internal signals of stress before their developing brains and bodies give in to a full-blown tantrum. The key is intuiting what your child needs to come back into balance and giving him or her the tools to practice.
Meditation, or the practice of self-awareness in body and mind, has been revered for thousands of years as a natural, accessible way to regulate our reaction to stress and manifest good health. When presented with any kind of threat, humans are hardwired to fight, take flight, or freeze, explains Lorraine Murray, author of Calm Kids: Help Children Relax With Mindful Activities, and Connected Kids: Help Kids With Special Needs (And Autism) Shine With Mindful, Heartfelt Activities. A multi-modal practitioner in the United Kingdom and Ireland for more than 30 years, Murray developed Connected Kids, a training program to teach parents, teachers, therapists, and other caregivers how to create meditation practices with children.
"If you think about it, our lives allow nearly zero down time," she explains. "This is a huge shift even between the childhood I remember and the one my son has. There's no relaxation, boredom, or stillness that allows the body to relax and the nervous system to calm down." In other words, our tech- and info-driven busyness doesn't let our brains recharge in their "alpha state," the relaxed-but-alert frequency in the brain we often sense just before we fall asleep.
The Benefits of Meditation
Even in its simplest forms, meditation can help both kids and adults find this inner calm. Within just three or four sessions, benefits of meditation often include:
Better sleep
Reduced anxiety
Improved self-esteem
Ability to focus and study
Reduced levels of stress
But kids have distinct advantages over adults in learning to meditate, as well as different challenges. Kids are generally more willing and receptive. They're curious and willing to embrace new things, and they're honest about what disinterests them. (Adults, by contrast, can and often will fake engagement to be polite.) However, if we expect children to sit still the way an adult would, you'll quickly see what looks like failure.
Adults have the ability to concentrate but often take much longer to relax. We come with a lot of baggage, and the process of relaxing might bring things up that have to be processed to move forward. A body scan—or self-assessment of tension in the body—can take 30 minutes.
Getting Started With Meditation
First, any adult wanting to teach meditation techniques to a child must be willing to start his or her own practice - and get used to going off-script. You don't need lots of experience—just focusing on your own out-breath from start to finish is a beginning. Feel the sound, the sensation. Try Space for the Mind This site has different meditation for all levels and a free 7-day beginner course, which is perfect if you are just starting out.
Kids need the adults around them to behave in ways they can model. Kids also need to hear and feel that their adults know them well enough to adapt meditation to their needs and preferences, which can change day to day. Trust your intuition for knowing what's best for your child, and when you practice mediation together, that connection will grow stronger.
RELATED: Space for the Mind Meditation site to help you on your way
Meditation for Toddlers
For the youngest learners, meditation is probably more like "mindful movement,". Try a light discussion of things that make your toddler feel happy and have her touch the parts of her body that feel that happiness. Then have her think of something that's unhappy and where she feels it. To relieve those unpleasant feelings, try engaging her in the sounds and satisfaction of taking a deep breath.
You're training the brain to recognize signals of stress and respond with practices that bring the body back into balance. (And if you're thinking this sounds impossible, it's not. After all, we get kids out of diapers by teaching them what to do when they feel the need for a restroom.)
Toddler-grade fidgeting isn't a bad thing, either. Remember! Their little bodies and brains are undergoing massive development, and they don't have the emotional vocabulary to tell you when they're making big leaps in understanding or needing to self-soothe. The goal is to meet children where they're at. If it's 30 seconds, great. Let's do 30 seconds. If a child knows his or her own body's signals, they'll practice self-care even when away from their guiding adults.
Meditation for Preschoolers
Starting around age 3 or 4, children start to pay attention to elements of a story, which paves the way to guided meditation. I like to teach this age group when they're lying down—even lying in bed before they go to sleep at night. It's a natural position for relaxation. Try taking your preschooler on a journey, guiding them gently with your voice to think about how each part of their body feels, head to toe. Or make up a light fairy tale starring a favorite pet or toy. If your child resists this attempt at calm, practice it for yourself a little bit more, retreating to easier techniques like focusing on the breath. With your commitment, kids will start to engage.
