Transitions can be tough for little ones to navigate, especially during times when routines are more relaxed than normal, like during weekends or seasonal breaks. Transitions can cause a host of negative emotions, like meltdowns and anxiety. Every child is different, but meditation is a simple practice that can help kids have an easier time moving throughout their day.
Meditation has numerous benefits for children, like reducing anxiety, improving emotional regulation, boosting focus, and increasing confidence. When kids practice meditation, they learn how to more easily accept changes, calm down anxious thoughts, and feel grounded where they are. A daily practice of meditation acts as a domino effect and naturally helps kids have an easier time during changes throughout the day.
Meditation has many components and can be used in a variety of ways to help children who find transitions challenging and upsetting. Meditation can be especially helpful for little ones with ADHD and anxiety.
Kids struggle with transitions for a number of reasons, ranging from anxiety to emotional regulation difficulties. Children who have anxiety are often resistant to change because they may fear what’s going to happen next, like being separated from a safe person or being in a new place.
Some children, especially those with ADHD, find that transitions may be difficult because they are enjoying the activity they are currently in and have a hard switching their attention to something new. For example, if someone asked you to stop watching your favorite TV show right in the middle of an episode, you might feel frustrated. This frustration is heightened in children with ADHD because their brains are wired more strongly towards rewards, or doing things they enjoy.
Similar to children with anxiety, kids with autism may not want to transition because they feel comfortable with their current situation and don’t do well with disruptions of their expectations or routines. Other children may simply want to finish their current activity before moving onto the next part of their day. Finding out what causes rigidity to transitions for children on an individual level can guide you towards the appropriate meditation or mindfulness practice to ease change.
Before any change is initiated, it’s important to set expectations for what lies ahead in their day. Whether you’re a teacher transitioning a group of students from snacktime to independent reading, or a parent transiting your child from playtime to bedtime, it’s crucial that kids understand what the next part of their day is going to look like. Setting the expectation for what is going to happen next will reduce anxiety and give kids time to wrap up their current activities.
Giving several warnings before a transition happens can make a big difference, so make sure to alert kids at least two times before the transition begins. A simple time update can work well, for example, “In 10 minutes we are going to start getting ready for reading”, and then again at the 5 minute mark.
Allow kids to be part of the transition process, like choosing mindful songs to clean up with or which breathwork exercise they want to work on. Letting them be a part of the transition helps kids feel more in control and makes the change more enjoyable, which results in less meltdowns.
Music is a powerful part of meditation and when played during a transition, can serve as an auditory clue that it’s time to move on to something new. While many songs that are traditionally used for cleaning up, like the famous “clean up” anthem, are quite catchy, sometimes these songs can cause too much excitement and stimulation, especially if the next activity is going to be a quieter one.
Try opting for calming music or nature soundtracks while kids wrap up their activities and prepare for the next one. It can be helpful to start playing this music towards the end of one activity, for example at snacktime, and into the beginning of the next one, like independent reading. Some children may prefer listening to the same song during each transition, especially children with autism or anxiety who respond well to familiarity. Others may prefer different soundscapes or even different styles of music, depending on their mood. Allow them to take the lead and take note of what works and what doesn’t.
⭐️ Tip: Put on Teddy Bear Waltz, our calming, yet upbeat composition perfect for initiating positive transitions.
When most people hear the word meditation, they think of long meditative practices that last for much longer than children have the attention for. Fortunately for kids, and adults who are pressed for time, research shows that small bursts of meditation throughout the day result in a full range of benefits, benefits that are typically associated with longer forms of meditations. Micro meditation is a great practice for kids on its own, but becomes especially handy during periods of transitions.
Micro meditation is best used in the middle of a transition. For example, when shifting from snacktime to independent reading, micro meditation can be easily implemented after kids have cleaned up from snack and before they open their books to begin reading. Any form of meditation can become micro, but for kids, it’s best to stick to tried and true kid-friendly practices. Exercises like creative visualizations or breathwork are an easy way to get kids feeling relaxed and ready for the next part of their day.
