Mindfulness

Stress isn’t reserved for adults. Kids and teens lives are busy with school, extra curricular activities, friends, family, work and more. Teaching youth mindfulness skills assists in managing stress, improves focus and increases enjoyment in life.

Mindfulness creates space by bringing awareness to our experiences be they sensory, mental or emotional. Mindfulness skills help children perform at their best during everyday life as well as challenging situations, such as: test taking, sports, public speaking, drama and music performances, social interactions, changes in family dynamics, bullying and changes in schedule (ex: start of the school year).

The benefits of mindfulness for youth include:

• decreases stress 
• boosts cognitive flexibility and memory
• improves attention and focus
• fosters self awareness
• heightens empathy and compassion
• promotes positive moods and feelings
• enhances sleep quality
• improves impulse control and self-regulation
• strengthens the immune system
• reduces emotional re-activity
• increases relationship satisfaction
• lessons symptoms of depression, anxiety and PTSD

There are numerous age-appropriate ways to teach mindfulness to children from pre-school to teen. Join the YIMS Teacher’s Lounge for an All Access Pass to our extensive library of tools and resources.