The Benefits of Mindfulness in Children

Mindfulness allows us to observe our surroundings, thoughts, and feelings, and to develop self-awareness. When we teach mindfulness to children, we give them the tools they need to build confidence, cope with stress, and relate to uncomfortable or challenging moments. The earlier we do this, the greater the opportunity to help children cultivate resilience and thrive in the world around them.

Here are some benefits to teaching your child to practice mindfulness:

1. Increased focus, attention, self-control, and compassion
   • Mindfulness encourages growth of new neural networks in the brain. By growing neural networks, you are basically rewiring your brain to find new and better ways to handle and complete tasks.
   • Practicing mindfulness helps children keep from feeling stressed, which then allows for more room to think about others.
2. Improved ability to resolve conflict and overall well-being
   • When a conflict arises, mindfulness teaches your child to pause and breathe before reacting habitually. It helps them to assess the situation and guides them on how to best respond.
   • Being mindful increases positive emotions, which improves your child’s mood.
3. Decreased levels of stress, depression, anxiety, disruptive behavior
   • Practicing mindfulness helps your child observe their own thoughts and feelings without being quick to respond. It increases your child’s awareness of how emotions influence decisions and behaviors.
   • Mindfulness practice reduces activity in an area of the brain called the amygdala. The amygdala is the part of the brain that controls stress, so with mindfulness, essentially, the level of stress is reduced.

By teaching our children to practice mindfulness, we are also giving them the opportunity to create habits of being peaceful, kind, and accepting. These habits will continue with them for a lifetime!

Mindfulness is a great tool when helping your child navigate the challenges of growing up, but sometimes, even with the right tools, something can prevent your child from regulating their emotions. Through developmental screening, you can help your child succeed in managing their emotions. Contact a center near you today for your child’s free developmental screening, available at Child Development Centers throughout Wyoming.