Should Your Child be Meditating Before Bed?

Studies have shown that children who meditate do better in school, have more self-control, and experience less stress.

For many people I know, meditation is an idea that everybody loves, but not everybody can seem to master. I will openly admit I have struggled with meditation in the past, because knowing that I need to relax is one thing, but actually sitting down and forcing my mind to calm down is quite another.

I still fully support the benefits of meditation however, and have found personally that meditation created extremely positive effects in my life. So, if meditation is so great, should our kids be trying it too?

Studies have shown that children who practice meditation experience increased levels of respect, self-control, empathy, and lowered levels of stress. It can also be helpful for kids with ADHD, hyperactivity, and depression.

READ MORE: Instant Stress Relief: The 30 Second Meditation

Unfortunately, only 1.6 percent of children in the United States meditate, which is totally understandable given how hard it is to get kids to sit still, let alone sit still, on purpose.

If meditation is something you want your kids to try, there are several ways to do it.

There are plenty of helpful apps out there, such as these twelve meditation apps, which are great because your child can actually use their iPad for something productive.

Adults have to snatch time during the day to meditate, or allocate part of their routine to the practice, but for kids, meditation is best done before bed.

Guided meditations are a great way to introduce your children to the idea, because you will actually be guiding them through the process of meditation, by either instructing them through the steps, or reading a guided meditation story to them (also great before bed). Chopra.com has three kid-friendly meditations to try, which seem to work pretty well. You can check them out here.

As mothers, our main job is to keep our kids alive. Obviously, we want to teach, nurture them, and help them create healthy habits that will stick with them through to adulthood. The mental health of our children is one thing I think mothers should actually spend more time on, and meditation can be a very powerful tool in that regard.

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