Welcome to the sixth day of 7 Everyday Practices For Mindful Moms.
Being mindful is about focusing on whatever is happening moment-by-moment without being judgmental. In mindfulness meditation, you actively choose to control where your mind goes. It’s simply focus on the present and not worrying about the past or dreaming about the future.
Are your kids hyperactive? Do you love to have your children be happy always and enjoy life? Have you ever imagined that your children may also suffer from stress? Then it’s our responsibility to cultivate mindfulness in children.
You can create a more compassionate and loving family by being mindful with your Kids. The kids will be more cooperative with you if they are being taught in the right way. You wish that your kids to be more closer to you. But it’s not in reality. Then follow this simple trick. Designate 7 – 9 pm on one day of the week as Happy Hours – no fights, no complaints, no negatives, no homework. This happy hours may bring your kids much closer to you than you expect.
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Day 6 – Be Mindful With Kids
Here’s how you can help the kids to start their mindfulness journey, make them feel better, reduce their stress, and help them enjoy their life a little more. Mindfulness should be introduced to them in a fun, joyful and playful way. It should not be forced at any time. Try to use games and activities.
Time Needed: 10 to 15 minutes.
Frequency: Everyday or thrice in a week.
- Mindful Listening
I used to spend nearly 10 minutes of distraction free talk with my son when he returns from his school. This makes our bonding much stronger. Also I could understand his day and emotions clearly through this. It makes esay for me to help him in any of his problems during the day.
Simple Steps For Mindful Listening
- Welcome your Kids home. After refreshing, sit comfortably for chit-chat.
- Postpone all your works for 10 minutes.
- Talk with your kids about their day. Be fully present in the moment while listening to your kid. Be present with their talks.
- Encourage your kids by asking questions, laughing at their funny moments, show your love by caring gestures.
- Try to avoid any sort of distractions like mobile calls, TV and house chores.
- The chit-chat can be accompanied with favorite snacks and bites.
- Have the full attention of yours and your kids on the discussion.
- Notice the span of your mindful listening everyday.
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2.Mindful Reading
When kids are not doing mindful reading, then they lack concentration. They get bored. They will get more distracted. So let us explore the ways to introduce Mindful Reading into your kids.
Simple Steps For Mindful Reading
- Sit comfortably with your kids and the books to read.
- Before they read, think about them what they already know about the topic. Also ask them to look for two words that might be challenging. Ask them to underline those words or highlight them.
- Ask them to read the passage silently. If they finish reading, ask them to write a sentence telling the main idea of the passage on their notebook.
- Also make them write down a few words or phrases that focus on the main topic.
- Read the passage aloud for your kids and ask them to follow along with you silently.
- Discuss with them, “What is one thing you understand from this reading?”. Ask them to write it on their notebook.
- Now read the passage one more time. You stop the reading after one minute and tell kids to circle or highlight on the last word they read before you stop reading.
- Ask them to write a question on their notebook that they would like to ask the author.
- Practice these steps while reading every time to develop mindful reading.
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3. Bedtime Story Telling
Do you have the habit of telling bedtime stories to your kids??? Mithu till at his age of 12 loved to hear bedtime stories of all kinds.
Telling bedtime stories are quiet moment between you and your children that leads to sharing, engaging and promoting peaceful rest.
Really story telling is an art and story teller is an artist. When told right, a story has the power to magically inculcate children with not only morals but bring them face to face with their culture and heritage as well.
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4. Mindful Art and Drawing
Kids will feel more present during the act of creating mindful arts and drawings. These art activities require unique focus, and concentration. The act of creating can be very relaxing and calming.
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Useful Weblink:
- 100 Excellent Art Therapy Exercises for Your Mind, Body, and Soul
- Everything You should know about Art Therapy Exercises
Practice mindfulness with your kids and let us meet tomorrow. Until then repeat this with your kids…..
[ctt template=”8″ link=”8ItPa” via=”yes” ]I am Amazing and Astonishing I am Brilliant and Beautiful I am Clever, Courageous and Caring I am Fabulous, Funny and Giving I am ME and I am Enough[/ctt]
If you have not downloaded Mindfulness Planner yet, you can download here.
