Meditation Techniques for Kids

Courtesy elemenoperica morguefile.com

Meditation techniques help hyperactive, unfocussed kids to calm down and focus on the task at hand, whether it's work or play. Now, this might seem an impossible task short of putting them in a straitjacket or adopting other such drastic measures, but meditation is the key to calming all sorts of little monsters. First of all, we need to be clear that it is not yoga for kids that I'm about to expound on. But you could consider meditation an introductory step in that direction, but let's leave that aside for now.

Meditation may be considered beneficial for kids eight years of age and above. The eighth birthday is something of a crucial crossroads where the child hovers between the last vestiges of babyhood and the first light of pre-pubescence. What's unique about this stage is that the physical growth is much faster than the mental and emotional, leaving the child unfocussed, emotional, and sometimes unable to cope with all the changes that have begun to take over the body. 

This stage may be marked by tantrums due to various causes, outbursts, and random acts of rebellion that carries on well into teenage and can be a trying time for parents and teachers. This is also the time that a child requires unqualified love and firm parenting. Most parents are at a loss as to how to handle their growing child during this time and tend to let things just fall where they may. Meditation is the perfect tool to give the child some control and confidence over the situation and her life.

How to Meditate

Meditation techniques for kids are of course, not the sort you'd find in a class for adults. While it may be helpful to enrol your kids in a meditation class, it may not be viable due to a number of reasons. What you can do, is teach him a few basics that help calm and soothe the hyperactivity.

The first step would be to teach your child to pay attention to her breathing. Bring to her notice how her breathing varies with her emotions, faster when she is angry or excited, slower when she is relaxed, and even with longer pauses when a person is sleeping.

Once you are certain your child has become aware of breath, it is time to teach him how to control it. This is easily achieved by holding and letting go, taking long breaths and letting them out completely. When doing this, it is important that your eight year old not retain the breath for too long. She may draw long breaths and release them slowly, but she is not to retain it within for long as taught in adult meditation classes.

Next, teach your child to pay attention to his thoughts. Ask him to notice how many thoughts he has had in the past five minutes. Make a game of this and actually jot down the thoughts that come and go within a stipulated time. Use a stop clock to make it interesting. But drive home the fact that the point is not to see who has the most number of thoughts, but the opposite. Gradually ask him to think as little as possible, till eventually he is able to have thought-free moments.

For the final step, ask your child to count back from five, four, three, two, one, without any thought coming in to her head as she counts. If a thought comes in at four, go back to five, and begin again. To begin with, it's okay to count out aloud and focus on the number being articulated. As she masters the technique of counting and focussing exclusively on the numbers with no thought entering her mind, she can count mentally.

Benefits of Meditation for Kids

This meditation technique helps kids breathe calmly, focus on their breathing, and clear their heads of all thought, thereby increasing their mental clarity, memory power, and focus. Once this tool has been mastered, encourage them to use it whenever they need to concentrate, whether it's to do a sum, score a shot, or fall asleep. This is a superb meditation technique to instil confidence and calm in your kids, especially for kids who were prone to throw temper tantrums as toddlers. For some really cool meditation ideas to get your kids started,you might like what they have for you at Meditations4Kids.com .
 

Mind Mapping for Kids

Mind mapping helps generate ideas you never thought you had or were ever capable of coming up with. Certainly not with your everyday mode of linear thinking, that is. This innovative exercise sparks creativity and makes note taking fun and exciting. Mind mapping for kids can involve the use of pictures, colours, and diagrams, which makes it ideal for stirring up their imaginations in ways that conventional learning methods might not be able to.

Teaching Kids About Money Early Makes Them Money Savvy

Teaching kids money and the art of handling it successfully is something that never occurs to most parents. Like most other life skills, it is vital that parents introduce kids to money as early as possible. Teaching kids about money at an early age helps them appreciate its value and equips them to handle it wisely as adults. These days when credit card debts bring down national economies parents have a responsibility to educate their children about the importance of money in our lives and the best way to handle it.

Photograph Courtesy morguefile.com

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Goal Setting For Kids

New Year's resolutions are goal setting opportunities. While parents go about setting goals willy nilly as part of their new year resolutions, it does not occur to most to include their kids in the venture.

Setting goals is not something kids do all by themselves and they most certainly don't have a clue about New Year's resolutions. If left to themselves they can go well into adulthood before they realize they've been drifting aimlessly. Taking responsibility for one's own life and steering it along a chosen path makes life much more productive, livable and enjoyable to boot. If learned in childhood, setting goals become a normal part of adulthood. 

So, the New Year is as good a time as any for parents to step in and educate their children as to the joys of goal setting and its benefits. Poised as we are at the end of an old year and the beginning of a brand new shiny one, give kids a go at the game of New Year's resolutions.

Piggy Bank for Christmas

Personalized piggy banks make ideal gifts for the holiday season. Pig coin banks not only make loveable toys, they also inculcate money savvy habits that can set them confidently on the path of financial awareness. Personalized piggy banks ensure your child's individual tastes and preferences are taken care of rather than just foisting any random piggy bank on them with the direct order to "Save money!"

One New Language

Stories about children who speak up to ten different languages are no longer that much of a rarity. Possibly the genes they inherited have a say in all that, but there are things the rest of us mere mortals can and should do to unearth potential that lie around like hidden gems in the most unlikely kid. Just because a child is into sport does not mean he is incapable of learning a new language.  If Asian kids can speak English, which is a second language for them, brilliantly, I don't see why native speakers of English should cringe when it comes to a new language.