Meditation for Kids

On days that I have my wits about me, of which there are few, I find that meditating helps get me through what would be an otherwise tense moment and turns a potential mommy-disaster into a calm and even enjoyable moment. 


Meditating with kids is different but, it can have that calming effect on them, as well as myself!


I usually start with putting some pillow in the floor to use as meditation cushion (that gets them interested... what kid doesn't love throwing pillows in the floor?!). Then we sit down and cross our legs. I tell the kids to think about their feet and wiggle their toes, then to think about their legs and knees... are they hot? Cold? tingly? How does the floor feel underneath them? We work our way up our bodies in this way until we reach the tops of our heads. Then I tell them to breath in deep and fill their bellies up like a balloon... and then let all the air out of the balloon. We do this several times before we finish by thinking of something that we love.


This practice doesn't take more than 10 minutes but, when we're having a stressful moment in our day and they are agreeable to sitting down, it can serve as an excellent diversion from the not-so-happy path we were headed down and really turn the day around.


Of course, construction paper crowns and blanket capes have the same effect. :)