Children of all ages can be benefitted from mindfulness exercise, this is nothing but simple practice of bringing a gentle, accepting attitude to the present moment. You will be surprised to know that mindfulness can help children improve their abilities to pay attention, calm down when they are upset and make better decisions. In short, it helps with emotional management and intellectual focus. Montessori San Marino, CA team is here to share some benefits of mindfulness and ways to develop it in children.

First, let's understand what mindfulness is.

Mindfulness is awareness. To put it in simple terms, mindfulness is about being aware of the surroundings and paying attention to something. Be mindful is the opposite of rushing or multitasking. When kids are mindful, they are taking their time and trying to focus in a relaxed and easy way.

Benefits of mindfulness for children :

• Being mindful helps kids to become more aware and alert of their surroundings. This translates into an improvement in their academic performance as they truly pay attention in their classes.
• As kids become more careful about their surroundings, they learn how to observe things minutely.
• Some kids are very impulsive or have ADHD/OCD. Mindfulness helps them to manage their impulse and stay calm.
• Mindfulness helps children manage and express their emotions in a better way.
• As their attention and emotional health improve, you will notice they have become more productive. Be it in the classroom or at home, you will see some positive changes happening in their lives.
• Montessori San Marino, CA says mindfulness teaches children how to utilize time productively and helps them to focus on quality over quantity.
• Life is full of stress and with busier lifestyles, Mindfulness has become a necessity. When life throws hard challenges at your kids, they will be better equipped to handle the stress with the power of mindfulness.

Ways to teach mindfulness to your kids :

• Keep it simple. Mindfulness is awareness or noticing. It is noticing their thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations and anything that is around them and happening at present.
• Listen to the bell. The easiest way for children to practice mindfulness is to focus on the sound they can hear. For example, teachers can use a bell, a set of chimes or an app having some soothing sounds to make the music. Children should listen to music carefully and try to calm down. In Montessori San Marino, CA, teachers do this exercise with kids to teach them to pay attention to their surroundings.
• Creating a mindful bedtime ritual. Bedtime is a good time to introduce mindfulness to kids. Doing a short mindfulness exercise before bed will help children calm down and have a sound sleep.
• Make your walks mindful. You can take your children for a mindful walk in your neighborhood and try to notice things that you have not seen before. While walking, try to pay attention to all the sounds you can hear – charming birds or croaking frogs, etc.
• Establish the gratitude practice. Many people feel that gratitude is a fundamental component of mindfulness. Children should appreciate the things they have instead of focusing on all the toys and goodies they crave for.