awesomescopeMindfulness is the state of being engaged with your surroundings and is typically achieved by connecting with all five senses. It is similar to meditation in the sense that it can help to relieve the mind of overwhelming feelings whether it be anxiety or low thoughts. There are several grounding techniques that you can use with your child to help them during difficult times such as before and after an exam or when going through friendship problems.
We have paired up with a prep school in Hampstead to share more on the ways that you can explore mindfulness with your child.
Gratitude
Gratitude meditation is an exercise that originates from Buddhism and involves thinking about the things that we are grateful for in our lives. This activity is thought to improve sleep quality, decrease depression and has been associated with higher levels of well-being. Families will typically practice gratitude meditation together over dinner which can help to strengthen their relationship with their child and incorporate it into their daily routine.
Counting Candles
This technique is usually used with young children where they must use their fingers or yours and use their imagination to visualise candles. Taking deep breaths, your child will need to blow out each candle until they are extinguished. This can be repeated as many times as necessary and can help your child to feel less overwhelmed by bringing them back to the present moment.
Fidget Toys
Putty, spinners and squishy balls are all fidget toys that your child can use to calm themselves down. These toys can help with their soothing effect and relieve hyperactivity by creating an object or movement for your young one to ground their thoughts to. These toys help to release the pleasure hormone dopamine which creates comfort and are particularly useful for children that suffer from autism and ADHD.
