Mindfulness work for children and the impact it creates

1. Mindfulness Work for
Children and its Impact

3. Mindfulness is the practice of purposely bringing one's
attention to experiences occurring in the present
moment without judgment, a skill one develops
through meditation or other training. Mindfulness derives
from sati, a significant element
of Buddhist traditions, and based on Zen, Vipassanā,
and Tibetan meditation techniques. Though definitions
and techniques of mindfulness are wide-
ranging, Buddhist traditions explain what constitutes
mindfulness such as how past, present and future
moments arise and cease as momentary sense
impressions and mental phenomena.

4. The concept of mindfulness basically relates to the conscious effort of
attending to the present moment without making any kind of judgment.
It is a skill which can be learned through meditation. Sati is an important
element in Buddhism and it’s emphasis is on Zen, Vipassanᾴ, and
Tibetan meditation techniques. Though there are several techniques
and definitions of mindfulness, Buddhism defines mindfulness as the
way in which moments of past, present, and future arise and cease as
mental phenomena and sense impressions which are momentary.

5. Compassion and empathy hold importance in prosocial behaviour and which can lead to
positive relationships besides greater peer acceptance amongst children and teenagers.
Mindfulness-based interventions effectively increase compassion and empathy in adults.
A systematic study of six databases yielded 540 papers which were potentially relevant.
After screening abstracts and titles and removing duplicates, the first two authors
independently applied for the inclusion/exclusion criteria to thirty-four full-text papers and
which left sixteen eligible for inclusion. Studies containing children between five and
eighteen years measured compassion and empathy in any form and which contained a
mindfulness-based intervention were included. The studies were independently checked
by the first two authors independently for methodological quality and the process of
extracting and synthesizing data narratively was undertaken. Convincing support was
found favouring MBIs increasing empathy in children and adolescents. The results
further established the fact that mindfulness-based interventions even increase the level
of self-compassion amongst this group. The concentration of future research should be
on the examination of the mechanisms of change and how these interventions affect
various different age groups and neurodiversity in the long-run.

6. Empathy and compassion are important in prosocial behaviour and they may lead to
healthy relationships amongst youngsters. According to studies measuring compassion
and empathy in any form and which contained mindfulness-based interventions. The
results favoured increasing empathy amongst children and adolescents. It was further
established that such interventions contribute towards increasing self-compassion
amongst this group.
Future research should ideally be examining the mechanisms of change and their effect
on different age groups and neurodiversity in the long term.

7. Surveys in the U.S., U.K. and Australia indicate that helping
youngsters deal with stress and anxiety is as important as
academics. According to a few of them, it was more important.
Studies reveal that mindfulness not only helps reduce stress
amongst children, but even has other transformative benefits like
the development of concentration and patience. Teachers today
are much more aware about their role in the mental well-being
and overall development of students too. According to teachers,
children just love being taught lessons in mindfulness. There was
this world’s largest mindful Monday, 10th May 2020.

8. The Power of Mindfulness
How a meditation practice can help kids become
less anxious and more focused
Mindfulness is being touted as the new yoga in today’s times. Besides being a stress-
buster for many, an alternative to anxiety-reducing drugs. Mindfulness has been
recognized as a therapeutic meditation practice for the reduction of stress. Mindfulness
involves paying attention in a particular way, on purpose, to the present moment and
that too, non-judgmentally. This meditation practice begins by paying attention on one’s
breathing so that the focus remains on the present. The ultimate goal is to distance
oneself from thoughts which are not very pleasant. One should be able to observe those
emotions and thoughts of oneself which are not very happy ones with no immediate
reaction. Over the last few years, mindfulness has been used for the treatment of
several conditions in children and teenagers ranging from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity
Disorder to stress and depression.

9. Mindfulness in Early Childhood
Mindfulness is increasingly becoming popular all over including
settings of parenting and early childhood. This enthusiasm is
justifiable since mindfulness has given positive results with adults
in the reduction of stress besides positively impacting one’s
physical health and mental well-being besides helping them in
regaining their overall wellness after facing adversities.
Mindfulness supports healthy adult-child relationships.
In 2019, the topic of mindfulness was explored with regard to caregiving and parenting
with a literature review which was comprehensive. Through member surveys and focus
groups, data was obtained from early childhood professionals about their method of
integrating mindfulness into their work and also about how they would be taking this
forward from here. The resources which were offered here were further developed for
sharing the learnings from the research from the field besides representing the
beginning of a journey towards increasing the level of understanding about the positive
contribution of mindfulness in early childhood development.

10. Mindfulness at Nursery
Mindfulness is not just another new trend that has emerged with a
short life, but a manner in which the present moment may be
attended to, and which has a very calming effect. The
aforementioned helps with depression and anxiety
Nursery teachers have an important role in teaching the concept of mindfulness to
young ones. According to studies, the frequent use of mindfulness activities not only
reduces stress but even increases the well-being scores. But mindfulness is much more
than just helping little ones become mentally healthy. It even involves teaching young,
impressionable minds to achieve complete control over the present moment. And this is
a very important life skill.
According to observations made by several preschools and pre-primary educationists,
the practice of mindfulness in their setting can be clearly linked with not only the practice
of mindfulness but even the increase in the level of understanding of their own feelings
amongst children. Youngsters have very intense feelings, and which may often lead to
outbursts of anger and frustration.

11. For research-based Powerpoint or Word
presentations on any topic, please
call/SMS/whatsapp on 9653254172 or email at
saifalisanjli@gmail.com
Saif Ali Sajid Amir