Three Easy Zen Activities to Build into Your Child’s Day
Among the busyness of our everyday lives, it’s easy to forget to take time to slow down and reflect on how we’re feeling. Learning to regulate emotions and handle challenging feelings is a key part of children’s learning and development.
Mindfulness is simply learning to be fully present in the moment and aware of your thoughts and feelings. By empowering kids with mindfulness and meditation skills, we equip them with tools to calm their bodies and minds, manage stress and anxiety, and tackle challenges.
Engaging in mindfulness on a regular basis can help kids strengthen their emotional intelligence, resilience, self-confidence and overall learning.
Here’s three easy zen activities to build into your child’s day.
These are activities that Gheorg founder Dr Louise Metcalf shared during a mental wellbeing workshop with our friends at Little Dreamers.
1. Zen in the shower
Each time you take a shower:
Put your head under the water and look down to your feet.
Breathe in through your nose (be careful not to breathe in water!) and breathe out through your mouth.
Imagine your worries travelling out of your mouth and down the stream of water. Watch them go, even if it’s just for a few seconds or minutes.
The shower is a great time to take a few moments to slow down and reflect on the day. The feeling of running water can also help relax the body and ease the mind.
2. Tai Chi while you wash your hands
When you wash your hands at night:
Put your hands under slightly colder water.
Breathe in through your nose and breathe out through your mouth.
While breathing out, push the heels of your hand forwards in a flowing motion, like kneading dough.
Imagine you are pushing your worries away from your body.
Slow, deep breaths allow kids to feel calm and reduce stress. The Tai Chi movements help empower kids to feel in control of their emotions by really visualising themselves pushing their worries away.
3. Daily reminder that “you got this!”
As you brush your teeth at night:
Think of 3 things that went well today.
Repeat every night.
Kids learn to develop a positive mindset when they practise gratitude every day. By noticing the good things that happen to them in their daily lives, kids can train their brains to focus more on positive emotions, which helps reduce anxiety over time.
Gheorg is a fun tool that kids can use to practise daily gratitude. When checking in on the Gheorg app, kids are prompted to come up with a few things that have gone well today. When kids are faced with tough or challenging emotions, Gheorg also provides tips on how to handle and overcome these feelings.
Parents and teachers are encouraged to help kids incorporate mindfulness strategies into their daily lives. By equipping kids with the knowledge and skills to understand and be in control of their emotions, we can empower them to become emotionally intelligent and resilient.
If you’d like your child to learn more about their emotions, try downloading the Gheorg app and see what they learn about themselves with help from the friendly robot characters.
If you’d like more stress management strategies to teach your kids, listen to Gheorg founder Dr Louise Metcalf be interviewed on the Mum Life Podcast.