Kids by nature, are not immune to stress, unlike adults who can easily work on possible solutions or divert the tension built up. School-aged children would often respond to stressful situations through unhealthy choices, such as the fight or flight response. Since children do not know how to handle the tension build up, a study suggests that teaching kids mindfulness can help them cope with stress and tension bought.
the number of adults that are encouraging their children to practice mindfulness (meditation or yoga) continually increased in numbers as they were able to see significant results in their child/children's behavior, according to Huffington Post.
Andre Kelly, a father who started a mindfulness program for kids called Boston Buddha mentioned that his 10-year-old son practiced meditation every morning before school. In doing so, his son, Hayden was able to control his moods as meditation boosted his awareness. Kelly introduced mindfulness programs into elementary schools within his area.
"The magic moment where they understand mindfulness is when they can catch themselves not paying attention," Kelly told ABC News. "That's their chance to control their impulsivity. It helps them stop themselves from doing things like jumping on the couch or whacking their younger brother."
Children's meditation continually progressed as most parents opt to enrol their child in mindfulness classes all throughout the years. Actress Goldie Hawn is one of the children's meditation advocate. Hawn created the MindUp program wherein children are taught to meditate. More than 150,000 children participated in the meditation program wherein they were able to find their "brain's happy place."
Hawn said that mindfulness teaches children to give their brains a break. "We teach the kids to take brain breaks, because every brain needs a break, and because we know that meditation builds a stronger brain, we start them on these mindfulness and relaxation techniques very young so they can carry them their entire lives," she said.
