An Illustrated Guide to Mindfulness for Children
Children engaging in mindfulness is associated with decreased levels of stress and anxiety, greater self-awareness, improved focus, improved emotion regulation, and greater compassion for self and others. Teaching children mindfulness (and practicing ourselves) is a gift that grows and continues to reward with practice. As with play and art, children have an incredible capacity to practice mindfulness because at its core it is simple and just makes sense. You know about the research, you’ve heard about the benefits, but sometimes the how of practicing can be tricky. Below is a sample from a book for children that helps with the how. I invite you to read it with the children you care about and practice with them.
In this story Rae, the fox, has been learning mindfulness from the wise owl, Crann. Rae shares what she is learning with her friend Soni, the red tree squirrel. Together they talk about big feelings and share and practice mindfulness. Below is a sampling of pages from the story.
Excerpts from The Mindful Fox, By Sarah Anacleto, CLAT, LPC, ATR-BC
Rae showed Soni how to practice mindful walking. First, they noticed how their whole body felt, right here and right now. They imagined their breath moving all through their body from the top of their head to the bottom of their tail. They slowly started walking, taking one step at a time. They noticed how each step felt and used their eyes, ears, noses, mouths, and paws to take in the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and feels all around them. They also noticed how they felt on the inside.
When Soni was worried they weren’t doing it right because they kept thinking about the race last week, Rae reminded them that thoughts come and go all the time... It’s just what they do! And, when Soni was upset because their body felt jumpy, not calm, Rae reminded them that there is no right or wrong way to feel. They practiced together noticing their thoughts and feelings, being nice to themselves, and turning their attention to walking on the path.
When Soni and Rae got to the end of the path, they talked about all of the things they noticed. Soni shared that they saw seven different shades of yellow and Rae shared she heard the birds building nests high in the trees! Soni told Rae that they used kind words like “Great job noticing” and “You are brave for trying this” to help them practice being kind to themselves.
Soni wanted to know why mindfulness is helpful and why Rae started learning it, so Rae shared her story.
Last Spring, Rae had a really hard time leaving her den, so her sister brought her to Crann, the wise owl. When she started practicing paying attention right now and right here, with kindness and curiosity, it helped her learn about herself and her feelings. She noticed that she was having lots of nervous and scared feelings. She had worries about if the other animals would like her or if she did her homework right. When she had worries it felt like lots of bees buzzing around her belly. Sometimes, they would be so jumpy she wouldn’t eat lunch and would get really hangry! Rae shared that when she practiced mindfulness she was able to notice the thoughts and feelings without getting stuck to them. Like seeing the bees, but not getting stung!
Soni thanked Rae for sharing and wanted to know if the buzzing bees left. Rae told Soni that she still feels the bees sometimes, but now when they come she takes some deep breaths with longggg exhales and pretends to visit them. She pretends they are her little friends and they feel scared. She asks them what they need and then listens for the answer with her whole body and mind. If they want her to do something she can’t, like get rid of the berry identification test at school, she tells them she can’t change it, but understands they’re upset. Sometimes, she pretends to give the worry feelings a hug or a bunch of flowers.
Soni shared that when they have upset feelings, they think maybe they need a hug or some help too. They shared that sometimes the upset feelings happen so fast they explode, then they end up getting into trouble instead of getting help. Rae learned something to help with that. They went to the beach so Rae could show Soni.
A Note: All of the ideas for this book are not new, nor my own, they are recycled from centuries of cultural practices, teachings shared with me, and, of course, the lessons nature has taught since the beginning of time.
