Children’s Awareness Skills: Learning Emotion Management

Children’s awareness skills open up a world of opportunities that helps children be healthier and happier. It can improve the ability to concentrate and train their brains for empathy, calmness, and emotional control. Starting children’s meditation also makes it easier for them to connect with themselves. The idea is that they can adapt more easily to any situation, especially the ones they wrestle with on a daily basis.

We know that awareness skills are very useful in our complex daily adult lives. The things we have to deal with – both professionally and personally – leave their mark on us. They add stress and anxiety to our lives. However, meditation and awareness skills, which are conciliatory and effective methods, help to address them.

Because awareness skills and other methods are so useful to adults, why don’t we teach them to children? Interestingly, there are already many schools around the world that include this exercise in classroom classes. These include breathing, meditation and awareness skills exercises in daily routines. These help children reach milestones in their development more easily.

However, it is important that we create such exercises from an early age. For example, we all know how difficult it is to do relaxation exercises with school-age children for the first time. However, 3-4 year olds in schools that use awareness skills perceive it as completely normal. They are used to spending time in silence or focusing on their own breathing. In that sense, they have the lead and can move faster in developing other abilities.

Let’s see how and how we can help children embark on this comprehensive and very useful practice…

Children’s awareness skills: benefits and challenges

Many countries with a well-developed education system recognize the benefits that children’s awareness skills provide. The UK, Canada, the Netherlands, the US and Australia plan to include it in their overall curriculum. Awareness skills training should be in place in all schools by 2020. It is currently being gradually introduced to the youngest children. The goal is to utilize the receptive brains of young children.

If you are wondering what is the best age to start using awareness skills, we should emphasize one small detail. It is ideal to start it at the age of 3 years. However, if we want to get results, we need to be consistent to make it a habit. Then it sustains itself. Let’s take a closer look at this idea.

I am interested in the world around me

The main goal of children’s awareness skills is to arouse their curiosity and attention. We don’t want their ability to amaze to evaporate. The same goes for their interest in reuniting with the outside world through their receptive, relaxed, and confident inner self.

I am more aware of my own environment

Likewise, their ability to better focus their attention on certain things strengthens their ability to concentrate. This is the key to surviving in a busy world. Young children do not have stable or sensible filters with which to control this sensory attack.

I understand, control, and channel negative emotions

On the other hand, as we mentioned earlier, awareness skills are more than just lifestyle exercises. Their techniques, philosophy, and focus can bring about changes in us that can change our perspective.

Children, on the other hand, are better able to manage their negative emotions from an early age. They understand where their anger and sorrow come from. With it, they will be able to channel it in the right way. It in turn helps to improve their social skills and the way they identify with other people. As a result, they are able to avoid violent and aggressive situations in the classroom.

Children’s awareness skills: fun and useful methods to get started

We should clarify something important before we start. Children’s awareness skills are not limited to teaching them how to meditate, relax, and breathe. They go much deeper. We must not forget that awareness skills are also related to diet, work, relationships and even sports!

Let’s see what methods we can develop to implement this philosophy in children’s lives! It has two requirements – it should be fun and easy. Here are some methods we can use with children ages 3-6.

I am a Superman or Wonderful

• Start by telling the kids that they should stand in a “position of power,” as if they were superheroes. They should stand with their backs straight, hands on hips, and most importantly, eyes closed.
• They are going to turn into superheroes with super senses!
• They should listen in complete silence to all the sounds around them for 5 minutes. They need to be really vigilant and relaxed so that they can put their radar on all the sounds, even if they are very quiet sounds…

I learned to breathe with a plush toy

Teaching breathing is best with a soft toy. Follow these instructions.

• Daytime moments are perfect moments to teach relaxed breathing.
• Ask the children to put their plush toys or dolls on their stomachs.
• Then ask them to inhale through the nose while counting to four. They should watch how their stomach rises and the plush toy with it.
• They should hold their breath for 3 seconds and then exhale through the mouth. Ask them to watch their plush toys sink down again.

The weather and my feelings

In her awesome book, Sitting still like a frog, Eline Snel offers meditation methods for parents. The book contains interesting methods to help children identify their feelings. He recommends associating emotions (such as sadness, anger, or joy) with the weather.

• To do that, tell the kids that you are going to play a weather forecast game.
• They should close their eyes and ask themselves “what is the weather like inside me today?” . If it’s sunny, I’m fine. If it rains, I’m sad. If it thunder and lightning, it’s because I’m angry.

“Let’s spot things” walk

Children’s awareness skills do not only emerge when they are seated. Young children are active and responsive. They get excited about the experiences and are insatiable curious. They need physical contact, games, and constant interaction. So we need to adapt our awareness skills to their daily needs and rhythms.

One really effective exercise we can do with them on a daily basis is a “detect things” walk. Encourage them after school or when you are out to spot things around them. You can say things like “I realize that…”, “I notice that…”, “I see that…”.

The aim is to encourage them to be open to their environment, no matter how small or insignificant they may seem. “I find that I can hear someone laughing from afar,” “I find that man looked sad,” “I find that I can hear a chick in the nest crying after his mother,” “I find that a cloud obscures the sun…”.

In summary, we can say that there are many other awareness skills exercises we can teach our children. Find the ones that best suit their personality and age. Nor should we forget that we must set a good example to them of a calm, balanced, and enduring affection.