What do you love the most in today’s post??? What is your positive affirmation to cultivate mindful kids??? Please share with us ….. 🙂 🙂 🙂
Submitting this post for #BarAThon Edition 2 hosted by Blog-A-Rhythm. I’m a part of team Blue Lagoon.
Theme : Seven
Quite a comprehensive and interesting list vasantha I loved the tips
Thanks Akshata !!!
Those are lovely ideas! Thanks for these
Thanks Neha !!!
Those are great tips and I think I will start asking my kids about what they thought about the read!
Great tips as usual 🙂
Thanks dear Zainab !!!
Awesome post Vasantha..Love the way you explained how introducing mindfullness to the kids in the early stages helps them better. I am really committed to your post and gonna try for sure.
Thanks much Suja !!!
I loved how you are bonding with your son and coming up with these great ideas to keep him engaged and active. I used to have long chats with my parents too while growing up. And I still fondly remember those times.
Thanks Raj !!!
MIndful reading is a nice concept. Concentration was a major issue with me when I was in my growing years. I spent too much time and learnt little. Since you have said about spending 10 minutes time with the kid after he comes back from school and tackling any problems he is facing then and there, I want to tell you one incident in this regard. D has been branded a shy child in school. He says he keeps quiet in the class because that is what is required in the classroom and there are too many children to bother the teachers with their mischief. He was beginning to accept and internalize the label ‘shy’ for himself. This made me realise if he begins to believe that he is shy then he will become limited to this label. Thus, I made him understand he is not shy but he is an observant who follows rules and observes & analyzes people around him before opening up to them with all his warmth. I hope people just stop labeling children.
You are right, Anamika. Labeling children is the worst part.
I am loving all your mindfulness posts Vasantha. I too spend time with my Son without any distractions everyday- be it as small as 10 mins.
That’s great, Upasna !!!
Some great ideas there.. Would love to try the happy hours thing.. as we now seem to have only happy minutes in our busy lives. But, trying to make time for the most important responsibility.
Your bonding times sounds very special and that’s one lucky kid to have such an aware mom. Cheers
Thanks Shalz !!!
Thanks Lata !!!
These are the very useful ideas.Thanks for sharing
I try to have bed time story telling but when I am tried I skip it.
Thanks Vaidehi !!!
Your tips make it feel so effortless Vasantha..
Thanks dear !!!
Lovely post.
Click Here to see what Mrs. Dash Says
Thanks !!!
i blindly follow u vasantha.. well out of these bed time story telling and even chanting at bed time is our routine thing
Great to hear this, Misha !!!
Such a nice post. Love the spiderman drawing. Hard to believe it’s done by a child
Thanks dear. But it was done by my son during his 8.
I loved your writeups. Infact they resonates so much that I keep following each word.
Thank you so much dear !!!!
These posts are so inspiring. Bedtime chanting works wonders
Thanks Anchal !!!
Super useful post. We do all these activities daily and now we are gonna practice mindfulness while doing these activities. Thank you for sharing this.
Thanks Charu !!!
Excellent!!! I will start practicing with my daughter from today itself. It’s great to know you Vasantha. Each of your posts on mindfulness are very insightful.
thanks much Aesha !!!
Your posts have so much insight and are so deep. Please keep them coming.
Thanks Manveen !!!
I am learning so much out of this series
thanks Afsha !!!
Such a lovely post Vasantha.. a comprehensive list of all goodness we can bring as mothers to our precious little ones.
Thanks dearie !!!
Your posts are always so inspiring and motivating… Thank you for sharing this.
thanks Kavitha !!!
Thankfully I am following all of these…glad I fit into the category of mindful mom atleast!!! 🙂
Happy to hear this, dear!!!
Listening is so important for mindful parenting..When you listen you understand them
Thanks Priya !!!
Great tips! Will keep them in mind when I read for my boy
Thanks !!!
First 10 minutes listening to kids makes their day I agree. When I like into their eyes and listen to them they feel happy and wanted.
Thanks !!!
I have always been a hot headed person but I think my whole personality took a flip once I became a mother. I am now always mindful that I need to be a positive parent & raise compassionate kids. Lovely read & once again a very strong message you gave through simple writing of yours!
Thanks you so much, Shalu !!!