Children’s Meditation
Apr 30, 2023
Leading a group of children in meditation can be a daunting task. Accomplishing this feat is absolutely worth any struggles endured. Meditation has endless benefits, many of which are immediately palpable in a classroom setting. Working memory, emotional intelligence, meta cognition, and focus are positively impacted by meditation. A successful group meditation allows each participant to find calm and be present long enough to reach a more grounded state. Because a single student can disturb an entire class’s chance to center, having tactics ready to combat disruptions is crucial. With your unique group of individuals in mind, consider the following scenarios and solutions.
Closing eyes can present an inviting opportunity for preschoolers to get a little silly and for most, involve someone else in their shenanigans. Poking a neighbor, showing off a goofy antic, or catching another deviant‘s eye are not uncommon. They don’t have to make a sound. If everyone is laying down on their back, then a single child will only have a couple peers in sight. Probably one to the left and one to the right. Children can lay their hands over their eyes in this position too. If children are lying on their stomachs, it’s a little more difficult to turn left and right and resting eyes on hands can be more comfortable. If children are sitting upright, they can be invited to look down or close their eyes and be reminded that looking at their friends is not an option right now.
It’s normal for children to be a bit squirmy. Sitting still or lying still can be a major challenge. Adjusting our expectations is one way to avoid the frustration of a restless group. Remind yourself that in all likelihood, every child is going to shift and probably more than once. Instead of expecting a scene similar to savasana at the end of an adult yoga session, anticipate a whack-a-mole situation where as soon as one is still, another is moving. Plan to or choose meditations that involve specific movements. Sing a silly song full of movement before getting still. Use a neutral song or deep breathing in between a high energy song and the meditation.
Play around with spacing to avoid children coming into contact with other children. Use pre-existing “markers” like rug patterns or grassy spots to help children find a space. Alternatively, mark spaces with tape or sticks. If there isn’t enough area on a classroom rug for children to all lie down without touching someone else, add area with yoga mats, towels, or rest mats.
Be conscious of how long a meditation is. Start with two and a half to three minute meditations. Increase the time as children develop. If you are doing a lesson that involves meditation and other activities, consider breaking it up into shorter segments. Some say that twice the age of a child is how long they can reasonably sit for group time. So if you have students who are three years old, avoid going longer than 6 minutes, including any time needed to get ready.
Finally, children are not impervious to feeling bored or disinterested and are likely to share their thoughts with everyone. Is there a child in your class that others tend to follow? Ensure that they are on board with meditating. Tell them how much you love meditating (if you do) or talk about how good it is for our bodies and souls. Give meditation special significance by offering students eye pillows, filling the room with a gentle scent, going outside, opening the windows, or letting children take their shoes off.
Meditation offers lifelong benefits. Establishing routines of peaceful practice at these young ages, starts these benefits early.
Origins lessons that include meditation:
The Tundra Lesson 2, Intro to Tundras
The Prairie Lesson 7, Sound Bath
The Prairie Lesson 9, Anatomy of a Flower
The Rainforest Lesson 19, Sounds of the Rainforest
A beautiful series of Guided Meditations can be found in the Mindfulness Tools portion of your dashboard. Most range in length from three to six and a half minutes and include various ways of meditating such as standing, drawing, hand movement and more. Preview the recording to determine what, if any, guidelines need to be reviewed with your class before beginning.
