TED Talks to Guide the Practice With Your Kids
Why should you consider practicing mindfulness with your children? When you look at your kids do you wonder “how will I ever help them navigate this world safely?” There would be no greater life accomplishment than helping them grow to be happy and healthy. Satisfied with their life choices and accomplishments. That sometimes seems to be a daunting task, facing challenges that our generation never did as a child. Social media, cyber-bullying, opiates. Do you ask “what tools can I give them to help them be successful?” Research totes the many benefits of teaching our children mindfulness. Explore TED talks and other helpful resources to help you introduce mindfulness for your kids.
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Why Mindfulness?
Why promote mindfulness with our youth? The benefits of mindfulness for kids are numerous. An article in Psychology Today outlines that neuroscience suggests that introducing mindful meditation to children promotes positive cognitive development. Children display improved ability to:
- Be attentive
- Manage impulses
- Be patient
- Manage anxiety and stress
- Have healthy self esteem
- Ignore distractions and be present
Overall, it supports the ability to have a healthy means to cope with life’s challenges, stressors, and distractions. Giving our children the tools to be able to cope with life and avoid many of the negative consequences of poor coping skills.
Why Aren’t We Teaching You Mindfulness- AnneMarie Rossi
In this TED talk, AnneMarie Rossi describes the benefits of mindfulness in schools, how it can affect academic performance and ability to respond to the stressors of being a child in this day and age. She discusses points about the brain development of teenagers. That while the adolescent’s emotional brain development is similar to that of an adult, their ability to process those emotions logically is not. Teens must cope with so many adult-like problems without the tools to do so. The CDC identified in 2017 that suicide was the second leading cause of death for youth ages 10-24. Rossi states, “Mindfulness allows us to be reflective and not reactive.” It is a tool in the emotional toolbox that we send our children out into the world with. We fret about math scores, reading levels, testing…but the emotional health of our youth is not always on the curriculum.
Bite-Sized Mindfulness: An Easy Way for Kids to be Happy and Healthy- Kira Willey
Kira Willey is a mindfulness expert for children. Her TED talk further demonstrates the benefits of mindfulness practices in school and home that give kids the critical skills to be successful in life. She outlines how to be successful in introducing mindfulness practices for your child. Her website offers so many resources and ideas for consistent bite-sized mindful practices with children. Willey’s ideas give young children the foundations for a lifetime of mindfulness.
How to Introduce Mindfulness for Kids?
How do you support kids to develop mindfulness practices? First, you must practice mindfulness to model this behavior in your own life. Engage in the mindful practices with your children. Look to reframe your own daily habits with a mindful approach and introduce these ideas to your children. For example, teach your kids that making their bed each morning is setting the intention of being productive with their day, creating a sense of accomplishment. Set a positive affirmation for the day, communicate it to your children. Ask them to set one. Have a digital detox day, to unplug and reconnect with each other. Establishing these habits will foster this mindset in your children, encouraging it to infiltrate their own daily habits.
Big Life Journal
Encourage in your children activities to promote their own self exploration and awareness. Journaling is an evidenced practice in developing mindfulness. Thinking back to my own “Dear Diary,” it was a practice in self reflection and explorations of my emotional reactions to the events the impacted me. The Big Life Journal is a guided journal to help kids explore concepts such as persistence, resiliency, and confidence. Offering kids various means to become self aware promotes the chance of them uncovering what works for them.
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Get Involved
We can not wait for the educational system to catch up in developing curriculum that is in the best interest of our kids. Get involved with resources and foundations that promote the practice of mindfulness in our kids. Find ways to promote mindfulness in your own home. Find resources to help you:
Parenting is my greatest blessing….and responsibility. I want to give my kids all the tools they need to be happy and fulfilled in their lives. Mindfulness has helped me navigate the challenges in my life. I hope to be a mindful parent and guide my kids to practice mindfulness in their lives.
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