5 Ways You Can Add Mindfulness Into Your Child’s Routine by Mindset And Me
Mindfulness is about being self-aware, to be able to recognise what is going on around you, to pause and to be able to make new choices. It is also about being aware of the present moment, accepting and acknowledging your thoughts, feelings and your sensations.
It is also one of the most powerful tools we have available to us. The power of mindfulness with our children it can:
- strengthen self-control
- lower anxiety and stress
- increase positive and happier moods
- better decision making
- increases self-esteem
- help them feel empowered
- improves social skills and communication
- improves emotional regulation skills
- help change their mindset from fixed to growth
This is just briefly touching on the benefits but you can see from that small introduction how mindfulness is super important and how it can have a massive impact on our children’s wellbeing, and as I have tried and tested myself it can have a great impact on children with autism.
5 Ways You Can Add Mindfulness Into Your Child’s Routine
- Practice kind thoughts and acts of kindness, prompting your child to think of 5 people they would like to send kind wishes to. Then getting them to act on this by introducing ideas on how to give out acts of kindness. i.e. writing a letter, drawing a nice picture for someone, carrying someone’s groceries.
- Have a ‘mindful’ snack by describing the smell, texture and taste of the food.
- Go on a mindful walk, explore all things nature by collecting several different objects such as a leaf, a seashell and observe and describe how each one feels.
- Try ‘Buddy Breathing’ and invite your child to grab a toy or a teddy and place it on their tummy while they lie down and take in slow breaths, in through the nose and out through the mouth whilst watching their toy or teddy gently lower along with their exhale.
- Create a glitter jar. Find a jar or plastic bottle and allow your child to decorate however they like. Fill the bottle or jar with water not quite to the top. Then add some clear glue, food colouring and glitter. Seal the lid and shake well. Then you’re ready to go. Your child can shake whenever they feel the need and watch the glitter swirl round, taking in deep breaths whilst watching the glitter flow down and settle to the bottom of the jar or bottle. This is an amazing tool to help soothe children going through emotions, anxiety and helps to be mindful.
Practicing such mindfulness activities can also help tremendously with children with autism. It can help with improvements of family life as it creates more bonding between yourself and your child. It can also reduce problem behaviours, helps lower anxiety and anger. It allows children to feel more in control of their body, which then leads to better sensory regulation and a decrease in social anxiety.