Meditating With Your Child

Children suffer from stress the same as adults. If we can teach our children how to deal with stress in a positive, releasing way as early as possible, they wont have to suffer from stress the way many of us adults do. Stress can cause ulcers, panic attacks, hives, depression and so many other physical as well as psychological ailments in adults as well as children. There are so many ways that we can help our children to deal with stress, but for me personally, something that worked well in our home has been guided meditations.
If you have a daughter who attends public school, sooner or later you she will go through that stage where the girls in class become fickle and caddy with each other. Its a tough time for girls, because they put a lot of pressure upon themselves and their identities through friendships. The emotions children have are very intense, because they are so new to them. Loosing a friend (even though mom knows they’ll be friends again tomorrow) can be devastating for a young girl.
My daughter and I used fairies in our meditations, because she just loves fairies. She had fairy posters, and clothing and figurines all over her room when she was younger. Your child may have something else that they love and enjoy, and using that in your meditation can be valuable. I created a worry fairy that would sit on her shoulder and take all her worries away (the fairy would NEVER give them back), a friend fairy that would sprinkle special dust on her before school to draw loving friends to her, a protection fairy, etc. These visualizations helped my daughter to have strength and to find peace in stressful situations no matter where she was at the time. Your child may prefer angels, or the god of your choosing, or cars, animals or something different. Putting little protectors and guides into your child’s mind that they will recognize can be a powerful tool for combating stress.
Sit next to your child, and let them know that you love and care very much for them. Give them a big hug and help them to relax by breathing deeply with them. Show them how they can take a deep breath and let their shoulders fall down when they exhale…releasing tension in the neck. Have them close their eyes, and then tell them to pretend that they are in a very special place…a place that they love and feel very safe in. I would describe a beautiful forest with a river and waterfall, a fairy glen or something along those lines for my daughter. Going to that special place was always relaxing for her. Make sure that your child knows that in this special place, nothing can hurt them, they are free to be themselves and that there is nothing but love, joy and fun in this place. Let them know that they can go to their special place in their mind any time they want to relax. It’s even a great way to fall asleep!
While in their special place, no one can come in unless they are invited by your child. Those that they invite into their space come only with love and joy. Allow your child to rest here for a few minutes, encouraging them to feel more and more relaxed by imagining the sounds that would be present, the feelings they would feel, even the smells. Involve as many senses as possible, and continually remind them to relax, be at peace, feel joy.
When they have calmed, and are visibly more relaxed and well, bring them out of their special place slowly when they are ready, reminding them that they can return whenever they want to. Give them another big hug, and take two or three more deep breaths with them. When they open their eyes, have them list at least three things they are thankful for, and why. Gratitude is extremely powerful for releasing stress, and finding our way out of depression or worry.
Meditate with your child as often as you can, and meditate yourself! Meditation is powerful and can raise the vibration of your spirit and your child, bring you closer to divine and give you peace. You can use meditation to increase your religious faith, to focus on the Law of Attraction or to contact your higher self. People from every religious background and culture meditate.
For some, music, nature sounds or other recordings can be very helpful during meditation. I found a great meditation site that offers free recordings, and even timed meditation recordings that you can download for free. Jet City Orange
@NatureSpirits on Twitter has a great meditation site with some beautiful guided meditations, some that come with prinable affirmation cards. Green Meditations
And last, here is a link to some wonderful meditations you can do with your children: Guided Children’s Meditations

This post has 9 comments
April 19th, 2009
Susan,
Thank you for this lovely article. I just signed up for google alerts for this topic - and as I take a break from reading my galleys for my own Publisher I happened upon your article. Amazing how the same ideas spread across the world - unless you’ve been reading my articles on my website (www.ImageryForKids.com). It’s wonderful to run into a like-minded professional. I’ve been teaching children, parents and therapists guided and interactive imagery and meditation for the past 25 years. Although I’m based in Los Angeles, I travel throughout the country (and sometimes the world). My book, The Power of Your Child’s Imagination: How to Transform Stress and Anxiety into Joy and Success will be published by Perigee/Penguin NY this August 4th (2009). I look forward to reading your work in more detail.
All the best,
Dr. Charlotte Reznick
April 20th, 2009
Great article. Children may even suffer more badly due to stress than adults because they may not always be aware that they are already undergoing stress. Pressure and bullying at school are especially stressful.
April 20th, 2009
I think even those of us in the holistic community sometimes forget that our children can benefit from the same modalities that we turn to for healing and stress relief. It’s good to step back and remember that sometimes.
That being said, my son is way better at meditation than I am… I have major monkey mind issues going on, and luckily, he did not inherit that from me!
April 20th, 2009
Hi Susan,
Thank you for sharing such great wisdom regarding meditation and our children. My son just turned one on the 9th of April and he has been with me most days when I meditate or do any self healing since before he took his first breath. I think setting the example of self care to our children is so important as it helps to reinforce their own personal time and care is as important as anyone elses.
Keep up the enjoyable writing.
Namaste,
Karen
April 20th, 2009
Hi, Janeen!
Thanks, for that excellent and very thorough approach to guiding kids in focussing their minds and engaging their sense of delight!
What more is there to say? You even included some rockin’ resources.
Just one more thing: Parents should realize they’ve heard about all this in the tradition of lullabyes and story book hour. Only, there’s a danger of just repeating what was done before, here–even if it was dented. Your suggestions, Janeen, are so sensitive.
Oh, and let’s not leave the little boys out in this. And, please, remember that boys aren’t little killers, or whatever. Fairies may or may not be right for them, but give them something they can honestly be happy with. That’s why I love the whole Care Bear phenomenon. It may not be perfect, but it’s something kids of either gender can enjoy, for real.
Sunshine & Blessings,
Giovani
April 21st, 2009
Janeen –
I didn’t know how to approach this when my stepchildren were young, and there was always the issue of the antagonistic biological father or the … shall we say … latest evil stepmother turning something positive into something court-worthy.
*Sigh.*
I do take some consolation that the afterlife (or “interlife”?) probably won’t be as fun for these folks as for the rest of us.
May 2nd, 2009
Aloha Janeen!
Beautiful Post. I loved the imagery it brought up and the sweetness of the thought of meditating with my daughter when she is a little bit older. =D
June 9th, 2009
I don’t have children, but I think this is great for just about anyone who is dealing with stress. Wonderful post!
July 3rd, 2009
Great post. I just bought a book off of Amazon about a month ago about meditating with your children. Mine are still a bit young to get it but soon, soon I will start. I want to teach them coping skills so they can weather the turbulent years of school with more grace than I did.