5 Unique Meditations for Children & Students to Relax

Meditations That I Used for Children to Relax and Motivate Them – Tools I Used as a Dance Teacher

Meditation is a reflective state where your mind is empty of excess thoughts and you can hear you. Your true thoughts, feelings and eventually internal spiritual awareness. Meditations for children can be extremely powerful.

This state of mind happens not only traditionally when you sit without moving, but also in trance-like states when you have nothing on your mind like driving, listening to music and dancing. It’s freedom from physical matters. 

I used to teach students between the ages of 5-13, and especially with younger children, awareness isn’t always a first priority. Some adults will see all of their energy and immediately want them to be quiet. With the organization I worked under, our methodology was a bit different. 

It was imperative to give students a voice and ways to express themselves. But how can one express themselves if they’re not even sure what they’re feeling in the first place? That’s where meditation came in. It was a way to relax, motivate, and create awareness for a more loving, authentic classroom experience. 

These meditations are simplified to get the desired effects of meditation on age groups with typically lower attention spans and different needs. These were very effective for me in calming a room.  

10 Breaths Meditation

Counting down from ten, guide the children with their eyes closed in deep breaths. Hold your breath for three seconds then blow out for three seconds.

The first few times you do this meditation – especially if they’re younger – there will be giggling, fidgeting, etc. It’s a part of the process, and meditation shows improvement at a steady, but slow, pace.

“Daydreaming”, or Guided Visualization Exercise

Let them close their eyes and lead a visualization of a simple place. After you describe the entire place, let them sit in it for a few seconds. Usually places of nature are most effective, but anywhere you can think to describe in vivid detail is fine.

Listening to Music and/or Freeze Tag

This works especially well when you’re teaching dance classes or leading after school programs. All you have to do is turn on some music your kids enjoy and let them dance and do whatever they want with the music for a minute or two.

You can also make it as a game where they freeze every time the music stops – which becomes both a release and a fun way to warm up. It’s really easy to let go of racing thoughts when you’re moving and letting your body move. Freeze tag is simply starting and stopping the music randomly, and whoever is still dancing when it’s off, is out of that round. And just repeat until you have one last person standing.

Gratitude

A very simply, yet intentional meditation exercise is expressing gratitude.

Ask for one thing they’re grateful for today, and then go around the room and have everyone say their answer. This one is much easier for kids.

Setting Intentions

“What do you hope to do in this class today?” This simple question of asking the students and your children an intentional question can yield impressive results. This is a way to see their expectations of you and your class, ways to make the experience better, and way to have a more collaborative experience. It also allows the students and your children to focus in on that thing that they said they wanted to do.

Final Word

Check-ins may seem like a waste of time, but when done with intention and with a specific goal in mind, you can reach your students on a much deeper level. Happy guiding and teaching! 

Tag: Meditations, children