⭐️ Tip: Got 2 minutes? Engage children in Flower Breaths, a calming and imaginative breathwork practice, in between activities to restore their energy and focus for their next endeavor.
For some kids, the transition from being physically active to sitting still can be a difficult task, especially for children who like being on the go or have ADHD. A moving meditation is a blend of meditation and movement that can help to bridge the space from movement to stillness. Like micro meditation, moving meditation can be short in length and easily adaptable to childrens’ preferences and needs. It can also be implemented in the middle of activities, for example, a stretching exercise after children come inside from playing and before they sit down to have dinner.
Moving meditation allows children to wind down movement and focus their attention on their bodies, allowing them to feel themselves slowing down and preparing for what comes next.
⭐️ Tip: The gentle, yet constant movement in Sunflower Stretch helps kids to unwind from physical activity and refocus their energy for calmer activities ahead.
A key component in meditation, visualization helps kids emotionally prepare for their next task and have appropriate expectations. This can look different for every child, as their individual needs will vary. For younger children, a visualization that begins right at the beginning of a transition, may look like envisioning themselves crossing over a magical bridge that takes them from one activity to the next. Encourage them to use their imagination and make their visualization any way they like.
With older children, this may look like them imagining themselves completing their next tasks, focusing on how it feels to positively transition. For example, at the beginning of a transition, a child may want to envision themselves calmly putting their lego creation away and beginning their nighttime routine. This type of visualization may not work for kids with ADHD, as their brains are wired to experience excessive satisfaction from activities they enjoy doing.
Routines, especially for children with autism and anxiety, are one of the most effective ways to initiate and maintain smooth transitions because kids know exactly what to expect. Similarly, making meditation part of childrens’ daily routines help foster healthy habits and reinforce traits, like focused attention, that naturally encourage positive transitions throughout their day. Making meditation a part of their days means that they will come to expect, and usually even look forward to meditation, allowing them to relax and fully benefit from their practice.
Affirmations are a mindful practice that involves repeating the same word or phrase over and over again, helping to rewire the brain and override negative thoughts or beliefs. Like any practice for kids, introducing affirmations must be age-appropriate and relevant to each individual child. Children can use affirmations to address specific concerns they have and can be continually tweaked. For example, a child who struggles with transitions after school can create a phrase like “I can come home and get ready for swimming” or when transitions become easier “I can come home and feel excited to go to swim class.”
Affirmations need to be repeated several times a day for many weeks, so they aren’t going to help kids who struggle with change if they’re introduced right as the change begins. For example, when a child is in the midst of a transition-induced meltdown, repeating an affirmation isn’t going to help them calm down. For affirmations to be effective, they must be given adequate time to work before they can help kids with change.
⭐️ Tip: Bring the power of affirmations alive as little ones travel to the Land of Wishes with Racoon and the Wishing Well.
Another practice that won’t have immediate results, but will certainly help in the long run are story meditations. Story meditations are essentially meditations that are woven into stories, appealing to the imagination of kids and adults alike. Meditative techniques, like visualization, are taught within an engaging story and provide important context for meditation to kids. Story meditations allow children to see how meditation can help them in their daily lives by relating to characters who are just like them.
⭐️ Tip: Help little ones understand that transitions can be peaceful with The Night Bridge, a guided story meditation with Fox and Dragon.
Wee Meditate is the only children’s meditation platform that exclusively teaches meditation and mindfulness in a storybook world. Every practice, story, and exercise is woven into our unique storybook world, complete with forest animal characters that learn to meditate alongside kids. Whether kids are crossing over The Night Bridge with Fox, listening to Dragon’s Magical Forest while cleaning up, or practicing gratitude in Deer’s Gratitude Garden, kids instantly feel at ease and ready to meditate with Wee Meditate. Start your child’s plan today, cancel anytime. Or, try before you buy in our preview library with select listener favorite meditations.
