Mindfulness in Kids
What Mindfulness Can Do for Kids
Hello to our All Star Parent Community, it’s been a while… we’ve missed you!
We’ve been working on getting you some amazing new content, but also, well… parenting just got in the way.
Before we get into our next newsletter, tell us about yourself:
In this newsletter, we provide you with notes on Psychologist Kate Berger on What Mindfulness Can Do for Kids, an episode of TILT Parenting: Raising Differently Wired Kids.
Hosted by Debbie Reber, a parenting activist, New York Times bestselling author, podcast host, and speaker. She is joined by Kate Berger, a child and adolescent psychologist, Mindfulness instructor, and owner of the Netherlands-based therapy practice, and the founder of The Expat Kids’ Club.
Read our notes below.
Topics Covered in this Summary
What is Mindfulness
Why Do We Need To Practice Mindfulness
The Effects and Importance of Mindfulness to Children
What is Mindfulness
Mindfulness can be defined as a moment-to-moment awareness of one’s experience without judgment. Being aware and paying attention to what is going on in the present moment. We accomplish this through a variety of mind-body techniques. Meditation, breathing exercises, movement, and eating are some examples.
Why Do We Need To Practice Mindfulness
Coming to the present moment is a powerful way to cultivate awareness of what is going on and then create the opportunity to choose how to respond in whatever circumstances you find yourself in.
According to research, mindfulness practice is not only beneficial to our kids, but also for us adults. It reduces stress and anxiety, improves interpersonal relationships, strengthens compassion, and confers a variety of other benefits.
Here are some of the advantages of practicing mindfulness:
Improved Attention. Numerous studies show that improved attention leads to better performance on objective tasks that require a long period of concentration.
Emotional Regulation. Mindfulness causes brain changes that result in less reactivity and a greater ability to engage in tasks even when emotions are activated.
Compassion. Children who were randomly assigned to mindfulness training were more likely to help someone in need and to have more self-compassion.
Reduction of Stress and Anxiety. Mindfulness reduces stress and improves anxiety and distress when children are placed in a stressful social situation.
The Effects and Importance of Mindfulness to Children
Today's children face a variety of issues that impair their ability to learn and feel at ease. Many children experience excruciating anxiety both at home and at school. They are stressed to the point where doing well in their studies is difficult.
Their hectic schedules frequently make their lives feel out of control. These issues can even make it difficult to get along with other children or adults. They may exhibit behaviors and emotions that appear to be out of their control.
It is important for children to learn mindfulness. This calming technique teaches them to become focused and pay attention not only to themselves when practicing mindfulness, but also to important experiences in life such as learning in school, watching out for dangers in the world around them, or even empathizing with others.
Children are impulsive by nature, and mindfulness teaches one to be aware of one's own behaviors and emotional responses to triggers. It is possible to improve one's self-control by practicing it.
Simultaneously, the controlled breathing exercises trick the brain into thinking that everything is fine, allowing stress and anxiety to be released. Helping our kids to consistently practice mindfulness can even aid in the prevention of anxiety.
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Listen to the original episode