In our busy, always-in-a-rush society, I have found meditation to be especially calming and beneficial to parents and children alike. You may think your child is too young or incapable of meditation, but even children as young as age three are able to sit next to you and mimic your meditation, eventually settling into their own true meditation practice.

Finding more family time is a hot topic these days, and spending it meditating together is a great way to bring more mindfulness to your lives and focus on your days. Here are some tips to help you get started on meditating together as a family.

1. Show your children what meditation looks like. If you have toddlers or very young children, they may have no idea what mommy or daddy is doing, so before having them join you, consider spending a week letting them be present while you meditate. Children are social learners, and model that they see. They may play around you or they may decide to sit next to you and try it out for themselves. The goal is to show them what it looks like to be in a meditative state, and to show them how it is an important part of your daily life.

2. Establish a routine. Set aside a specific time each day to meditate. Morning is a wonderful time for meditation, as it helps calm the body and focus the mind to prepare you for the day ahead. However, if you find your family’s morning schedule to be full of conflict during morning hours, consider meditating at night before dinner or an hour before bedtime.

3. Create a meditation center in your home. It doesn’t have to be a large part of your home, but your meditation center should at least be large enough to accommodate each family member meditating in the same space. This space should be void of interruptive vehicles as much as possible, such as televisions and telephones.

4. Play Baroque music in the background. Children, especially, may have difficulty sitting still and focusing in silence. Baroque music syncs up with the natural rhythm of the human heart, and is known to calm anxiety and help you focus.

5. Allow each family member to embrace meditation on their individual terms. We all have our own rhythms, but children may need to be eased into meditation: consider starting them with 5-minute meditations, then moving into 10-minute meditations, and so on, until they are able to meditate for 20 minutes at a time. Teach them that when distractions occur – such as the dog barking or the phone ringing — they shouldn’t fight those distractions but rather invite them into their meditation. By embracing distractions into their meditation, they may then be able to sit or lay down for longer periods of time.

6. Expect some bumps in the road and don’t give up. Children, especially toddlers and younger children, maybe restless after just a few minutes. They may decide not to join you at all after a week of watching you meditate. Or they may try it for a day, and then have a terrible time the next day and declare that they never want to meditate again. As a parent, keep moving forward with your own practice, stick with your routine, and continue to have your children see you in the meditation center of your home. Eventually, they may decide to join you again, and when they do, you will be ready to begin a meditation practice as a family.

Author(s)

  • Dr. Gail Gross

    Author and Parenting, Relationships, and Human Behavior Expert

    Dr. Gail Gross, Ph.D., Ed.D., M.Ed., a member of the American Psychological Association (APA) and member of APA Division 39, is a nationally recognized family, child development, and human behavior expert, author, and educator. Her positive and integrative approach to difficult issues helps families navigate today’s complex problems. Dr. Gross is frequently called upon by national and regional media to offer her insight on topics involving family relationships, education, behavior, and development issues. A dependable authority, Dr. Gross has contributed to broadcast, print and online media including CNN, the Today Show, CNBC's The Doctors, Hollywood Reporter, FOX radio, FOX’s The O’Reilly Factor, MSNBC, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Times of India, People magazine, Parents magazine, Scholastic Parent and Child Magazine, USA Today, Univision, ABC, CBS, and KHOU's Great Day Houston Show. She is a veteran radio talk show host as well as the host of the nationally syndicated PBS program, “Let’s Talk.” Also, Dr. Gross has written a semi-weekly blog for The Huffington Post and has blogged at EmpowHER.com since 2013. Recently, Houston Women's Magazine named her One of Houston's Most Influential Women of 2016. Dr. Gross is a longtime leader in finding solutions to the nation’s toughest education challenges. She co-founded the first-of-its kind Cuney Home School with her husband Jenard, in partnership with Texas Southern University. The school serves as a national model for improving the academic performance of students from housing projects by engaging the parents. Dr. Gross also has a public school elementary and secondary campus in Texas that has been named for her. Additionally, she recently completed leading a landmark, year-long study in the Houston Independent School District to examine how stress-reduction affects academics, attendance, and bullying in elementary school students, and a second study on stress and its effects on learning. Such work has earned her accolades from distinguished leaders such as the Dalai Lama, who presented her with the first Spirit of Freedom award in 1998. More recently, she was honored in 2013 with the Jung Institute award. She also received the Good Heart Humanitarian Award from Jewish Women International, Perth Amboy High School Hall of Fame Award, the Great Texan of the Year Award, the Houston Best Dressed Hall of Fame Award, Trailblazer Award, Get Real New York City Convention's 2014 Blogging Award, and Woman of Influence Award. Dr. Gross’ book, The Only Way Out Is Through, is available on Amazon now and offers strategies for life’s transitions including coping with loss, drawing from dealing with the death of her own daughter. Her next book, How to Build Your Baby’s Brain, is also available on Amazon now and teaches parents how to enhance their child’s learning potential by understanding and recognizing their various development stages. And her first research book was published by Random House in 1987 on health and skin care titled Beautiful Skin. Dr. Gross has created 8 audio tapes on relaxation and stress reduction that can be purchased on Amazon.com. Most recently, Dr. Gross’s book, The Only Way Out is Through, was named a Next Generation Indie Book Awards Silver Medal finalist in 2020 and Winner of the 2021 Independent Press Awards in the categories of Death & Dying as well as Grief. Her latest book, How to Build Your Baby’s Brain, was the National Parenting Product Awards winner in 2019, the Nautilus Book Awards winner in 2019, ranked the No. 1 Best New Parenting Book in 2019 and listed among the Top 10 Parenting Books to Read in 2020 by BookAuthority, as well as the Next Generation Indie Book Awards Gold Medal winner in 2020 and Winner of the 2021 Independent Press Awards in the category of How-To. Dr. Gross received a BS in Education and an Ed.D. (Doctorate of Education) with a specialty in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Houston. She earned her Master’s degree in Secondary Education with a focus on Psychology from the University of St. Thomas in Houston. Dr. Gross received her second PhD in Psychology, with a concentration in Jungian studies. Dr. Gross was the recipient of Kappa Delta Pi An International Honor Society in Education. Dr. Gross was elected member of the International English Honor Society Sigma Tau Delta.