In today’s overloaded world where kids have to deal with pressures from school, extra-curricular activities, family, peer pressure and endless stimulation and distractions, children benefit from meditation as much as adults do. Meditation can help kids to cope, remain calm, manage their emotions and remain focused on the task at hand. Meditation can empower a child with resilience, which is a quality they will need for the rest of their lives.

Here are some great ways to on how meditation can help children focus:

Listen! Bell Meditation

Get your child to sit up tall in a lotus position on the floor. Tell him to close his eyes. Ring a bell or a singing bowl and tell your child to use his sense of hearing to explore the sound. He should listen to it very carefully and as soon as the sound stops, he should raise his hand. After some time, they can practice this attentive listening without the bell. He should close his eyes and focus on the sounds around his space. Which sound is closest to him? Which are far away. This meditation technique can be used while lying in bed before falling asleep too.

Breathe! Ten Breathe

The one thing that is always with you is your breath. Learning how to check in to it from an early age is a great tool. In this meditation technique, ask your child to inhale for five counts and exhale for five counts. He can use his fingers to count as he breathes. As he breathes, he should focus on the rise and fall of his heart as he breathes in and out. He can also focus on the breath entering and leaving his nose. As he becomes familiar with this meditation technique, ask him to place his hands on his belly while he inhales and exhales. The belly should deflate with every exhale and inflate with every inhale. This focus will help your child focus on his activities during the day without succumbing to distractions.

Watch! Cloud Gazing

This meditation technique can be practiced once your child has managed the first two well. Sitting quietly, he should pay close attention to his breaths. When thoughts enter his mind, he should think of them like clouds that are passing through his mind, which is a sky. Ask him to watch these clouds come and go without paying special attention to any thought. Your child does not need to do this for more than two minutes when starting out. Increase the time gradually. This is a perfect way to introduce adult meditation to kids.

As you get your young child to practice these simple meditation techniques, you will slowly but surely see subtle changes in his personality. A child who practices meditation regularly is a calmer, more composed child. This child has emotions in check, and almost always is able to focus on the task at hand better. Giving your child the power to greater concentration is one of the best gifts you can give him.

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