Let’s talk mindfulness for children.

I have a beautiful 3-year-old daughter who never stops. We are currently at an extremely inquisitive stage, the ‘why’ stage and I have decided that is possible to be talked to death.
I thought I would share some of the current things we are doing with little Aniyah.
Since Aniyah was born we decided to ditch bedtime stories in favour of positive affirmations. Every night before bed we repeated a number of affirmations to her that she now knows off by heart and repeats them for herself.

Affirmations such as: ‘I am brave, I am kind, I am beautiful, I always listen to mummy and daddy’ (I wonder who slipped that one in there lol)
I have found that hearing these positive things about herself has really impacted the way she sees herself. When entering a ‘scary’ situation such as meeting lots of new people or having a chiropractic adjustment, she will often turn to me and say, ‘I am brave mummy, I can do this’.

Another exercise we use, is to sit crossed legged on the floor with her and spend a few minutes in silence just taking deep breaths while listening to meditative music. Although I am sure this is just a fun game to her at the moment. I am hoping to instil the need to take a moment out of your day to centre herself, breath or meditate.

I believe gratitude is a fundamental component of mindfulness, teaching our children to appreciate the abundance in their lives, as opposed to focusing on all the toys and goodies that they crave. My family does this at dinner when we each share one thing we are thankful for. It is one of my favourite parts of the day.

Let me know what you do or if you will try something I have mentioned.
I hope you are having fun.

Bria from Spirohealth