A Mindful Trick To Help Your Child Emotionally Reset

I am a devoted yogi and mother of two boys who is always on the look out for simple ways to incorporate mindfulness into our daily lives. It can be challenging to find practices that kids can really relate to that are also easy enough for parents and kids to actually use regularly.

That’s why when my friend and fellow boy mom performed a little mindful exercise in front of me at our neighborhood pool, I immediately asked for all the deets. See, her four-year-old son was losing it a little bit but within seconds he was in a completely different mindset. It was like magic.

And it’s so easy you’re going to be able to start using this mindful magic trick today. Here’s how it works.

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***This mindful practice came into our lives thanks to Tanya Pomkoski, a wonderful teacher at Soapstone Preschool in Raleigh, NC. Thank you!!***

Peace Begins with Me

Kids freak out for all kinds of reasons. Maybe their older sibling has been picking on them and they’ve had enough. Maybe there are too many noises assaulting their ears and they can’t take it anymore. Maybe you cut their sandwich into rectangles instead of triangles. Honestly, there is no shortage of reasons for kids to flip from fine to frantic on a freaking dime.

When that inevitably happens, all you need to do is this simple exercise, which obviously needs to be taught and practiced well ahead of any tantrums, stress, or overwhelm.

1. Get your child’s attention, verbally or otherwise.
2. Tap each of your fingers to your thumb in sequence, like you are counting to four or putting your fingers in a mantra.
3. Inside your head and inside your child’s head, say to yourselves, “Peace begins with me,” saying one word per finger tap.
4. Repeat it as many times as needed for your child to reset and shift.

I have seen my friend do this with her preschooler several times now and it never takes more than two rounds for him to find calm. Like all mindful practices, it provides the mental space necessary to change a reaction from highly emotional to calm and centered. It helps a flooded system slow down and behave intentionally.

Teach your kids how to do it and give it a whirl. Maybe it will bring more peace and calm to your child’s inner world and to your family as a whole.

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Oh, hi. I’m Kristen and I’m happy you’re here. Care for more? Follow me.

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This post was previously published on medium.com.

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