Mindfulness is a way of life that helps you have a better experience because you’re better equipped to overcome challenges by managing your mindset and emotions. You also have a better experience of the amazing parts of life, too.

While you can’t actually control your kids (i.e.: you can’t make them become more mindful), you can invite them to become more mindful through your teachings and how you live by way of example.

Here are the best strategies to do your part in raising mindful kids.

1. Have a mindfulness practice you do in front of your kids.

Leading by example is the best way to show your kids the benefits of mindfulness. Your kids are watching. They’re listening. They’re seeing you model mindfulness and see the effects it has on your life.

For example, if you feel frustrated and instead of yelling, you say “I need to excuse myself from your room because I’m having a big feeling of frustration that I want to breathe through and process without yelling” this is modeling practicing mindfulness.

You’re showing your child 1) feeling frustrated is okay, 2) you don’t have to react to your feelings, 3) it’s our own individual responsibility to feel our feelings.

If you don’t have a mindfulness practice that you feel confident in yet, check out Grow You, where I show you how to do the inner work and become more mindful.

2. Invite them to go on sensory walks with you.

Getting outside and experiencing nature through your senses helps you get out of the mental chatter of your mind and into your body for a much more present experience.

You can do this with your kids by going outside with them and asking them to focus on each of their senses every 30 seconds or so and noticing how they experience it. You can do this with them and discuss it after each sense. Make it fun and playful so they really enjoy the process—no need to go into details about what you’re doing; just enjoy it.

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3. Sing and dance together.

Creating experiences where you sing and/or dance is a great way to get out of your normal routine and into a state of play. This is good for mindfulness because it helps you loosen up and get into your body (where so much isn’t focused on for kids).

I sometimes do this at home by putting on music during dinner time and dancing while I cook. It doesn’t matter how old your kids are, if you make it a fun experience for you, they’ll see that and either notice it and want to be included in the fun, or they’ll simply notice it and not want to participate. Either way, they notice you having fun and that is oh so very important in a modern world that’s really focused on more traditional and serious learning styles.

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4. Teach them to meditate.

Meditation can be a simple practice, like 10 Minutes Of Silence. The way I teach this is for you to sit quietly with a timer set for 10 minutes and you focus on your breath or any white noise. The benefits are such that you slow down your racing mind and nervous system to get out of the “busy” state you’re feeling. Consistently doing this can be life changing, as you reprogram your nervous system’s reactivity.

While you can’t make your kids meditate, if you offer to show them how to do it, while making it seem like the most amazing thing, they may want to do it with you, too. Invite them into your world and show them how much you love it, how it helps you, and how easy it is.

The goal isn’t to make sure your kids are meditating regularly, but instead, the goal is to simply teach the tool of meditation so that they’re aware of it. They may try it out now or they may come back to it in years. That’s part of their journey to discover.

5. Prioritize play and silliness.

There’s an enormous emphasis on “what do you want to be when you grow up” for kids (i.e.: traditional education, goals, and productivity). This isn’t necessarily a bad thing but it’s important to balance that focus with the opposite, which is more play, laughter, silliness, and fun.

The more you can model this yourself, the easier it will be for your kids. And this is not always so easy if you’re out of the practice of “letting loose” and truly enjoying yourself. But what better reason to “find your play” again than to help your kids expand on theirs.

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A Final Note

The best way to raise mindful kids is for you to practice mindfulness and live a happy, well-rounded life. In so doing, your kids will see the effect of practicing mindfulness. They’ll be attracted to the benefits, and even if they don’t practice it right away, they’ll always know it’s an option they can come back to, as they grew up seeing you exemplify it.