Meditation for Big Kids
Meditative music and recorded meditations can have a profoundly calming effect on kids, but the preference is personal. I like the chanted 'ohm' in my own practice, for example, but my stepdaughter might find it quite strange. In other words, let your child choose the voice or sound texture that creates a comfortable space.
Traditional meditation music often incorporates Tibetan singing bowls, which vibrate on frequencies said to restore and heal parts of the body that are out of balance. In Murray's experience, neurotypical children, such as those with autism spectrum disorder, respond well to tones produced by singing bowls. In other situations, recordings of nature sounds bring children calm and peace.
Here are a few web-based meditations and music resources to try:
Insight Timer (free) — Available online and as an app, this collection of more than 30,000 guided meditations and recordings for children, beginning, and advanced practitioners is a treasure trove of inspiration.
"Mindful Kids" YouTube channel (free) — This channel aggregates thousands of music and story clips. Explore options with your child, and trust your intuition. "If you see something and your gut says, 'I think she'd like this,' give yourself permission to believe that voice."
Stop, Breathe & Think (free) — With an emphasis on fun activities and meditations, this app is designed to help kids ages 5-10 with focus, quiet, peaceful sleep, and processing emotions. Your little one will learn mindful breathing and the importance of checking in with herself. She'll also win stickers for completing "missions."
The Bottom Line
You can make a kid sit still, but you can't force him or her to meditate. As with most desirable behaviors, we the parents have to step up and demonstrate commitment to deeper awareness first. If you model a meditative practice, your kids will learn one, too.
This story was originally written by Kristine Jepsen.
Forest Schools
A forest school, also known as forest kindergarten, outdoor nursery, forest nursery, nature kindergarten, or nature preschool, is a type of early childhood education that takes place in forests or woodlands. The curriculum is fluid, focusing on learner-led outdoor play that encourages curiosity and exploration.
Forest school theory
Instead of presenting investigative questions, instructors of forest schools observe and support children in their chosen activities and forms of play. This allows children to develop confidence and independence as well as internal motivation to learn.
Hands-on experiential learning
Forest schools are based on hands-on learning to foster a child’s holistic development. Students build interpersonal skills like teamwork, communication, cooperation, and problem-solving.
Supported risk-taking
Students are taught to take risks with the support of an instructor. For example, students may explore climbing trees, using metal tools, and lighting a fire. Instructors help students assess risks and benefits so their decisions are always informed. Forest schools have a higher instructor-to-learner ratio than other types of learning environments. Risk-taking builds resilience and self-esteem in young people that will improve their judgment as they grow.
Environmental literacy
Students learn about nature and the world around them. They grow a better understanding and appreciation for the wilderness and how we as humans can healthily interact and live within the natural environment.
How does forest school support holistic development?
Holistic development occurs when a learning experience addresses the child’s whole self all at once. You can think about holistic development as including the following areas:
Social
Physical
Intellectual
Communication
Spiritual
Forest school addresses all five areas at once:
Social: Children in forest school work and play together in a group or in smaller groups. They exchange ideas and stories and take turns.
Physical: Children who attend forest school reap physical benefits in addition to social and emotional benefits. They show improved balance and coordination and quicker fine motor skills development (Fjortoft 2001).
Intellectual: Children practice intellectual skills like designing and building structures, playing through imagination, decision making, and problem-solving while in forest school.
Communication: Children in forest school use communication and cooperation skills through storytelling, listening, and nonverbal communication while in the forest.
Spiritual: Children who participate in forest schools are known to be more relaxed (Roe & Aspinall 2011). They grow an underlying appreciation for the beauty of nature.
What do you think about forest schools?
After delving deep into the world of forest schools, I’m basically ready to sign up myself! It feels like a really natural way of learning and I love the emphasis on taking risks and building resilience. I don’t have any kids yet but when I do, I really want to send them to forest school.
What do you think – is it the type of early education you see your kid thriving in or do you think he or she would do better in an indoor program?
This story was originally written by Michelle Vogel