I have recently become passionate about using age-appropriate ways to teach young children mindfulness as a way for children to have some inner peace and inner safety despite their outer life circumstances. Mindfulness, put simply, is awareness in the present moment (noticing thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, feelings, and the surrounding environment in the moment instead of getting caught up in the thoughts and worries of past and future). Although many people are familiar with this being very helpful for adults, this is also an excellent skill for children to learn too! Awareness is the foundation to all life experiences and skills. When children increase their awareness in the present moment, they can increase attentive skills, better regulate their feelings, make safe choices, and notice and attend others'' feelings. When children notice others'' feelings, beautiful things like empathy, kindness, compassion, forgiveness, and appropriate assertiveness skills can begin to grow. Just think of a world where children could grow to carry around an awareness of their own inner peace and thus act in peaceful ways in a world that is sometimes anything but peaceful. That is a world I would want to live in and a world I would want to give to future generations.
