Mindful Kids: 3 Ways to Encourage Kids to Connect With Mindfulness! by Jennison Grigsby

Teaching children how to live more mindfully doesn't require fancy tricks or expensive classes. Here are three ways mindfulness can be practiced today, at home, with children of all ages!

• Connect With the Breath: Place your hands on your belly, close your eyes and feel your breath move in and out as your belly expands and contracts.
• Connect With Your Senses: List five things you can see, four things you can touch, three things you can hear, two things you can smell and one thing you can taste.
• Connect With Gratitude: Name three things or people for which you are thankful and explain why, be as specific as possible.

These three simple mindfulness practices are appropriate for all ages and can be shared at home around the dinner table, before bedtime, in the car on the way home from school or outside at the park. Mindfulness helps to reduce stress and anxiety, become more present in the moment, and feel more calm and focused. Enjoy the incredible benefits of mindfulness together as a family!